How a Simple Washroom Solution Saves Water, Time and Money Sustainability and resource efficiency are a growing environmental concern across the world. Many organizations are striving to reduce their environmental impact and in the process save money by using less energy and natural resources. While there are numerous ways to save water, one simple solution could be the choice of soap in the washroom. Dr John Hines, R&D Director at skin care experts, Deb Group, announced how independent research commissioned by Deb has shown that when using foam soap for hand washing people use 16% less water than when using liquid soap. Dr Hines goes on to state that “water consumption can in fact be reduced by up to a staggering 45% by adopting a foam soap hand washing technique of dispense, lather, rinse and dry”. For every 100 people employed, the use of foam soap for hand washing can equate to an annual water reduction of up to 56,000 litres. As warm water is usually used there are also savings to be made in energy use and CO2 emissions. Dr Hines also explains that an experiment conducted by Deb shows foam soap is eight times more spreadable than lotion soap and reduces the quantity of product required for an effective hand wash. Interestingly, using less product does not equate to less efficacy as a further scientific study commissioned by Deb shows that there is no significant difference in the cleaning ability between a 0.7ml shot size of Deb foam soap compared to a standard 1.1ml shot size of lotion soap, confirming that the same efficacy is delivered from foam using less product. Further benefits explained by Dr Hines are that foam soap is more biodegradable than lotion soap as it does not require chemicals to thicken the soap - the lather is created by adding air. In addition, as foam soap delivers more hand washes from the same packaging compared to lotion soaps, it means that products have to be replaced less often, ultimately saving time and money and reducing packaging waste. Dr Hines concludes by stating he “would seriously urge any organization to consider the use of foam soap to help reduce their environmental impact and at the same time save time and money”.

END (366 words)

Deb Canada,

October 29, 2011 Page 2

PRESS CONTACT:

Patrick Boshell, Marketing Manager, Deb Canada Tel: 1-519-443-8697 Email: patrick.boshell@debcanada.com www.debgroup.com

REFERENCE: “How a simple change in the washroom can significantly reduce water consumption and associated costs”; Ann

Durrant and Alexandra McKay, Media4change (UK) Ltd

NOTES TO EDITOR:

The Deb Group aspire to be the world’s leading away from home skin care company that provides dedicated skin care programs for organizations that value their employee and customer well-being. Deb products are available in over 100 countries and it is estimated that at least 40 million people use Deb products everyday in the workplace.