Public Toilet
Commissioned by Domestos and the World Toilet Organization, the Public Toilet is a 4.5 metre tall sculpture made from ceramic and stainless steel with a digital screen covering its face.
Consumers from around the world can show their support for the 1 billion people who cannot go to the toilet in private by uploading a photo or five-second video of their face via www.thepublictoilet.com which will be screened on to the sculpture.
Each upload will help to raise awareness of this global sanitation crisis and highlight the health and psychological consequences for the billions of people living with poor toilet facilities.
Jean-Laurent Ingles, VP, Global Brands, says: “Domestos is committed to help make World Toilet Day an institution. By improving toilet facilities in developing countries we can improve the health and livelihoods of millions of people while also cutting the number of schooldays lost to sickness and reducing the risks for women forced to relieve themselves in public.
"This World Toilet Day, we want to see as many different faces as possible on the Public Toilet statue to support the 1 billion people who can’t go in private."
Why get involved?
Around two-fifths of the world’s population do not have access to clean toilet facilities, including more than 280 million children under the age of five.
With a gram of faeces potentially containing up to 10 million viruses and 1 million bacteria, poor sanitation in developing countries is one of the biggest causes of death from preventable illnesses such as diarrhoea. More than 2.25 million people, including 1.1 million children under the age of five, die each year from diarrhoeal diseases.
However, if faeces are disposed of properly in clean toilet facilities, cases of diarrhoea are reduced by almost a third.
Furthermore, improving toilet facilities does more than make people healthier – it can also have a significant impact on the economy of developing countries. Research from the UN and WHO found that every $1 invested in sanitation gives a return of up to $34 by aiding productivity.
Unilever is supporting World Toilet Day as part of its commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of 1 billion people by 2020 through the Sustainable Living Plan.
Find out more about World Toilet Day at www.thepublictoilet.com.