Summary

Clean the World partners with hotel properties across the world to recycle their discarded soap and bottled amenities. The collected soap is recycled into new bars that are distributed to communities in need across the world where access to hygiene still remains a problem. The company has created an infrastructure to collect the soap using Clean the World boxes that are shipped to a Clean the World facility, where the bars are recycled into new bars that are clean and suitable for use. The company also has a distribution network to then provide these hygiene products to impoverished communities across the world.

Story

Founder Shawn Seipler first got thinking about soap waste when he casually inquired what the hotel he was staying at does with its used soap, only to be discover that hotels throw away all the unusual soap bars. In doing some basic research, he calculated that, given the number of hotels that existed, millions of bars of soap were just being thrown away all the time. He also discovered that impoverished countries suffered from an extraordinarily high death rate from diseases such as pneumonia and cholera, diseases often caused by lack of basic hygiene supplies. Although Seipler was already running successful business ventures, he wanted to start this venture as well and recruited family members to collect discarded soap from hotels in the Orlando area and they set about recycling them in a one-car Florida garage. Using gadgets like potato peelers and pickle buckets, Seipler and his family were able to essentially shave out and cook new bars of soap. These humble beginnings finally grew to the worldwide operation that is the company today. Seipler had started the company as a 501(3)(c) nonprofit, but decided to switch to a for-profit model in which hotels would partner with the company and pay for its services. The company is now certified as a B corp. (Source)

Pic Credit: Clean the World (right) and Cvent (top)