Whirlpool has partnered with international grassroots organization, The Washing Machine Project, to deliver washing machines to those in low-income and displaced communities around the world, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.
In the first five years, the program hopes to address barriers to clean clothes in 150,000 households in India, Mexico, Brazil, the Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Uganda.
“We greatly admire the mission and work of The Washing Machine Project and see an opportunity to help impact more lives collectively than either of us could individually,” said Pam Klyn, executive vice president of corporate relations and sustainability for Whirlpool Corporation. “This initiative goes beyond washing clothes. It is about reclaiming time and improving lives for these individuals who will now spend much less time doing laundry, which opens the door to new opportunities.”
The program is made possible by Divya Washing Machines, the world’s first flat, packable, manual washing machines that allow users to wash clothes without electricity or a connected water source.
The portable units save users up to 76 percent of the time compared to hand washing clothes, according to the manufacturer. Built with commercial-grade products and stainless-steel construction, the machines can be fixed remotely and recycled at the end of their use.
The Washing Machine Project, founded in 2019, has conducted pilot studies and ethnographic research in 13 countries around the world to gain insight into washing machine tendencies; and distributed Divya washing machines to communities in India, Iraq, Lebanon, the United States, Mexico, and Uganda.
In 2024, The Washing Machine Project plans to scale across numerous countries, partnering with organizations like the Whirlpool Corporation and international development and humanitarian organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Save The Children, Oxfam, Care International, and Plan International.
Whirlpool also runs a U.S.-centered washing machines program, Care Counts, which expanded in December to add washing machines and dryers at two Michigan elementary schools in an effort to fight absenteeism. The company’s long-term goal is to have the Care Counts program in all 50 states, doubling the number of participating schools by 2028.
