Mid-Year Reflections: Catch up on Essential Insights

Welcome to the Essity Newsletter – a monthly article where we’ll turn the spotlight on a trending topic in health and well-being and highlight our top stories from the month before. Don’t forget to subscribe so that you never miss the latest edition!

With the first half of 2024 behind us, we reflect on the vast array of subjects we’ve covered—from workplace wellness and AI to emerging markets and trends to closing the gaps in menstrual health, lipedema, and lymphedema. In this edition, let’s revisit these topics and the valuable insights that have shaped our discussions and continue to drive our collective mission of advancing hygiene and health for everyone.  

Three Trends Affecting Hygiene and Health in 2024 

The global hygiene and health market is evolving, with significant trends shaping 2024. Consumers increasingly prioritize sustainable, reusable hygiene products, reflecting a shift towards a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. An aging population highlights the demand for adult incontinence products and the growing care gap, presenting opportunities for companies to support the elderly. The digitalization of healthcare is also accelerating, enhancing accessibility and efficiency. Essity addresses these trends with innovative products like TENA Silhouette Washable Absorbent Underwear and digital solutions such as the Caressa app and Tork Vision Cleaning, driving sustainability and healthcare efficiency. 

Step into Industry 5.0 with AI for Innovation and Manufacturing 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are revolutionizing healthcare by transforming diagnosis, treatment, and overall patient care. Beyond clinical applications, these technologies optimize manufacturing operations, accelerate product development, enhance supply chain efficiency, and support sustainability efforts to reduce waste and emissions. At Essity, AI's predictive maintenance capabilities are already being leveraged to boost resource efficiency, contributing to our Journey to Net Zero and advancing Industry 5.0—underscoring AI’s role as an essential aid and powerful ally to people caring for people. 

Effective Ways to Elevate Workplace Wellness 

Maintaining a clean and healthy work environment is crucial, with 86% of employees considering it vital and the lack of it leading to increased business costs. Ensuring easy access to hygiene products and promoting sustainable practices, such as using recycled paper towels, can significantly reduce absenteeism and improve productivity. Essity, through its Tork brand, supports these efforts with innovative solutions like Tork PaperCircle, the world's first recycling service for paper hand towels for enhanced sustainability, and the Tork Period Care Dispenser for improved access to menstrual care and increased gender equality in the workplace. 

Advancing Hygiene in Emerging Markets 

Billions worldwide lack access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services, essential for preventing infections and saving lives. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global threat, with drug-resistant diseases projected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Addressing AMR requires a multi-faceted approach, including improved hygiene practices to reduce infection rates. Essity contributes to this effort through its Antimicrobial Stewardship initiatives and innovative products from our leading brands and solutions, including Cutimed Sorbact, which help prevent infections without relying on antibiotics, emphasizing the role of comprehensive hygiene solutions in combating AMR and protecting global health. 

Closing the Menstrual Health Gap 

This year marked the 10th anniversary of Menstrual Hygiene Day, celebrating a decade of advocacy and progress for menstrual health. Despite significant strides, many barriers remain, particularly for the 500 million people lacking access to safe menstrual health products, solutions, and services and the pervasive stigma surrounding menopause. Essity is actively working to close the menstrual health gap through partnerships like between Modibodi and Plan International in Laos, initiatives like ‘Hygiene is our Right’ between Saba, Tork, and UNICEF Mexico, and campaigns that promote stigma-free environments and comprehensive education on menstrual health—all to ensure women can thrive in all their diversity across all life stages. 

Research and Innovation in Lipedema and Lymphedema 

Living with lipedema and lymphedema affects many aspects of life, yet their causes remain unclear. Bridging this knowledge gap is essential to enhancing the quality of life for affected individuals. Fortunately, recent advances in research and raising awareness are improving diagnosis and treatment, driving growth in the global compression therapy market. With organizations like LE&RN and brands like Essity’s JOBST leading the charge through education, advocacy, and the innovation of advanced compression solutions, more people can live life to the fullest, regardless of their condition. 

We may be halfway through 2024, but with many barriers yet to break, we have even more to look forward to on our mission to improve hygiene and health standards worldwide.  

July Highlights:

'Connecting the Dots' Series Wins Two Awards in Less Than a Month   

The ‘Connecting the Dots’ video series presented by MedTech Europe has been recognized by the European Association Award 2024 for Digital Communication and received the Best Video Association Award at the International & European Association Success Awards. One of the videos produced for Essity by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions for ‘Connecting the Dots’ raises awareness about fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) using innovative Sorbact® Technology dressings, which have been proven to prevent and manage wound infections effectively. Learn more about antimicrobial resistance here. 

Interim Report Quarter 2, 2024 Published   

On July 18th, we published our Interim Report Quarter 2, 2024, showing strong earnings and good underlying growth during the period. President and CEO Magnus Groth said: “Essity is in better shape than ever, reporting strong second-quarter earnings with good underlying growth and its highest operating profit (EBITA) to date. All business areas achieved higher EBITA margins compared with the preceding year. We presented new ambitious financial targets during the quarter, and initiated a share buyback program.” 

Read the full report here, and watch the web presentation in which President and CEO Magnus Groth and Executive Vice President and CFO Fredrik Rystedt present and answer questions here. 

Q2 2024 Innovations

We continue to innovate rapidly to improve people’s hygiene, health, and well-being. Through our innovation work, we improve people's everyday lives by offering products, solutions, and services that make a difference—now and in the future. In Q2 2024, we introduced several innovations from our leading brands, TENA, Tork, Saba, Regio, Cutimed, Tempo, DemakUp, and Libresse. Learn more about innovation at Essity here. 

Nana MEA Wins Cannes Lions Award 

The Taboo Totes campaign by Nana MEA was launched to bring period products out of the shadows by showing women boldly carrying their sanitary products in a transparent bag to the Dubai Fashion Week. This campaign sparked a viral conversation, unveiling Taboo Totes to symbolize transparency and dismantle period taboos and the unnecessary secrecy around menstruation, and has won a Bronze at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the "Social & Influencer Lions" category. Michèle Karaa, MEA Marketing Manager, emphasized: "As a brand, we are committed to supporting women in MEA so that together we can create a more empowering future for the next generation of girls." Learn more about the campaign here. 

Song for the World Master Athletic Championships in Gothenburg

This year, Essity will be the proud partner of the World Master Athletics Championships in Gothenburg from August 13-25. The partnership between WMAC and Essity has resulted in the writing and production of the official WMAC championship anthem called Golden Stars. The song has been released and is now available on all major music platforms. 'With a strong local presence as an employer in Gothenburg, and with products under the globally leading brands TENA and Tork, as well as brands such as Actimove, JOBST, Leukoplast, Libero, and Libresse, this song is a tribute to everyone involved in the competition; athletes, officials, and spectators," says Sofia Hallberg, Nordic Communications Director at Essity.