Clorox : New Survey from Brita Shows One in Four of Those Receiving Food Assistance Who Use Bottled Water as Their Main Source of Drinking Water at Home Do Not Trust the Government to Provide Safe Drinking Water to Their Community

October 8, 2021

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Brita responds by raising awareness of the opportunity to make the SNAP program more sustainable and donating $25K worth of filtering pitchers to vulnerable communities to help relieve families from the expense of buying plastic bottled water

OAKLAND, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2021) - Brita^®, the leader in at-home water filtration products for over 40 years, recently conducted a proprietary study with YouGov, revealing that 60 percent of those receiving food assistance use funds to purchase bottled water*. Additionally, one in four of those currently receiving funds or benefits through food assistance programs like EBT, SNAP, WIC, etc. and use bottled water as their main source of drinking water at home, point to lack of trust in the government to provide their community with safe tap water as a reason for using bottled water in their home*. This distrust could lead to weekly purchases of single-use plastic bottled water using their limited monthly funds.

On Oct. 1, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increased, impacting almost all SNAP households throughout the country. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average SNAP benefit - excluding additional funds provided as part of pandemic relief - have increased by $36.24 per person, per month. This adjustment is the first time the purchasing power of the plan has changed since it was first introduced in 1975, according to the USDA. This increase should be applauded as it reflects the efforts of many trying to purchase more nutritious food for themselves and their families. However, there is an opportunity for the system to go further in helping to protect underserved populations, as well as actions to protect the planet for future generations.

"Access to safe, quality water should be a right for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, status, education or zip code," said Leah Thomas, founder of Intersectional Environmentalist, activist and eco-communicator. "As we look at the movement toward environmental justice and seek opportunities to remove the injustices that are minimizing voices in the environmental movement - together with brands like Brita - water is an issue that we can start to educate the public on and work toward real change."

Food stamps feed one in eight Americans (approximately 42 million people), and for the last decade, the average SNAP household had redeemed more than three-fourths of their benefits by the middle of the month, according to a 2020 report from the USDA. Although the $36.24 per person, per month increase in SNAP benefits is a step in the right direction, Americans on food assistance programs who purchase bottled water may spend more than that on bottled water alone each month. Those currently receiving funds or benefits through food assistance programs like EBT, SNAP, WIC, etc. reported spending an average of $22.79 on bottled water per week, according to a recent proprietary study conducted on Brita's behalf by YouGov*.

"Americans on food assistance programs have limited resources, and they're using them unnecessarily on bottled water that is ultimately putting more single-use plastic into the environment and putting long-term pressure on people and the planet," said Brita's Director of Marketing, Lauren Kahn. "We shouldn't have to choose between safe drinking water and doing what's right for the environment, but this has been the unfortunate truth for vulnerable communities across the country. It's time for brands, consumers and local officials to wake up to this harsh reality and provide sustainable solutions."

Brita's donation is the first of many steps the brand is taking to provide solutions for these underserved populations to help give families relief from the expense of buying plastic bottled water for a potable and palatable water source. The ultimate goal is to ensure clean water is available for all people and to eliminate reliance on single-use plastic in a nation that uses 2,000 single-use plastic bottles per second, the majority of which end up in oceans, according to IBWA single use plastic water bottle recycling rates. More specifically, Brita is on track to eliminate 15 billion single-use plastic water bottles in 2021, working toward a 2030 goal of replacing 20 billion bottles a year, and provide one million people in vulnerable U.S. communities access to clean water by 2030.

For more information about Brita's commitment to making water better for people and the planet, visit Brita.com.

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About Brita
Brita® markets a variety of products, including water pitchers, faucet filters and reusable filter bottles, with the goal of making water better for people and the planet. By providing a variety of water filtration resources, Brita enables consumers to choose better water today for a better future together. For more information, go to Brita.com.

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with about 9,000 employees worldwide and fiscal year 2021 sales of $7.3 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol^® cleaners; Liquid-Plumr^® clog removers; Poett^® home care products; Fresh Step^® cat litter; Glad^® bags and wraps; Kingsford^® grilling products; Hidden Valley^® dressings and sauces; Brita^® water-filtration products; Burt's Bees^® natural personal care products; and RenewLife^®, Rainbow Light^®, Natural Vitality CALM™, and NeoCell^® vitamins, minerals and supplements. The company also markets industry-leading products and technologies for professional customers, including those sold under the CloroxPro™ and Clorox Healthcare^® brand names. More than 80% of the company's sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories.

Clorox is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. The company has been broadly recognized for its corporate responsibility efforts, included on the Barron's 2020 100 Most Sustainable Companies list, 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, the Human Rights Campaign's 2021 Corporate Equality Index and the 2021 Parity.org Best Places for Women to Advance list, among others. In support of its communities, The Clorox Company and its foundations contributed about $20 million in combined cash grants, product donations and cause marketing in fiscal year 2021. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com and follow the company on Twitter at @CloroxCo.

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*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 3569 adults, of whom 623 utilize food assistance programs. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21st - 24th September 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).