Andrex joins our #GetOnARoll campaign
Tuesday 21 June 2022
March 2024 Update
We’re pleased to share that we have deepened this partnership with Andrex®. Starting in March 2024, this three-year long partnership will see Britain’s leading toilet roll brand pledging over £2.3 million worth of support for our work. This is part of their new ‘Get Comfortable’ campaign which aims to shape a national conversation about the public’s toilet habits and ease embarrassment around seeking help from health professionals if people are worried about their bowel health.
We're thrilled to announce a new partnership as a part of our #GetOnARoll campaign with Andrex. The partnership will help to raise vital awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer with people across the UK.
Andrex will be adding bowel cancer information, including where to find help on signs and symptoms of the disease, onto its packaging – a change which is taking place in its factories from July and will be visible across 29 million packs of Andrex Classic Clean from September.
The ambition is to update all packaging on the full Andrex toilet roll range within the next year. This means that potentially life-saving information will be available in more than 1 in 3 UK households. Customers will be able to scan a printed QR code redirecting them to our symptoms information on our website to find out more.
Almost half of adults around the UK couldn't name a single symptom of bowel cancer in a recent survey. Knowing the symptoms to look out for, and acting on them, can lead to bowel cancer being diagnosed at an earlier stage when it is easier to treat and even curable. Sadly, right now, fewer than 40% of people are diagnosed at the earliest stages, leading to poorer outcomes – something we have long been working to change. Working with Andrex will make a real impact by helping to educate people about key symptoms of the disease.
The brand is committed to a long-term partnership with the charity as part of their #GetOnARoll campaign and will make an initial £65,000 donation to Bowel Cancer UK. This will contribute to the wider work of the charity to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer.
Dan Howell, VP & Managing Director UK&I at Kimberly-Clark, said: "We're incredibly honoured to partner with Bowel Cancer UK in helping to raise awareness of the disease through our Andrex brand. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK with the second highest mortality rate. Our announcement today is just the start of our work with the charity, and we’re committed to making it an ongoing partnership."
Genevieve Edwards, CEO of Bowel Cancer UK, said: "We're thrilled to partner with Andrex to raise vital awareness of bowel cancer symptoms with people all over the country. It's the UK's fourth most common cancer, with someone diagnosed with the disease every 15 minutes in the UK.
"Bowel cancer is treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early, but 60% of people are diagnosed at later stages when it is much more difficult to treat. Part of the problem is low awareness of the red flag symptoms of bowel cancer that should prompt people to contact their GP.
"This brilliant partnership will help millions of people across the UK know what to look out for and will undoubtedly save lives."
Andrex joins M&S as the latest partner in our #GetOnARoll campaign which calls for supermarkets to print the symptoms of bowel cancer on their loo roll packaging and help raise vital awareness of the key signs of disease.
- Learn more about the symptoms of bowel cancer
- Read about our #GetOnARoll campaign