Pilipinas Shell has launched its Deep Clean Week in partnership with Unilever through Domex under its 1M Clean Toilets Movement. Given the fact that gas stations along major roads have become necessary stop-over points for motorists, more people are expected to use their facilities especially during peak seasons in traveling. We all know that summer which is not yet quite over is one of those great traveling seasons and the last thing we all need is to be sick.

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The Possible Risks

Whenever we use any public facility, there is always the risk of acquiring diseases simply because there are many people using it. A gas station is the perfect example of this since a stop-over is not usually limited to getting gas. Since most gas stations of today are actually complete retail station facilities, we do buy things we may have forgotten and of course we use the restrooms.

Now restrooms in gas stations are not exactly known for being exceptionally clean. There are even those that do not only inconvenience us with dirty pumps, slippery floors, and dirty toilets, they can also give us visions of actually contracting a disease just by going near them. Imagine what it would do if we use them.

Shell’s Deep Clean Week with Domex

It is therefore such a relief to hear that Shell is addressing this problem through the Deep Clean Week with Domex. It is a project that aims to clean up Shell stations around the country in relation to the 1 Million Clean Toilets Program. This is an advocacy that seeks to raise awareness on the need for proper toilet sanitation and to help improve access to clean toilets. Domex also hopes to educate Filipinos in reducing the incidence of diseases related to lack of proper toilet sanitation particularly through the use of specialized cleaners which it offers.

So what is different about this project? Oying Yam, Vice President for Retail says that they are launching the Deep Clean Week in answer to the feedback they received from last year. He says that Deep Clean Week is about spotting areas of the station that are not part of the everyday cleaning cycle.  Thus starting May 12, an assigned staff visits a site and work alongside retailers to improve site cleanliness. Volunteers will be assessing three key areas in Shell facilities namely Cleanliness, Condition/Maintenance (whether the site is suitably maintained), and Compliant to Shell brand standards.

It is quite noteworthy that a global leader in power, energy, and gas technology like Shell, has recognized the need to provide clean and bright facilities to its customers.

My Say

I have much respect for brands that respect its consumers. At the end of the day, people will remember a product for what it represents – quality, reliability, and the company behind it. Many of my friends say that I am far too idealistic when I expect well-known brands and established companies to genuinely care for their customers. Maybe so but my hopes for a better world springs from such idealism.

Shell and Unilever (manufacturer of Domex) are placed in an enviable position to make a real difference for positive change and I’m glad they are doing what they need to do in their territory. So I say, let’s have more of this. Awareness of our social responsibility to each other and the world may just lead us to the answer.