Recognized through the campaign “For everybody and every body”, Essity brands provide care for the hygiene and health of a billion people across 150 countries under brands such as Tork, Libresse and Libero. Tork, a global leader in professional hygiene, has now been certified for the Tork dispenser development process.

– We want to show that within the Tork brand inclusive hygiene is in our DNA. We are committed to making public hygiene accessible to the majority of users by working to eliminate visible and invisible barriers to hygiene and now we can communicate an additional proof point of what we mean by it, says Saosann Eriksson, Technical Innovation Manager at Tork.

Every year, around 6.5 million Tork dispensers for paper products and soap are installed in venues including restaurants, manufacturing sites, healthcare institutions and businesses around the world.

Universal design principles are used in the development process

Applying design for all principles to the Tork dispenser development process helps reduce barriers to hygiene for users with a range of conditions, capabilities, neuro-diversities, general hygiene concerns and in various stages of life. Users include those who, for example, wash and dry their hands with paper towels, but also those who refill dispensers with paper towels, toilet paper, napkins and soap.

– Designing better products for all users – including cleaning and maintenance staff – is a long-held philosophy that has always guided our way of working. Our ambition is to design for the majority of users. When businesses provide public washrooms designed to meet the needs of many, it not only improves their reputation but also improves their overall business, says Kristian Grennfelt, Global Brand Innovation Director at Tork, and adds:

– In fact, nearly 90 percent of people say it’s important for them to have easy access to hygiene in public, particularly in the washroom.* It’s clear that providing inclusive hygiene in public washrooms is good for people and for business.

“Design for all” creates broader inclusion

Tork has chosen to use the European standard EN 17161 to guide its product development of dispensers. The universal design standard, or 'Design for all', aims to broaden the spectrum of users to ensure that as many people as possible can use the finished product. In December 2024, Tork became the first brand in the world to have its universal design process certified by RISE. This means that the brand now has proof that it meets the requirements of the standard.

– Design for all, which is what EN 17161 is all about, requires that you aim to develop the user perspective and constantly expand the number of user groups that you take into account and evaluate in the design process, explains RISE auditor Lena Jönsson, who conducted the review audit of Tork.

Looking to identify more barriers

For several years now, Tork has engaged with people with reduced hand strength to test its products. This generated lessons and knowledge that has proven to be important for product development. Tork is looking closely at many elements – from hygiene concerns to an individual’s evolving capabilities – to inform the design process and modify existing solutions or create new solutions that are more inclusive for all.   

– The biggest challenge is that there probably are needs that we don't know about yet. The last 15 years has been a journey for us, learning more about the different types of challenges or barriers that people may face when using a public washroom, Kristian Grennfelt says.

– It could be someone who has a compromised immune system after cancer treatment and avoids public toilets because of the risk of infection, or an elderly person who cannot locate a paper dispenser if it is the same color as the wall behind it, due to impaired vision, Saosann Eriksson adds.

Request resulted in new service

When the team from Essity contacted RISE with the question of certifying their management system for universal design, RISE developed a new service to meet the request. The service “Certification of Management Systems for Universal Design SS-EN 17161” was then accredited by Swedac, and RISE became the first in the world to offer an accredited certification for the standard in question.

– Undergoing a certification process was demanding, but we are committed to delivering hygiene for all and know our customers’ businesses can benefit from providing better hygiene solutions. The same goes for RISE, which we realized early on takes the issue of accessibility just as seriously as Tork and Essity, says Saosann Eriksson.

Saosann Eriksson and Kristian Grennfelt now hope that other brands and industries will follow in their footsteps.

– The more companies that work to meet this standard, the more are contributing to ensuring that people are not excluded from society in various ways. Many companies certainly stand for the principle of designing for all, but do not make this kind of commitment. This is where we hope to inspire. We are also convinced that this work makes our products better, says Kristian Grennfelt.

*Source: Tork Insight Survey 2024, conducted in US, UK, Germany, France and Mexico among 6000 end-users and 900 businesses

Förfrågan resulterade i ny tjänst

När teamet från Essity hörde av sig till RISE med frågan om att certifiera deras ledningssystem för universell utformning, tog RISE fram en ny tjänst för att kunna möta förfrågan. Tjänsten ”Certifiering av ledningssystem för Universell utformning SS-EN 17161” ackrediterades sedan av Swedac, och RISE blev då först i världen att erbjuda en ackrediterad certifiering för standarden i fråga.

– Att genomgå en certifieringsprocess var krävande, men vi är fast beslutna att leverera hygien för alla och vet att våra kunders verksamheter kan dra nytta av bättre hygienlösningar. Detsamma gäller RISE, som vi tidigt insåg tar tillgänglighetsfrågan på lika stort allvar som Tork och Essity, säger Saosann Eriksson.

Saosann Eriksson och Kristian Grennfelt hoppas nu att andra varumärken och branscher ska gå i deras fotspår. 

– Ju fler vi är som arbetar efter den här standarden, desto fler bidrar till att människor inte stängs ute från samhället på olika sätt. Många företag står förvisso för principen att designa för alla, men gör inte den här typen av åtagande. Där hoppas vi kunna inspirera. Sedan är vi övertygade om att det här arbetet gör våra produkter bättre, konstaterar Kristian Grennfelt. 

*Källa: Tork Insight Survey 2024, genomförd i USA, Storbritannien, Tyskland, Frankrike och Mexiko bland 6000 slutanvändare och 900 företag

Many of our common medical treatments and surgical procedures - from urinary tract infections to cancer treatments and hip replacements - may require antibiotic treatment. But for many decades, antibiotics have been both misused and overused, leading to a rapid rise in antibiotic resistance.

National initiative to help communities and regions become 'antibiotic smart

"Antibiotic resistance is a very complex problem where people, organisations and sectors of society are part of the problem, but also part of the solution. We cannot rely on the development of new antibiotics fast enough to meet existing needs. We must also work to prevent infections and the spread of infections," says Ulla Elofsson, researcher and project manager at RISE in the field of formulation with focus on biopharmaceuticals, food and innovation for reduced antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic-Smart Sweden is a national initiative led by the Swedish National Board of Health and RISE together with the national working group Strama and ReAct - Action on Antibiotic Resistance, as well as a number of municipalities and regions.

"In order to help municipalities, regions and their organisations understand their role and provide them with tools to ensure that antibiotics continue to work, we have developed several criteria to become 'antibiotic smart'," explains Ula Elofsson.  

The criteria have been developed together with policy-makers and professionals in the target organisations. These currently include local government, schools, pre-schools, care for the elderly and disabled, water and sewage services, regional government, health centres and hospitals.  

For schools, the criteria include, for example, teaching students about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. For nursing homes, the criteria include measuring healthcare-associated infections. Both pre-schools and nursing homes emphasise the importance of working systematically to prevent the spread and occurrence of infections. For water and wastewater operations, the focus is on reducing the release of antibiotics and bacteria from treatment plants.

Tanum takes action after citizens' initiative 

Tanum Municipality has been a partner in Antibiotic-Smart Sweden from the start. They have chosen to tackle the antibiotic problem at the municipal level. Public Health Strategist Lillan Fahlstedt explains:  

"At the end of 2017, a citizen's proposal was received that included the introduction of a theme day on antibiotic resistance and the annual reporting of antibiotic prescriptions. Shortly after the proposal was received, Antibiotic Smart Sweden was launched and it was decided that Tanum would participate."  

Tanum has been involved in the development of the municipal management criteria, which can now be used by municipalities throughout Sweden. These criteria include deciding on the municipality's commitment to the issue and spreading knowledge about the wise use of antibiotics among the population. It also includes creating the conditions for the municipality's activities to prevent infections and the spread of infections.  

"In addition to reporting on the use of antibiotics in the Sustainability Report, we have carried out communication activities on our website and social media in connection with the European Antibiotic Awareness Day. We have also publicised our involvement in Antibiotic-Smart Sweden in the municipality's information magazine, which is distributed free of charge. This shows that we are taking a stand on the issue," says Lillan Fahlstedt.  

Committed work in Köping 

About 35 kilometres to the east is the municipality of Köping, which has also decided to get involved in Antibiotic-Smart Sweden. After the pandemic subsided, the municipality wanted to find new ways of working with hygiene issues. Two specialist homes became the focus of the work.  

"As we had already appointed hygiene officers and carried out monthly infection registries, two things that were included in the criteria for Antibiotic-Smart Nursing Homes, we decided to test the criteria related to participation in Swedish HALT. This is a measure of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic use in specialised housing. The municipality had worked with HALT before, but not in recent years," says Malin Svakko, a nurse in Köping, and continues:  

"We also chose to work with hygiene self-monitoring and decided that we would put an online hygiene training programme into an annual cycle so that the staff would do it every year. On the same topic, we organised a presentation for staff in cooperation with the region on the prevention of urinary tract infections, which are very common in elderly care."

Evaluated criteria predicted to be of great benefit 

In early 2024, Antibiotic Smart Sweden rolled out a final set of pilot-tested and evaluated criteria for municipal operations. Malin Svakko believes that these criteria will be of great use:

"The municipality is an important part of the chain to prevent the spread of infections and reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. It is important that all municipalities and regions look at what they can contribute. The criteria can be helpful to ensure that they do what they can."  

Ula Elofsson agrees:  

"Being certified as antibiotic-smart is proof that you meet the criteria and are striving to improve in these areas. "We believe that being an antibiotic-smart organisation can be a source of pride for your own organisation, while at the same time inspiring other organisations and municipalities to get involved," she says:  

"We hope that the work in communities and regions will lead to important changes in the long term, including increased knowledge and awareness among children and adults about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, a reduction in the spread of infections in healthcare and society, and the judicious use of antibiotics. In short, sustainable development where antibiotics continue to work and save lives."

By working with established criteria, organisations in a number of areas can be certified as antibiotic-smart. The criteria aim to create commitment, provide inspiration and, among other things, stimulate efforts to reduce the occurrence of infections. In the long run, this will contribute to a healthy use of antibiotics. By March 2025, ten preschools, one school, four elderly and disability care organisations, and two water and sanitation organisations will have been certified. 

More information on how your organisation can work with the criteria and how you can apply to become certified →