QUEBEC (News release) -- Cascades PRO, the professional hygiene brand of Cascades Inc., has launched a new hand hygiene campaign to promote the importance of hand drying in preventing the spread of bacteria, viruses and other infections.
The mission of the campaign, titled "Hand Hygiene is a Two-Part Process," is to inform the public about the importance of hand drying as a critical part of the fight against infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Research has shown that bacteria are more easily transmitted from wet hands than dry hands, and that using paper towels to dry your hands not only removes the moisture from hands more quickly and efficiently, but the friction caused by the towels allows for even further removal of microorganisms.
In a recent Consumer Intelligence poll conducted by Cascades in the U.S., results confirmed that Americans are not placing the same importance on hand drying as they are on hand washing. While 84% percent of Americans say it is extremely important to wash your hands after using a public restroom, only 48% of Americans say it is extremely important to dry your hands after using a public restroom.
"As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, we saw a significant rise in discussions about hand washing and its important role in helping to curb the spread of the virus, but little to no coverage of hand drying - the equally important second part of hand hygiene," said Francois David, Vice President Marketing & Innovation, Cascades Tissue Group. "With our 'Hand Hygiene is a Two-Part Process' campaign, we aim to add to the current dialogue about proper hand hygiene to ensure that people across North America understand that drying your hands is just as important as washing them."
The campaign, rolling out this month in the U.S. and Canada, is fully integrated and being supported by advertising, public relations, and web and social programs, as well as a toolkit for building owners and facility managers to use to promote the importance of hand drying in reducing the spread of illness.
Beyond shedding light on the scientific aspect of hand drying in the form of a white paper, the "Hand Hygiene is a Two-Part Process" toolkit will also provide useful tips for improving the hygiene of bathrooms in retail stores, office buildings, manufacturing plants and similar facilities to better align with these new consumer demands for public restrooms. Cascades PRO will also be including information about proper hand hygiene in the promotion of its Tandem Electronic No-Touch Hand Towel Dispenser, set to be released this fall.
As organizations and businesses continue to evaluate their re-opening plans, important care will need to be taken in terms of public restrooms and how best to keep people safe. Cascades PRO's consumer survey also explored the features Americans would like to see more of in public restrooms, with the results being (1) paper towels from a touchless dispenser (74%), (2) touchless ways to enter and exit the bathroom (64%) and (3) automatic toilet flushers and touchless trash cans (59%).
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