- Bboxx partners with Unilever through the Sunlight brand to accelerate access to clean energy across Kenya
- Distribution partnership will scale energy access and empower women entrepreneurs with training tools and resources to diversify revenue streams
- Partnership is core to Bboxx’s mission to transform lives and unlock potential, combined with Sunlight’s commitment to clean energy access provision and support of female entrepreneurs
Monday 12th September 2022 – Bboxx, a super platform providing access to essential products and services, and Unilever, one of the largest consumer goods companies, have partnered through Sunlight, a leading detergent brand, to accelerate the provision of clean energy access for households across Kenya, transforming lives and unlocking potential for all.
Despite significant efforts to date, nearly 40% of the rural population in Kenya don’t have access to electricity currently, demonstrating the urgent need for energy solutions in the country . Access to clean energy (SDG7) is a core sustainable development goal, proven to have strong social and economic benefits. Bboxx and Sunlight will be deploying their strengths and resources to tackle this issue head on.
This partnership complements Bboxx’s existing services and footprint in Kenya, with Sunlight’s heritage and distribution capacity set to create new channels to reach consumers in Kenya. Through joining forces, Bboxx and Sunlight will connect an additional 1 million people in Kenya, providing access to essential clean energy products and services over the next three years.
Mansoor Hamayun, CEO and Co-Founder of Bboxx, said: “At Bboxx, we understand the importance of partnering with industry leaders to achieve the best positive outcomes for our customers. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with one of the leading FMCG players, enabling us to deliver clean energy access to millions of households across Kenya. Not only is this a step towards the UN’s SDG 7, clean energy for all, but it is also a marker of our expansion into other sectors, allowing us to have a more positive and widespread impact on the lives of the local communities we are present in. Like Unilever, we pride ourselves on being a trusted service provider in our respective fields, and we look forward to building on this partnership as we launch into additional markets in the future.”
On his part, Unilever Home Care Director, Henry Muchauraya echoed that he was extremely proud of this timely and impactful initiative adding that it would go a long way in transforming the lives of many Kenyans.
“In line with Unilever’s purpose, to make sustainable living common place, our Sunlight brand is on a proud mission in partnership with Bboxx to not only help the community access clean power through our vast distribution networks but also ensure that they experience the value of its many products under the Sunlight Masterbrand. In line with Sunlight’s Women of More program, we are also looking to uplift thousands of female entrepreneurs across the country, through training and access to extra sources of income,” said Henry.
The partnership will drive combined marketing campaigns and mobilise agents with resources and training to promote clean energy solutions. It will also serve as a new source of income for Unilever’s retailer network, comprising of more than 60% female entrepreneurs.
In addition, a cross promotional agreement between Bboxx and the Sunlight mega brand will reward customers with free Sunlight products when they make payments towards their solar home systems.
The partnership marks the first of many between Bboxx and Sunlight, spanning Bboxx’s wide range of products and services, starting in Kenya before geographically expanding throughout the continent with the aim of positively transforming the lives of 5 million people over the next 10 years across a multitude of markets.
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About Bboxx
Bboxx is a super platform, transforming lives and unlocking potential by providing access to essential products and services across Africa.
Bboxx has built a fully integrated operating system Bboxx Pulse®, backed by an extensive on-the-ground network to provide goods, services and utilities across Africa. We offer African households, businesses and communities a highly convenient and affordable way to access life-changing solutions, through last mile logistics and data-powered innovative financing methods.
Bboxx is championing the economic development of Africa, accelerating the transition to the digital economy and creating new markets. We are connecting both underserved rural communities and aspiring urban ones with services including clean energy, clean cooking, smartphones, and loans, enabling African consumers to unlock their potential. Bboxx is positively impacting the lives of more than 2.5 million people in 11 markets, directly contributing to 11 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Bboxx has over 3,000 staff across Africa and offices in the UK and China.
For more information about Bboxx please visit bboxx.com
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the leading suppliers of food, home and personal care products in Kenya. Working to create a brighter future every day, Unilever helps people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Its portfolio includes most loved locally produced brands, OMO, Sunlight, Royco, Geisha and Vaseline, as well as key world’s renowned brands, like Knorr, Dove, Lux, Axe, among many others.
Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world’s first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago, and it’s at the heart of how we run our company today.
The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while:
- improving the health of the planet;
- improving people’s health, confidence and wellbeing; and
- contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world.
While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognised in 2020 as a sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and – for the tenth-consecutive year – as the top ranked company in the 2020 GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey.
For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unilever.co.ke
For more information please contact:
Bboxx / Instinctif Partners
Email: bboxx@instinctif.com
Phone: +44 (0) 7457 2064
Patrick Muchiri
Public Relations Manager, Unilever East Africa
Patrick.Muchiri@unilever.com
+254 (0) 725 064 149
