Samir Lakhani

Founder: Eco-Soap Bank

In a rural Cambodian village, Samir was shocked to see a mother bathe her baby with laundry detergent.

The world disposes of up to 250 million pieces of soap every year. Yet in developing countries like Cambodia, a shortage of basic hygiene products, like bar soap, is the primary cause of infant mortality rates due to preventable diseases like diarrhea.

Learning of this issue, Samir founded Eco-Soap Bank to save lives by enhancing hygiene, protecting the environment from soap waste pollution, and improving the local economy.

Organization

Eco-Soap Bank

Active In

Cambodia, Nepal

Cause

Hygiene & Sanitation

SDGs

• SDG 5
• SDG 6
• SDG 12

Support Starts

2022

Support Ended

2024

THE MISSION

"Saving lives with recycled soap"

525,000

children under-five, die each year due to preventable hygiene diseases

40%

of global population have limited access to handwashing

43%

of schools lack handwashing facilities (meaning up to 800 million children do too)

250,000,000±

soaps are discarded, every year directly from factories

WHAT THEY DO

Improving Health, Reducing Waste, and Empowering Women – all together!

Giving new life to discarded soap

Eco-Soap Bank rescues quality soap from hotels and manufacturers—diverting it from landfills—so it’s completely zero-waste. Currently, leftover soap are being sourced from soap factories in the U.S., with it being recycled into new soap and distributed to those who need them at five locations in Asia and Africa

Empowering women, and saving children

Eco-Soap Bank then employs local disadvantaged women, from each region, to transform the leftover soap into clean new bars affordable enough for communities that lack access. By becoming soapmakers, the women are provided a stable source of income. More than that, these women play an important role as “Hygiene Ambassadors” in promoting good hygiene habits to their families and communities.

The end product, recycled soap, is distributed by UN agencies and international NGOs to schools, medical facilities, and several areas that lack proper sanitation or hygiene supplies. These program also provide education on proper hygiene practices.

OUR SUPPORT

Scaling the impact to reach save more lives one soap at a time

Crowdfunding (1)

Marketing Support

Crowdfunding (2)

Networking

Fundraising – A total of US$55,000± was collected through a combination of crowdfunding and individual donations. This funding enabled the purchase, installation, and management of three machines at the Cambodian factory, as well as providing employment for 15 more women. The machines will be used to supply soap to 430,000 Rohingya refugees residing in camps in Bangladesh.

The marketing support we have provided for Eco-Soap Bank so far encompasses two parts. First, we conducted a product photoshoot of Eco-Soap Bank's soaps. Additionally, we supported their digital marketing efforts by providing social media content and templates for future use.

For the first time as Earth Company, we took on the challenge of raising donations not only domestically within Japan but also internationally. We raised US$64,000 from 206 people across 11 countries. This funding was used to introduce a new soap-making machine at the Cambodia factory, transforming 360 tons of waste into life-saving soap for 800,000 refugees.

In October 2024, Samir participated in the Earth Company’s 10th Anniversary event, where he shared his life story and introduced his activities to the 140 participants. His talk resonated with many people, leading to introductions to companies that could potentially donate waste soap. During his visit to Japan, he also participated in two media interviews, and an article was published by Japanese media. Additionally, we reached out to a Japanese soap manufacturing company before his visit. Although it wasn't possible to arrange a meeting during his stay due to scheduling constraints, ongoing communications have led to considerations within the company. For more detailed information about the Japan visit, please refer to this report.