Colgate-Palmolive's Integrated CSR and ESG Initiatives Create an Impact on Health, Dignity and Community Well-Being

PRNewswire
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 13: True social impact is not created in silos, it emerges when health, education, livelihoods and the environment are addressed as part of a connected ecosystem. Guided by this belief, Colgate-Palmolive continues to advance its purpose of 'Building good Oral Health Habits for Life', strengthening communities across India through sustained, inclusive and prevention-led interventions. Rooted in long-term partnerships and aligned with national priorities, the company's initiatives are designed to create meaningful outcomes that endure across generations.
At the heart of this commitment is Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®, Colgate-Palmolive's flagship oral health education initiative. Since inception, the programme has reached over 195 million children, making it one of the country's largest preventive health movements. Annually, it engages with 10 million children across 25,000 schools, in partnership with Anganwadi workers, ASHA Didis, NGOs and state governments. Aligned with Ayushman Bharat and Poshan Abhiyan, the initiative extends to remote and underserved geographies including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Puducherry, embedding lifelong oral health habits and strengthening India's public health ecosystem.
As children grow into young adults, Colgate-Palmolive supports aspiration through the Keep India Smiling Scholarships, launched in 2019. The programme removes financial barriers for deserving Dental and STEM students, helping build a future-ready healthcare workforce. Since inception, 7,000+ scholarships have been awarded, with 25% of scholars scoring above 90% academically and a 60% diversity ratio, ensuring representation across gender, geography and socio-economic backgrounds.
Beyond health and education, Colgate-Palmolive focuses on strengthening community resilience and dignity. Its water conservation initiatives, aligned with the Jal Jeevan Mission and Atal Bhujal Yojana, are reviving local water sources and enabling doorstep access to clean water; benefiting 530+ villages and 3,00,000+ people, while replenishing 450 million litres of water to support health, agriculture and livelihoods. Complementing this, the Financial and Digital Literacy Programme, launched in 2023 and aligned with Digital India, have empowered 1,50,000+ beneficiaries across 300+ villages, unlocking ₹1,505+ crore in benefits, with 96% learning to open savings bank accounts. Through 800+ Digital Sakhis, women and persons with disabilities are becoming active participants in India's digital economy. In parallel, Rural Waste Management initiatives, aligned with the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, are driving cleaner, healthier villages across 50+ locations. The programme promotes waste segregation and community awareness while creating dignified, sustainable livelihoods for Safai Saathis, benefiting 1,50,000+ people. By formalising and strengthening the work of informal waste pickers and fostering shared responsibility at the village level, these efforts are improving public health, protecting the environment, and building cleaner communities that can sustain themselves over time.
Prabha Narasimhan, Managing Director & CEO, Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited, said, "For these entire 90 years, we have been part of the oral health landscape of this country, showing up consistently, responsibly, and keeping at our hearts the mission of driving better oral health in this country. We see this impact across a whole host of activities that we do. The flagship Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Future program® has now run for almost five decades and has touched 190+ million children, teaching them the basics of oral health education. We also as part of our CSR efforts, work with women to teach them digital and financial literacy, and in Rajasthan, to ensure that we bring water to the water-parched areas of the state. In this nine decade journey, what we have learned is that it's really important for us as a company to have intent in what we do and make sure that we keep our mission of building a healthier India one smile at a time, at the heart of everything we do."
Shilpashree Muniswamappa, Director - Communications & ESG, Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited, said, "Sustainability is not a destination for us, it's a way of showing up for communities every single day. When water brings back farmers to their land, when a child carries the baton of oral health from their school to communities, when a student becomes a dentist and returns to serve in their own community, when a woman stands not just as a beneficiary but as a leader, that's where we stand proud. This is when we know change and charge are no longer a program; it is a ripple that carries forward on its own. At Colgate, we just don't build projects. We build to enable pathways to dignity, opportunity and hope. Because when a smile returns, confidence returns, futures are secured, and communities come alive and together. And that for us is the real meaning of making India smile."
Colgate-Palmolive is transforming lives, one smile at a time, for lasting impact across communities!

About Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited
Colgate-Palmolive is a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, and the planet. Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited is the market leader in Oral Care in the country, committed to delivering sustainable, profitable growth for its shareholders, while fostering an inclusive workplace for its people. With a primary focus on science-led innovations in Oral Care & Personal Care in the Indian market, the company is recognized for its leadership and innovative efforts in advancing sustainability and community well-being. Among its recent accomplishments, the company has made significant strides in reducing plastic waste and promoting recyclability, conserving water and energy at its manufacturing facilities, empowering women with financial and digital literacy and enhancing children's oral health through its flagship, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® program. For more information about Colgate's global business and how it is building a future to smile about, visit: www.colgatepalmolive.co.in
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