The Word | SK-II AUSTRALIA Official Website

Awaking the natural skin power and making people’s life more beautiful is the core belief of SK-II. The “SK-II Clear for Life” project is dedicated to providing women in developing regions with safe and clean drinking water to help the women improve their lives so that they can lead a more positive life. Tang Wei headed for Dao Xian Village, Xin Ping County, Yunnan to visit the Project Hope Primary School and villagers there. Her objective was to gain first-hand information on how the “SK-II Clear for Life” project had improved the quality of the drinking water in the village.

After implementing the “SK-II Clear for Life” project, the women in the village no longer have to spend 2 to 3 hours each day searching for clean water sources. Now they simply use PUR to purify water from convenient sources to obtain clean water for drinking. As a result, both their health and skin quality are being uplifted. The time saved can be used to do many other meaningful things such as learning, which broadens their horizons, strengthens their confidence and helps them live a brighter life. SK-II always works its best to build a better tomorrow for the needy. The brand strives to create miracles in the lives of those in need just like what it does in skincare.

Cate Blanchett's PUR Packet Demonstration

Cate Blanchett, the global SK-II ambassador, demonstrated PUR packet’s water purification that transforms dirty water into clean drinking water. The PUR packet is an amazing innovation that quickly turns 10 litres of dirty, potentially deadly water into clean and drinkable water. And, because it is much smaller and easier to ship than plastic water bottles, anyone anywhere in the world can easily use it. Created to enable people anywhere in the world to purify dirty water in a simpler, more affordable and convenient way, the PUR packet is based on technology similar to municipal water systems in developed countries. Visit CSDW site for more information.

Water Crisis – Interview with Dr. Steve Luby

Cate Blanchett (CB) : So Dr Steve Luby, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. I mean the work that you have been doing in Bangladesh, the research you have been doing is extraordinary. So to connect you with the Live Clear charity is a wonderful thing. But I’d just like to understand from your perspective and your research with water, what you think the greatest needs are at the moment, where the core of the problem lies, particularly in the face of climate change which is coming quick and fast.

Dr Steve Luby (SL) : I think the core problem really is that we’re using a lot more water than we have available. You’ve mentioned climate change, and climate change is really important because as the temperature heats up, it’s melting many of the glaciers that are supporting, providing water to the communities. Right here, we are sitting in Beijing, the Tibetan glaciers support 40 per cent of humanity in terms of he melt and the runoff from those glaciers. So when you think about global warming eliminating those glaciers, we’re really reducing water supply. And not only are our glaciers reducing, but our ground water is also decreasing. So really, with all of this population growth, the concern is that going forward, as serious as this water crisis is now, it is actually getting worse.

CB : Part of the Live Clear project that SK-II is getting involved with is how, I mean there’s almost a billion people on the planet that currently who don’t have access to clean or fresh water. And of course the burden of that in villages often falls on women. And obviously SK-II being the brand that brings that miracle water to women. I suppose the needs of fresh water lie on those remote areas, and the women who have to walk so far to gather the water. So could you perhaps just explain how the PUR would work and how that would help women in remote areas who don’t have access to clean water?

SL : Well first I would say I agree with you completely that this is a burden that is overwhelmingly faced by women and women who live in poor communities, poor remote communities who are very disconnected from water supplies. One of the remarkable characteristics of PUR is that it is very robust in clarifying water. So that you can even take water that has both heavy metal contamination, which can happen because of agricultural runoff or other pollution, as well as bacterial, microbiological contamination which can cause child diarrhoea and death. PUR is extremely effective in taking highly contaminated water and making it as safe to drink as bottled water. So I see the commitment by Proctor & Gamble and the SK-II Live Clear program to bring this technology into the hands of people living in remote areas means that women really can work to provide safe drinking water to their families. And yes, this is a big problem and Asia has a great need, but I really see this as a concrete step forward that the program is making in order to reduce the burden of waterborne diseases.

CB : I think it’s fantastic that SK-II is taking a leadership role in this. In the first year they aim to have thirty million litres of clean water globally. But what do you see the challenge, I mean does the solution to this lie with government or NGOs or what’s preventing such a simple thing from taking flight, I suppose. SL: Well I think that there are a lot of difficulties actually to solving the global water problem. And I think the biggest barrier is actually appreciating it as a problem. I think we as a society appreciate that global warming is a problem but there is much less appreciation that the global water crisis is also a problem, a problem that threatens the lives of poor women and their children, a threat that’s getting worse in recent years. So I think that one of the biggest barriers is recognizing this is an issue that we really should focus on, and that we should work with. And I’m encouraged that SK-II is drawing attention to this problem and working to bring a very concrete solution. I think that it’s encouraging that private industry sees a role that they can play. And I think that there are roles for others to play, there are roles that we can play in our own lives, there are things we can do, everything from…

CB : That’s interesting, what can we do in our everyday lives to transform the problem into being, I mean there are many opportunities in climate change, in these situations that we all face as a species I suppose, what we can do in our everyday lives. SL : Well I think that there are things that we can do to reduce our individual water supply. We can do things like taking shorter showers. We can take care of leaks in our faucets and in our water supplies. We can also do things like eat less meat. Beef consumes a lot of water in its production. So we can change our dietary habits so that they can serve water more. I think we can encourage an intelligent discussion of this problem so that as a society we appreciate it and so that we call our political leaders to think about it seriously and work to develop robust solutions.

CB : It is interesting because the notion of living clear and in order to reach a point of clarity you first need to look at the problems, you know, in order to find the solution. I mean it’s great that you’ve outlined them in a really clear way, because sometimes they can feel really overwhelming.

SL : Great and I think that this is a problem. Sometimes we look at it and we say “Oh! This is so depressing.”, “Oh what can we possibly do?” There’s a lot we can do, there’s a lot we, individually, can do to live better and to support efforts for safer water.

The Way to Live Clear - SK-II Global Event. A gift of nature that sparked the miracle transformation to crystal clear skin 30 years ago. Has led to the miracle of clear drinking water for millions of families for generations to come...This is the story of the SK-II Clear for Life project

A gift of nature that sparked the miracle transformation to crystal clear skin 30 years ago. Has led to the miracle of clear drinking water for millions of families for generations to come... This is the story of the SK-II Clear for Life project Our story began over 30 years ago through a discovery that has led to a miraculous transformation. For decades, we have witnessed how the precious gift of nature – Pitera™ – can bring about seemingly little improvements that have led to a dramatic transformation.

We see this everyday when we help women elevate their skin to crystal clear: these women engage the world differently and express themselves more fully, often improving the world around them, too. And as we looked to unlock other precious gifts in our natural world to empower and enrich the lives of women, we discovered how the precious miracle of clear drinking water can transform the lives of women and their families. While clear drinking water is a gift that most people in the world have the privilege of taking for granted, surprisingly, more than half of the world’s population live in countries that suffer from water shortages . Today, one in eight people have no access to clear drinking water. This makes up nearly one billion people in the world today and double this number in just 15 years. Something as simple as turning on the tap for many of us takes women in disadvantaged communities a 3.7-mile-hike in conditions that threaten their very lives and rob them of a chance at education, employment and a better, safer life. And SK-II is committed to bringing a precious miracle that will bring a tremendous transformation to their lives. We have created the SK-II Clear for Life project – a movement inspired by a simple act of generosity when Global Ambassador Cate Blanchett donated three million litres of clear drinking water to communities in need in honour of SK-II’s thirtieth year. The SK-II Clear for Life project exists because we have learned that connecting women in developing regions to a source of clear, safe water transforms their lives and empowers them to change the destiny of their community. This is no little effect. Clear, safe water can help women to focus on protecting, nourishing, educating and employing their communities. This very precious gift of nature is so fundamental that without it, other resources and support simply don’t make much difference to a community. Through a partnership with the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program and working with a network of organizations, focus first in Asia. the SK-II Clear for Life project will bring life-saving, clear and purified water to communities in need. The technology at the heart of this is PUR™ Purifier of Water. Taking the form of a sachet of powdered mixture that acts as a ‘dirt magnet’ when it is mixed in water, PUR™ removes pollutants and cysts and kills bacteria and viruses in contaminated water, turning this water clear, safe and drinkable in minutes. As the threat to such communities is actually increasing, scarcity of clear, safe water will become an even bigger issue. By acting now, SK-II can help women immediately and bring hope for a better future by empowering them with access to clear, safe water.

In just one day, women spend more than 200 million hours collecting water for domestic use. While clear drinking water is a gift that most people in the world have the privilege of taking for granted, surprisingly, almost 1 billion people today in developing countries have inadequate access to water. And women and young girls carry a double burden of disadvantage because they are the ones who sacrifice their time and education to collect water. Each year, millions of women spend several hours each day, on the simple task of collecting water, while some 1.8 million children die as a result of diarrhoea.

Something as simple as turning on the tap for many of us takes women in disadvantaged communities a 3.7-mile-hike in conditions that threaten their very lives and rob them of a chance at education, employment and a better, safer life. The reality is that the water crisis impacts women disproportionately. In many developing societies, they are the managers of the family’s water source. From managing water in the household to tending crops and raising children, lack of access to water substantially magnifies the burden of their responsibility.

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