Innovation
collaboration
Reckitt’s long-standing commitment to social
initiatives reflects
a genuine desire to make
a difference.
To reach impact at scale, the Reckitt team pivoted its strategy from philanthropic work towards closer alignment with the core business, supporting communities in key markets. Working with grassroots innovators to expand access to health and hygiene has become a powerful way to bring the company’s purpose to life.
The shift from philanthropy to a business strategy-driven approach started with a dual question: How could Reckitt create and activate a purpose-driven culture that simultaneously creates social impact and business value?
Reach impact at scale
Increase health & hygiene access for communities in Reckitt’s key markets by supporting 200 innovators and reaching 5 million people by 2030.
Innovation through collaboration
Enable Reckitt employees and leaders to experience social innovation through collaboration with social entrepreneurs.
Create the business case
Prove the role and business case for entrepreneurship & innovation when used as a dual tool: advancing societies and enabling business success.
YSI designed an impact accelerator to embed social innovation across key markets.
As part of a long-term partnership with Reckitt, YSI designed an impact accelerator to embed social innovation across key markets by supporting grassroots social enterprises that address barriers of access to hygiene and health.
The milestones
So far, we’ve supported 20+ enterprises in South Africa, Brazil, and Nigeria, scaling innovations in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). In 2025, we launched the Reckitt Catalyst, expanding the initiative to new markets, including the US, and setting a renewed level of ambition to support 200 innovators and 5 million people by 2030.
Identify
Identify effective social innovations in health and hygiene through tailored accelerator programmes in key markets.
Scale
Scale selected innovations via customised support, mentorship, seed funding and investment, and access to Reckitt’s global brands and network.
Launch
Launch the Reckitt Catalyst to consolidate and coordinate Reckitt’s social innovation efforts across 13 countries.
Build
Build a community of practice to foster collaboration, share learnings, and drive collective action across the ecosystem in the form of advocacy and policy-making.
Integrate
Integrate innovations into Reckitt’s value chain through purpose-driven partnerships, social procurement leveraging new distribution models, or strategic commercial partnerships such as joint ventures.
Project elements
Impact accelerators
Yearly impact accelerator cycles with a multi-country open call, enabling Reckitt mentors to work as intrapreneurs.
Community of practice
Community of practice connecting cohorts of entrepreneurs and mentors across Reckitt partnerships and thematic focus.
Innovation
Innovation hub focusing on mature enterprises to connect them to the Reckitt value chain, using impact measurement & management as a foundation to lead advocacy and policy-making.
Partnership is central to a robust entrepreneurship ecosystem. As part of the Reckitt Catalyst, it’s been a privilege to work closely with YSI to support innovators in health, hygiene and water. We bring our respective strengths to not only ensure that the entrepreneurs are able to maximize their impact but also to help strengthen the broader social innovation ecosystem.
YSI’s training through the Reckitt Catalyst was solid, encompassing empathy mapping, strengthening impact measurement, and crafting partnerships with Reckitt’s brands. They have been present and thoughtful, diligent and creative, and have contributed important cultural frameworks. I felt both challenged and supported in equal measure.