HUL and Telangana Government partner to scale Suvidha

Under the partnership, HUL will serve as knowledge and design partner, sharing the technical expertise, operational learnings and behaviour change approaches developed through its Suvidha model in Mumbai over the past decade. The Government of Telangana will use these learnings to establish and operate centres based on the Suvidha model.

Launched in Mumbai in 2016, Suvidha is HUL’s flagship social innovation that brings clean toilets, safe drinking water, showers and laundry facilities together under one roof. Operating round the clock, the model now spans 26 centres and serves more than 600,000 people every year in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, HSBC India and JSW Foundation.

Across a decade and 26 centres, Suvidha Centres have recorded more than 10 crore service uses with 95% user satisfaction. Independent assessments show that households using Suvidha unlock over ₹33,500 annually through time saved and medical costs avoided^[a]. The model improves health, dignity and income outcomes for families, with Suvidha users reporting a 50% reduction in diarrhoeal incidence and low incidence of Urinary Tract Infection (UTIs).

This public -private partnership supports Telangana's efforts to strengthen urban sanitation by creating high-quality, accessible public hygiene facilities. It demonstrates how government leadership and private sector expertise can work together to deliver dignified sanitation solutions at scale.

T.K. Sreedevi, Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration, Government of Telangana said, “Telangana and Hindustan Unilever share a longstanding partnership focused on improving lives, from empowering women through initiatives like Shakti Amma to advancing health and hygiene outcomes. Through Suvidha, we are taking this collaboration forward. With HUL serving as our knowledge and design partner, we aim to develop aspirational hygiene and sanitation facilities that combine quality, dignity and accessibility, setting new benchmarks for urban communities across the state.”

B.P. Biddappa, Executive Director and Chief People, Transformation and Sustainability Officer, Hindustan Unilever, said “Suvidha is a social innovation born from a simple belief that everyone deserves access to clean, safe and dignified hygiene services. Over the last decade, we have worked with communities and partners to build a model that delivers lasting impact through behaviour change and human-centred design. We are delighted to work with the Government of Telangana to help scale this model and enable greater impact through public-private collaboration.”

Built on principles of human-centred design, community ownership, sustainable operations, and strong partnerships, the Suvidha model was designed to be replicated at scale. Its learnings have also been codified into an open toolkit and adopted nationally with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs through the Centre for Hygiene and Sanitation Excellence. The Telangana partnership marks the next step in scaling this proven model through state-led partnership and implementation.