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4 min readOct 29, 2023

To us design means action

Supertowel™ is a reusable and highly durable towel that includes a permanently bonded anti-microbial layer.

checkReusability and high durability
checkHealth and hygiene
checkFinancial savings
checkReusable
checkLongivety

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Health, Hygiene and the importance of handwashing

Supertowel™ is a reusable and highly durable towel that includes a permanently bonded anti-microbial layer. It is designed to provide clean hands without using soap and using only a small amount of water. The materials in Supertowel consists of 80% polyester and 20% polyamide.

Handwashing is one of the most important and efficient public health interventions in the world. Every year, 1.8 million children do not live to celebrate their fifth birthday because of diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. Handwashing is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent these diseases. This simple behavior can save lives, cutting diarrhea by almost one-half and acute respiratory infections by nearly one-quarter. Handwashing impacts not only health but also education, economics and equity. It plays an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals — contributing to improved sanitation, zero hunger, good health, quality education, equity and much more.

Supertowel is designed with a permanently bonded antimicrobial technology. When wetted and rubbed against the hands, the pathogens will be transferred to the towel and killed. The antimicrobial technology forms a positively charged layer on the fabric. This layer will attract and kill the negatively charged microbes, like bacteria and fungi. The treatment does not contain any harmful chemicals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Overview ⇢

Using and maintaining the Supertowel ⇢

The efficacy of the Supertowel for removing and killing pathogens ⇢

Other uses of the Supertowel ⇢

The acceptability and effectiveness of the Supertowel to improve hand cleaning behaviour ⇢

Distributing and communicating about the Supertowel ⇢

Download Supertowel FAQ here

Reasons for choosing Supertowel™

Health and hygiene:

checkClean & bacteria-free hands
checkLeaves no chemicals whatsoever on hands or surfaces
checkFast drying
checkRemains fresh and free of odour for a longer duration than regular towels
checkFlexible in use and easy to have with you
checkNo skin irritation whatsoever, far less dry skin

Cost Savings:

checkLong lifetime/durability
checkNo expiry of antimicrobial treatment
checkCompact alternative to soap
checkReduced distribution costs
checkThe anti-microbial technology is permanent and lasts longer than the materials of the towel
checkEfficient alternative to soap

Supertowel™ is developed in partnership with the humanitarian sector.

Supertowel was originally presented as a proposal to the challenge #ReimagineSoap by the Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF).

A subsequent project was funded by the HIF, where handwashing with the Supertowel was compared in the lab to water and soap. Following a successful outcome, a user acceptance field study was conducted under the same grant in a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

A production scale-up project, where the production method for Supertowel was developed, was also funded by the HIF. The project successfully established a supply chain that can provide Supertowel at the right quality, quantity and price.

Supertowel has furthermore received funding from USAID OFDA for extended laboratory studies, where handwashing with Supertowel is compared again to handwashing with soap and water, but under more realistic conditions, i.e shorter time, less water, contaminated water source and visibly dirty.

The Supertowel™ project

The Supertowel™ project is supported by Elhra’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund programme, a grant making facility supporting organisations and individuals to identify, nuture and share innovative and scalable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing effective humanitarian assistance. The HIF is funded by aid from the UK Government. Visit www.elrha.org for more information about Elrha’s work to improve humanitarian outcomes through research, innovation and partnership.

Supertowel™ — re-engineering handwashing — our commitment to humanitarian innovation.

This research was made possible by the generous support of the American people thorugh the United States Agency for international development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the authors of the paper and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States government.