Clarios Foundation and UNICEF USA's Partnership: Protecting Children from Climate Change Impacts

In November 2022, the Clarios Foundation announced a four-year, $20 million commitment to support UNICEF's Healthy Environments for Healthy Children program, an ongoing initiative to reduce environmental hazards that impact children's health.

Starting in 2023, the partnership will work to advance progress on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and UNICEF’s global health strategy. Foundation support will go toward mitigating the impacts of pollution in 14 countries, developing responsive primary health care services and mobilizing broader multi-sectoral action — including getting young people involved.

Helping to prevent children's exposure to lead

In 2020, the Clarios  Foundation, UNICEF and the global nonprofit Pure Earth launched Protecting Every Child’s Potential (PECP), a three-year initiative to help prevent children’s exposure to lead, a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreparable harm to child development. Around 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – have blood lead levels indicative of lead poisoning. 

Through the PECP initiative, the Clarios Foundation is providing $6.2 million to UNICEF and additional funding to Pure Earth to support the two organizations' activities on the ground. The collaboration also includes the exchange of technical expertise in recycling, advocacy and communications.

“We value our trusted partnership with UNICEF in programs such as the Protecting Every Child’s Potential initiative because of UNICEF's track record and capacity to deliver urgent, lifesaving resources,” Clarios Vice President of Engineering David Patel said.

 The PECP initiative works to mobilize international action toward preventing children’s exposure to lead from a variety of sources, including informal, illegal, substandard lead-acid battery manufacturing, recycling and smelting processes.

Committed to a multi-stakeholder approach, partners collaborate with local and national governments, businesses, UN entities, academia and civil society, sharing best practices and policies. Bangladesh, Georgia, Ghana and Indonesia were among the first to implement PECP projects in collaboration with the initiative's three founding partners. 

Supporting UNICEF's COVID-19 response

The Clarios Foundation also supported UNICEF’s COVID-19 relief work with a $200,000 grant for pandemic response measures in Mexico and India. "These funds will have immediate and meaningful impact for children and those on the front lines saving lives, caring for the sick and vulnerable, and working to bring an end to this pandemic," John Barkhouse, Clarios chairman and former interim CEO said when the grant was announced.

Learn more about how UNICEF and companies work together to create better futures for children.