Originally published on Tork Newscenter
Research-backed guide teaches facility leaders how to transform restrooms into a business asset that drives repeat visits, stronger satisfaction scores, and fewer complaints
Tork, an Essity brand and the global leader in professional hygiene, launched The Inclusive Hygiene Playbook – a first-of-its-kind resource that provides research-backed tips for facility managers to improve hygiene in one of the busiest spaces in a facility: the restroom. This builds on the ongoing efforts by the Tork Coalition for Inclusive Hygiene, which was launched earlier this year to explore and help solve for the hygiene barriers that people face in public restrooms. These barriers arise from a mismatch between a person’s abilities, needs or circumstances and their environment.
The hidden business impact of inadequate public restrooms
According to a recent survey from Tork, only one in five public restrooms meet users’ hygiene and cleanliness expectations. And when public restrooms fail to meet users’ needs, it directly impacts the overall experience, business reputation, and depending on the facility type, revenue. For example:
- 52% of people have acted upon a poor restroom experience* such as limiting how much they eat or not returning at all.” **
- In office buildings – where people spend a significant portion of their day – restrooms account for over 45% of building complaints.***
This is because a significant number of people face barriers to hygiene in public restrooms that often go unknown to the people who own, manage or operate public restrooms. Some of these barriers are visible; others are not. For example, a barrier can include anything from soaps that use harsh chemicals and thus aggravate a person’s skin condition, loud air dryers that overwhelm individuals who are neurodiverse, or faucets and paper towel dispensers that are difficult to operate for those with limited hand mobility due to a condition like arthritis. Research shows that 54% of venue visitors contend with some form of physical or cognitive challenge* and 44% of people feel anxious about using public restrooms and often plan their days around access to proper hygiene.**
“The Inclusive Hygiene Playbook was designed to help facility managers reevaluate the role of restrooms — not just as operational necessities, but as strategic assets that can elevate the user experience and drive business results,” said Amy Bellcourt, VP of Communications at Essity. “Backed by over 50 years of professional hygiene expertise and informed by ethnographic research conducted in 20 cities across North America, this playbook delivers actionable insights to transform public restroom spaces into business advantages.”
How to drive inclusive hygiene and unlock business outcomes
The Inclusive Hygiene Playbook offers research-backed guidance to help businesses understand the challenges people face when using public restrooms and how to solve for them so the hygiene needs of as many people as possible can be met and thus drive business performance and reputation. The research revealed that today’s restrooms often feel unhygienic, uncomfortable and uncared for.
The playbook outlines the following three key design principles and recommendations for addressing hygiene barriers and driving inclusive hygiene in public restrooms.
1) A clean and safe environment is paramount to encouraging return visits and boosting business performance
“When restrooms fail to meet hygiene expectations, businesses pay the price, said Ron Clemmer, Director of the Global Handwashing Partnership, who partnered with Tork on an inclusive hygiene roundtable in Washington D.C. in June 2024. “If people feel at risk of inadequate hygiene solutions and getting sick or they just don’t want to use a dirty restroom – it damages trust, hurts customer experience, and ultimately impacts the facilities’ goals.”
2) Put the “rest” back in restroom: design a comfortable and private space to increase user satisfaction and promote a better work environment.
“Smart businesses are discovering that exceptional restrooms drive competitive advantage,” said Dr. Steven Soifer, Treasurer, American Restroom Association, Co-Founder of the International Paruresis Association (IPA). “When facilities subject users to strong odors, excessive noise, and inadequate privacy – making restrooms feel overwhelming or even threatening – they fail the needs of people they serve. Forward-thinking organizations across industries are investing in comfortable, private, sensory-friendly design instead. In today’s market, the quality of your restroom facilities can make the difference between someone feeling welcomed and valued resulting in a return visit or feeling overlooked.
3) The restroom should feel cared for: signal care with communications that showcase your business values.
“Your restroom communicates your brand values whether you realize it or not,” said Uma Srivastava, Executive Director of KultureCity and the newest member of the Tork Coalition for Inclusive Hygiene. “Every detail – from signage that guides users with sensory sensitivities to accessible product placement and amenities – sends a message about the quality of experience your facility offers. Organizations that get this right not only exceed expectations but also foster a sense of community
“Restrooms have long been overlooked in the evolution of human-centered design, but that needs to change,” said Lee Moreau, Founder of Other Tomorrows and Professor of the Practice in Design at Northeastern University. “The Inclusive Hygiene Playbook is a one-of-a-kind resource that not only challenges outdated norms, but empowers facilities with specific, actionable steps to create more humane, thoughtful and high-performing restroom environments.”
To learn more and take actionable steps toward improving the restroom experience, download the Inclusive Hygiene Playbook here: https://www.torkglobal.com/us/en/about/inclusive-hygiene#playbook
To learn more about Tork, visit website and social media channels across LinkedIn, X and Facebook.
*Tork Insight Survey 2025, conducted in US, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands and Poland among 11,500 from the general public and 1,000 cleaning staff.
**Tork Insight Survey 2024, conducted in US, UK, Germany, France and Mexico among 6000 end-users and 900 businesses.
***Statista: North America; Average across 2017 to 2021; 185 respondents; Building service contractors / commercial cleaning providers.
About Tork
The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissues, soap, napkins and wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they’re always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity and a committed partner to customers in more than 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit www.torkglobal.com/us/en/.
About Essity
Essity is a global, leading hygiene and health company. Every day, our products, solutions and services are used by a billion people around the world. Our purpose is to break barriers to well-being for the benefit of consumers, patients, caregivers, customers and society. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands such as Actimove, Cutimed, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic and Zewa. In 2024, Essity had net sales of approximately SEK 146bn (EUR 13bn) and employed 36,000 people. The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. More information at essity.com.
