phs Group, the UK’s leading washroom hygiene specialist, appointed Whitehouse Communications to design and deliver Dispose with Dignity, a public affairs campaign run in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK to advocate for male incontinence bins in public and workplace facilities. Supported by over 20 parliamentarians and comedian Matt Forde, the campaign secured a commitment from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to launch a public consultation on the issue.
The challenge
phs Group is the UK’s leading washroom hygiene specialist, operating across the UK, Ireland and Spain and serving 120,000 customers in over 300,000 locations. Prostate Cancer UK is the largest men’s health charity in the UK, supporting men through challenges such as urinary incontinence, a common side effect of prostate cancer treatments including surgery and radiotherapy.
Recognising the unmet needs of men living with incontinence, phs Group developed a male-specific incontinence bin designed to accommodate larger products and partnered with Prostate Cancer UK to launch Dispose with Dignity, a joint campaign to break the taboo surrounding male incontinence and to advocate for legislative change mandating male incontinence bins in public and workplace facilities.
With prostate cancer affecting one in eight men, rising to one in four among black men, and 475,000 men in the UK living with or after the disease, many face significant stigma and limited access to safe disposal facilities in public spaces. phs Group appointed Whitehouse Communications to design and deliver a strategic public affairs campaign targeting government and parliamentary stakeholders.
Our approach
Whitehouse Communications developed a focused political engagement plan to raise awareness of Dispose with Dignity among key parliamentary and government stakeholders, supported by case studies from phs Group customers and advocacy from Prostate Cancer UK campaigners.
The work focused on:
- Hosting a parliamentary drop-in event during Men’s Health Awareness Month, where parliamentarians learned about the campaign and signed an open letter to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
- Securing the support of comedian and presenter Matt Forde, who attended the drop-in event and amplified the campaign’s visibility.
- Building cross-party advocacy by securing support from over 20 parliamentarians for the call on the HSE to launch a consultation on male incontinence bins.
- Driving direct correspondence to the HSE, with 15 parliamentarians signing the open letter and two writing to the HSE independently.
The outcome
As a direct result of the campaign, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) committed to launching a public consultation on male incontinence bins in early 2025, opening a path towards the regulatory change phs Group and Prostate Cancer UK had set out to achieve.
The campaign also elevated the profile of male incontinence as a public health and workplace issue among parliamentary and government stakeholders, advancing discussions toward legislative reform on the provision of inclusive disposal facilities.
In their words
