The ONE Foundation’s Duncan Goose with the WDF Stansted store team.

Dufry Group, through its subsidiary World Duty Free (WDF), has raised over £2.5 million for charity The ONE Foundation, effectively helping over 400,000 people in Sub Saharan Africa to gain access to safe, clean water.

WDF’s multi-million-pound fundraising milestone, achieved through sales of the ethical water brand ONE in its UK stores, coincides with the anniversary of the round-the-world motorbike journey by the Foundation’s Founder, Duncan Goose, which first inspired him to launch ONE back in 2005.

Despite not having ridden his bike any great distance for 25 years, Goose embarked on a tour of World Duty Free stores around the UK last month to thank staff for all their support over the years, and to meet and chat with customers.

“As a company we are committed to supporting The One Foundation and the vital work they do, and our staff are all extremely passionate about the brand and the projects the funding supports,” said Rosemary Brett, Commercial Manager for Dufry in the UK.

“The entire business has been engaged in actively promoting the brand and its charitable giving to the travelling public during the month of July and there have been so many fantastic photo opportunities along the way.”

Duncan Goose (second from left) with the Heathrow World Duty Free store team.

Duncan Goose created The ONE Foundation to help alleviate the issue of the lack of access to clean water globally, which currently affects 785 million people, according to the World Health Organization.

The water brand was called ONE to highlight the issue that (in 2005) there were one billion people in the world without access to clean water. It also references the vision to make an impact – even if by changing ‘one life, one day at a time’.

World Duty Free has sold the ethical water brand, ONE, in its stores in UK airports, train stations and ferries since 2006.

The bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic and are 100% recyclable. In addition, the brand is carbon neutral to Scope 3 (cradle to grave) and is a founding member of the B-Corp movement in the UK.

Along with ad hoc donations from individuals and corporates, money generated through sales of ONE water help fund water projects in some of the poorest regions of the world via the Foundation.

To date, more than £25 million has been raised for the cause, transforming the lives of over four million people.

Duncan Goose at the start of his UK bike ride in July.

“It’s been a real honour to be able to celebrate this milestone with so many World Duty Free staff around the UK,” said Duncan Goose.

“Their passion for the brand, the foundation and what we do has always been there, but to be able to share the story of how it started, and why we do what we do, has really been an emotional experience for me, as much as for them. A big thank you to World Duty Free for all they do, as it really does change hundreds of thousands of lives.”

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