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From Waste to Worth: How Karen Harvey MBE Built Toiletries Amnesty into a Global Movement of Dignity and Sustainability
- Women Story
- Apr 24
- 3 min read
Karen Harvey MBE is the Founder of Toiletries Amnesty, a Cambridge-based initiative
transforming unused toiletries into essential resources for millions. What began as a simple idea has grown into a global movement addressing hygiene poverty while reducing waste—proving that small actions can create large-scale impact.
Website: toiletriesamnesty.org
The Problem No One Was Talking About
Every day, thousands of unused toiletries are thrown away.
Hotel bottles left behind.
Products forgotten in cupboards.
Surplus stock sitting idle.
At the same time—
Millions of people struggle to access basic hygiene products
It’s a contradiction that often goes unnoticed.
But Karen Harvey saw it clearly.
And once she saw it—
She couldn’t ignore it
A Simple Idea That Sparked a Movement
The idea behind Toiletries Amnesty was not complex.
It was human.
What if unused products could be given to people who need them?
That question became the foundation of a movement.
Karen built a system that connects:
Individuals
Hotels and businesses
Charities and community organisations
Ensuring that what is no longer needed—
Becomes immediately useful to someone els
From Local Initiative to Global Impact
What started as a simple initiative has grown into something remarkable.
Today, Toiletries Amnesty:
Supports over 1,400 locations worldwide
Has helped more than 8 million people
Works across shelters, food banks, hospitals, schools, and refugee services
But beyond numbers—
It restores dignity
Because access to hygiene is not just about cleanliness.
It is about self-worth
Solving Two Problems at Once
Toiletries Amnesty stands out because it doesn’t just address one issue.
It solves two—simultaneously:
Hygiene poverty
Environmental waste
By creating a circular system, it ensures:
Less landfill waste
More community support
Greater social responsibility
And most importantly—
It makes doing the right thing simple
Changing Mindsets, Not Just Systems
One of Karen’s biggest challenges was not logistics.
It was perception.
Convincing people that:
Unused toiletries are not waste—they are resources
Required:
Education
Awareness
Consistent advocacy
She had to shift how people think about:
Value
Consumption
Responsibility
And that shift is what turned a simple idea into a movement.
Key Highlights
Founder of Toiletries Amnesty
Supporting 8+ million people globally
Active across 1,400+ locations
Focus on hygiene poverty and sustainability
No government funding—community-driven model
Awarded MBE for services to society and environment
Building Without a Safety Net
Unlike many organisations, Toiletries Amnesty operates:
Without government funding
Everything is driven by:
Community contributions
Partnerships
Collective goodwill
This makes its impact even more powerful.
Because it proves:
Change doesn’t always need large systems—
Sometimes it needs committed people
Leadership Rooted in Purpose
Karen’s leadership is defined by:
Practical thinking
Compassion
Long-term vision
She didn’t aim to build something complex.
She aimed to build something useful
And that clarity is what drives the organisation forward.
From Concept to Collective Action
Toiletries Amnesty is not just Karen’s initiative anymore.
It is a shared movement
Supported by:
Volunteers
Donors
Organisations
Communities
It shows what happens when:
Individual action becomes collective impact
A Message to Women Entrepreneurs
Karen’s advice is refreshingly honest:
“You don’t need everything figured out from day one.”
She emphasizes:
Start with what you see
Learn by doing
Adjust as you grow
And most importantly:
Stay close to your purpose
Because when the journey gets difficult—
Purpose keeps you going
Looking Ahead
Karen envisions Toiletries Amnesty continuing to:
Expand globally
Strengthen partnerships
Drive awareness around hygiene poverty
But the mission remains simple:
Stop wasting. Start sharing.
Why Karen Harvey MBE Stands Out
Karen didn’t create a solution by adding complexity.
She created it by simplifying a problem
Her work proves that:
Impact doesn’t require scale at the start
Change doesn’t need perfection
Ideas don’t need to be big—just meaningful
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