Deadline Date: August 31, 2026
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is inviting applications for the Laundry Transformation Challenge to identify and pilot innovative, affordable, and inclusive laundry technologies that reduce women’s unpaid workload, improve health, and significantly decrease water use and pollution across Asia and the Pacific.
The challenge focuses on reducing women’s unpaid workload, improving health, reducing water use, reducing water pollution, improving washing and drying outcomes, supporting inclusive and affordable laundry technologies, promoting circular water arrangements, encouraging sustainable detergents, reducing microfiber pollution, expanding shared laundry services, and developing scalable solutions for low-income settings.
Laundry remains a largely manual task across many communities in Asia and the Pacific, with women carrying most of the responsibility. This unpaid work consumes a significant portion of their productive time while exposing them to physical strain. At the same time, inefficient laundry practices contribute to excessive water consumption and the release of untreated greywater containing detergents and microfibers into rivers and lakes.
Through this challenge, ADB seeks innovative technologies that can address one or more of these issues by making laundry more inclusive, efficient, and environmentally sustainable. Eligible solutions may include innovations related to washing, drying, detergents, water recycling and circular water systems, filtration technologies, shared laundry services, and other relevant approaches designed for low-income settings.
Selected pilot projects can receive grant funding of up to USD 450,000, with a 10% co-financing requirement. Participants will also have the opportunity to test and validate their solutions in new markets, collaborate with ADB and local and international stakeholders, participate in a rigorous impact evaluation, gain visibility among governments and financiers across the region, and contribute to transforming laundry practices across Asia and the Pacific.
For more information, visit Asian Development Bank (ADB).
