JLR engineers build sustainable manual washing machines

JLR said its Clean Clothes Campaign aims to help tackle the burden of handwashing clothes and promote gender equality by relieving women and children of up to 20,000 hours of chores a week, so they can enjoy their rights to work, education, leisure and good health.

The year-long campaign has seen JLR engineers volunteering their skills and time, as well as leading fundraising efforts across the workforce. The company’s Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage (REACH) network, for instance, raised over £4,900 in funding for the project.

The volunteer engineers used their automotive knowledge and skills to enhance the design and functionality of the Divya washing machines, to meet the needs of households in the South African villages.

With support from its freight team, JLR delivered the Divya washing machines, built at its Gaydon HQ in the UK to the communities in South Africa using one of its Defender vehicles.

In a statement, Mandisa Gordon, JLR’s Finance Business Change manager, who led the campaign on behalf of JLR, said: “JLR is dedicated to making an impact in communities where the need is greatest. We were overwhelmed by the huge support we received from our colleagues in the UK and in South Africa, to make this initiative a success. Participating in food parcels and personal care product deliveries, as well as fundraising, has been some of my proudest moments.”

Former JLR employee Navjot Sawhney, who founded The Washing Machine Project, started this project on a trip to India, engineering cook stoves. Sawhney said that he was struck by how much time his neighbour would spend doing chores, including hand washing clothes for up to 20 hours each week. 

He promised her a washing machine, developed the first prototype when he returned home, and named it ‘Divya’ after his neighbour. Sawhney started The Washing Machine Project five years ago whilst still working at JLR, where he said he received full support from his colleagues.

The sustainable Divya washing machine operates a 30‑minute wash cycle where it completes a 5kg load – with only a few minutes of manual turning – saving up to 75 per cent of time for its user, and halving water consumption. 

It eliminates the need for electricity and can be recycled at the end of its life due to the materials used to build it. It has large capacity for communal use which meets the needs of big families and women‑led households, and aims to address common physical handwashing issues like chronic back pain and skin irritation.

As part of the clean clothes campaign, JLR colleagues have also spearheaded other charitable initiatives such as delivering 100 food parcels to families in Diepsloot, South Africa.