American Campus Communities Collaborates with RB, the Makers of Lysol, to Create Comprehensive Disinfection and Hygiene Education Protocol for Student Housing

“Be safe. Be smart. Do your part.™” program integrates enhanced cleaning standards and touchless preventative measures in college communities across the country

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–American Campus Communities (NYSE: ACC) announced today its collaboration with RB, the makers of Lysol and a global leader in hygiene products, to set a new standard and formalized approach to cleanliness and disinfection at its student housing communities in response to COVID-19. “Be safe. Be smart. Do your part. with Lysol Protection,” is a first-of-its-kind resident responsibility and disinfection program specifically for the higher education residential experience. The program will analyze community cleaning and disinfection protocols; provide ACC community staff with cleaning guidelines, procedures and training on the proper products to use; and educate residents on appropriate cleaning and healthy living practices.

Developed by RB’s hygiene specialists and ACC’s COVID-19 task force members, the program will focus on cleanliness and disinfection practices for surfaces in ACC communities’ residential units and in common areas such as academic success centers, fitness centers and social areas. These practices will help offer protection for residents and staff members throughout the communities.

“You can verify cleanliness with your eyes but knowing something is appropriately disinfected requires an understanding that the right product is being used in the right manner,” said Bill Bayless, chief executive officer at American Campus Communities. “Our collaboration with the global industry leader RB and their Lysol brand will help ensure our team members have the necessary cleaning products as well as protocols to follow so they can take the steps needed to help residents do their part when it comes to mitigating the spread of the virus.”

The standards created as a result of ACC’s enhanced collaboration with RB may include:

• Resident Education: Each resident will receive ongoing reminders of the personal habits and disinfection practices they can adopt to help prevent the spread of the virus.
• Cleaning Products and Protocols: “Be safe. Be smart. Do your part. with Lysol Protection” provides community staff with a multi-step cleaning and disinfection process that includes using the right product at the right location for the right duration to kill illnesses causing germs, especially during a pandemic. In the case of infection exposure, additional disinfection and cleaning measures will be recommended.
• Move-In Ready: After receiving a comprehensive inspection, each unoccupied student unit and bedroom will get a “Clean & Confident” room seal on the door, which will not be broken until the residents enter for the first time.
• Healthy Living Recommendations: Residents will learn about the types of cleaning supplies and standards to use for properly cleaning their living spaces.

The US Environmental Protection Agency recently approved three Lysol products —Lysol Disinfectant Spray, Lysol Disinfecting Wipes, Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist— as the first to test effective against the novel coronavirus when used as directed on hard, non-porous surfaces.

“Here at RB, our purpose is centered around a cleaner and healthier world for everyone,” said Rahul Kadyan, Executive Vice President, North America, Hygiene for RB. “We’ve collaborated with ACC for three years in providing cleaning and disinfection protocols. We are thrilled to be implementing a new expanded plan specific for the higher education residential experience that will help equip each community with proper disinfection protocols with practical, actionable steps and tools.”

As a component of ACC’s broader “Be safe. Be smart. Do your part.” initiative, ACC conducted an innovative touchpoint analysis of community amenity areas serving residents. While protocols are evolving, using this analysis, ACC will implement the following preventative measures in many of its communities:

• Installing touchless soap dispensers, foot pulls and hand dryers and reducing touchpoints in community spaces wherever possible.
• Installing disinfectant wipe stands and touchless hand sanitizing stations strategically through-out the community to allow residents frequent hand sanitization and to disinfect touchpoints before and after use.
• Customizing policy and behavior guidance through an updated resident code of conduct, new use procedures and signage on community amenity spaces, and a checklist of daily protocols.

As an essential housing provider, ACC has remained open throughout the pandemic and has been providing homes to students throughout the spring and summer semesters. And, more college students are planning to return to campuses this fall according to The Chronicle of Higher Education that cites a majority of universities are planning for an in-person or hybrid in-person curriculum this fall. As such, the “Be safe. Be smart. Do your part.” initiative is ACC’s commitment to reassure residents, parents and staff that the company is doing its part and providing actionable guidelines for resident and employee participation.

“We applaud our residents’ responsiveness and adoption of new behaviors to help prevent the spread of the virus, complete academic coursework and foster a sense of community in new ways,” said Bayless. “We believe prevention is best achieved in a collaborative approach from thoughtfully and thoroughly assessing and analyzing our operations, amenities and common area spaces and how we all interact in those spaces. The ‘Be safe. Be smart. Do your part. with Lysol Protection’ program along with our touchpoint analysis will provide residents and employees with a purposeful experience as we all continue to adapt to reimagined environments in which to live, work and study.”

About American Campus Communities

American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management and operational management of student housing properties. As of June 30, 2020, American Campus Communities owned 166 student housing properties containing approximately 111,900 beds. Including its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC’s total managed portfolio consisted of 201 properties with approximately 138,000 beds. Visit www.americancampus.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements under the applicable federal securities law. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions regarding markets in which American Campus Communities, Inc. (the “Company”) operates, operational strategies, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. For discussions of some risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 and other periodic reports, including those under the heading “Risk Factors” and under the heading “Business – Forward-looking Statements.” We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

About RB

RB* is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We fight to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone. RB is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries. These include Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick and more. 20 million RB products a day are bought by consumers globally. RB’s passion to put consumers and people first, to seek out new opportunities, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to build shared success with all our partners, while doing the right thing, always is what guides the work of our 40,000+ diverse and talented colleagues worldwide. Visit www.rb.com/us. *RB is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies

Contacts

ACC
Gina Cowart

Gcowart@americancampus.com

RB
Lynn Kenney

VP, Corporate Communications, NA

+1 973 404 2494

Lynn.Kenney@rb.com