Dow, Diversey, and Pebbles Project launched the Soap For Hope program in Cape Town last month. This initiative was one of the seven awarded by Dow within its Business Impact Fund. The annual fund brings together NGOs, nonprofit organisations, and Dow customers to help solve global issues using Dow technology and employees’ expertise.
The Soap For Hope program, initiated by Diversey in 2013, has expanded to more than 50 countries globally. Through the recycling of discarded hotel guest soap, this program not only supports local communities by offering livelihood opportunities but also contributes to mitigating infant mortality rates associated with insufficient access to proper sanitation conditions.
Through its extensive network of local farm operations, Pebbles Project launched the Soap For Hope program in Cape Town with these goals:
- Divert 10,000 kg of soap bar waste annually away from landfills and incineration towards recycling.
- Distribute recycled soap bars in communities with a need for hygiene resources and provide training on sanitation best practices.
- Train and empower young adults to manage the recycling operation as a small business.
"As a materials science company and supplier of raw materials that serve the cleaning market, Dow is proud to be a key collaborator of Soap For Hope that enables sustainable cleaning solutions whilst helping the local communities,” said Kevin Pillay, Dow's country leader Southern Africa.
“Soap For Hope is a program that directly engages the local people in helping their own community. At the same time, it helps our hotel customers with diverting tons of solid soap waste to the local landfill. This will contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment in South Africa and create shared value for everyone involved – our company, our customers, and our communities,” said Mariette Van Vuuren, sales director of Diversey South Africa.
“The recycled soap will be made available to communities that do not have access to proper hygiene tools today,” said Sophie Warner, founder and CEO of Pebbles Project. “We will train unemployed young adults and women on entrepreneurship to upskill and empower them to run the recycling project as a small business.”
“Premier Hotels and Resorts are proud to partner with Dow, Diversey and Pebbles Project for the Soap For Hope initiative. Recycling and green initiatives along with building the communities in which we operate is extremely important to us. We are proud to join the Soap For Hope Project and look forward to helping this initiative take flight in making a difference in the local community,” said Richard Bray, group operations manager at Premier Hotels & Resorts.
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