Novotel recycles guest soap to help poor
Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square, together with the Good Shepherd Sisters Foundation and Sealed Air, have joined hands to recycle soap that not only reduces waste and promotes good health, but provides those in need with new skills to improve their liveliho
Many underprivileged children who live and work in slums are most at risk of contagious and bacterial diseases that cause serious illness and death. Having access to a simple product such as soap reduces their exposure to these life-threatening health issues.
This initiative, launched by Sealed Air after a recent pilot project in Cambodia, uses the discarded soap from hotel guest rooms to produce new sanitized bars of soap which are distributed to households in the community, providing access to basic sanitation and healthcare.
Used soap from Accor hotels has been collected by Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square to be sent to the Good Shepherd Sisters Foundation. The women and selected children are trained to make recycled soap, starting from chopping up soaps into small cubes to be sanitized before being pressed into a soap brick, dried, and cut into soap bars. The soap bars are then ready for distribution and use within the community.
The project creates a livelihood opportunity for underprivileged children and families, while giving free access to soap to the community. This reduces the chance of serious illness in the community, in particular among children who are at most risk of contagious and bacterial diseases.
Resident Manager, Manuel Reymondin, says he is proud to participate in this project in Thailand.
“A project that not only simultaneously reduces hotel waste, motivates and provides new skills to children in slums, but more importantly saves lives and reduces the spread of contagious diseases. What’s more, we plan to buy some of the soap back from the foundation to generate revenue to create sustainable development and Soap for Hope enriches the lives of many underprivileged children and communities.”
