The Robinsons Hotels and Resorts (RHR) division of Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) has launched R Love Soap for Hope (S4H), which aims to bring cheap soap to those who need it most.

RHR has partnered with Sealed Air/Diversey Care, a strategic soap supplier for its Go Hotel and Summit chains. It will recover and donate used soaps from the hotels to Don Bosco Pugad so they can be recycled and reused. “We have long wanted to find a way to make use of our slightly used soap bars that usually just go to waste. Through the Soap for Hope program, our soap scraps are recycled into fresh soaps by the young men of Don Bosco Pugad and a new method of livelihood is born,” says RHR General Manager Elizabeth D. Gregorio.

Don Bosco Pugad is a halfway home for poor and migrant youth and for youth in conflict with the law, aged 17-24. It is based at the St. John Bosco Parish in Makati City.

Diversey’s Ric Capistrano says recycling and reusing soaps can earn the center about R60,000 per month. He says while a commercially prepared 100-gram soap is sold at about R50, a recycled bar will cost only R10, making it very affordable even for cash-strapped families.

Diversey developed the recycling technology and provided Don Bosco Pugad the press needed for molding the new soaps.

Mike Torres, RLC CSR Senior Manager said the soap recycling initiative is part of RLC’s R Love corporate social responsibility program (CSR), which was started last year. The RHR-Diversey project aims to provide a means of livelihood for local communities by teaching them new skills.

At the same time, it will help hotels reduce waste by recycling used or discarded soap.

By promoting the habit of hand-washing through the provision of cheap soap, the project ultimately hopes to help save lives, particularly of young children.

It is estimated that 10,000 Filipino children die of diarrhea every year, making the disease the fourth leading cause of deaths among children less than five years old and the third leading cause of illness among children.

Filipino children’s health is also often compromised by intestinal worms that rob them of important nutrients their growing bodies need.

The health problems are often caused by contaminated water and food and can be easily prevented through a simple habit – proper hand-washing with soap.

For the S4H initiative, partners will develop a 24-month work engagement. Initially, participating RHR units are, Go Hotels Otis, Go Hotels Mandaluyong, Go Hotels Ortigas, Summit Hotel Magnolia, and Summit Ridge Tagaytay.

Torres said RLC’s CSR initiatives cover four main areas: disaster response, including relief and rehabilitation; community development and social involvement, health care and nutrition and child education, which involves partnerships with public schools.

Torres said, aside from S4H, the company’s CSR projects include water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); waste market in all malls where people may exchange their trash, particularly recyclables, for cash; and use of renewable solar energy in 10 malls so far to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. He says, as part of the solar energy initiative, RLC “plans to adopt a community in (Yolanda-devastated) Tacloban City where solar energy facilities will be installed.” Torres adds, “RLC employees also donate to the projects.”

Marissa Manigbas, Don Bosco Pugad social worker, said the halfway home currently has 85 migrant youths who are enrolled in Technical Vocational Education and
Training courses at the Don Bosco Institute.

“The recycled soap project will be a great help to Pugad’s wards. I hope that RLC and Diversey will come up with other recycling initiatives, like how to reuse old bulbs, that will help Pugad raise much-needed funds,” she said.

(Source: Manila Bulletin)