Shangri-La Group, Diversey partner to upcycle hotel linen into face masks

Shangri-La Group partners with Diversey to upcycle 12,500kg of hotel linen into half a million masks.

Shangri-La Group has partnered with Diversey to upcycle 12,500kg of hotel linen into half a million masks as part of its Linens For Life Face Masks (L4LFM) initiative.

As part of the L4LFM programme, the 12,500kg of used linen donated by 21 Shangri-La hotels will be repurposed into reusable fabric face masks by local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Colombo, Hambantota, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Surabaya, Jakarta, Manila, Cebu, Singapore, Bangkok and Yangon.

In some cities such as Yangon, Manila, Johor Bahru, Jakarta, Surabaya and Bangkok, the upcycling of masks will also generate employment opportunities for members in low socio-economic community groups.

The half-a-million face masks will subsequently be distributed to local communities in need, providing vulnerable members of society with a basic piece of protection that is now mandatory in many countries in the global fight against COVID-19.

Chan Kong Leong, regional CEO for Shangri-La Group in Southeast Asia & Australasia, said the Linens For Life Face Masks programme provides clear health, social and environmental benefits for communities.

Masks are created for the community at Cedar Learning Center, Bangkok

 

“Not only does it give our used hotel linen a new lease of life, it also provides the most vulnerable with a basic piece of protection and helps sustain livelihoods.”

In Bangkok, Thailand, the Group and Diversey have teamed up with Cedar Learning Centre where local community members will upcycle the clean but used bedsheets, duvet covers and pillowcases into face masks and distribute them to refugees and asylum seekers in the city.

Volunteers at WHY Loving Care in Penang will create and distribute the masks to vulnerable children in local schools and orphanages, while in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, with the help of the Kechara Soup Kitchen, disadvantaged women will receive an additional source of income from the sewing of face masks which will be distributed among poor families and the homeless.

Brijesh Rathore, vice-president, Diversey Asia-Pacific Global Strategic Accounts,said one of Diversey’s global priorities is to support local communities, particularly during COVID-19.

“The Linens for Life Face Masks Programme is a great example of how Diversey, together with our customer hotels and partner NGOs, are providing simple hygiene items to those who really need them and helping to prevent the spread of infection.”

The Shangri-La Group has recently introduced its “Shangri-La Cares” commitment, partnering with Diversey to implement a series of safety standards and precautionary measures across its hotels.

Shangri-La’s partnership with Diversey on the L4LFM programme builds on the successful Soap For Hope collaboration between the two entities globally, which has seen 427 tonnes of hotel soap slivers recycled into 3.5 million new soap bars for at-risk communities over the past three years.

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