LONDON: Unilever, the consumer goods manufacturer of brands like Dove, Sunsilk and Lipton, recently announced it would contribute over €100m (RM471m) through donations of soap, sanitiser, bleach and food to help tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The company would be providing at least €50m worth of soaps and sanitisers to the COVID Action Platform of the World Economic Forum, which is supporting global health organisations and agencies with their response to the emergency.
In addition to the supply of soap, Unilever will adapt its current manufacturing lines to produce sanitisers for use in hospitals, schools and other institutional settings.
“We are deeply saddened by the terrible impact that coronavirus is wreaking on lives and livelihoods everywhere. We hope that our donation of €100m of soap, sanitiser, bleach and food will make a significant contribution towards protecting people’s lives,” said Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever.
PROTECTING SUPPLIERS, CUSTOMERS & WORKFORCE
To help support the livelihoods of its suppliers and customers, the company will offer €500m of cash flow relief. This includes early payment to small and medium sized suppliers, to help them with financial liquidity, as well as credit to selected small-scale retail customers.
Unilever also promises to protect its workforce from sudden drops in pay, as a result of market disruption or being unable to perform their role, for up to three months. This applies to employees, contractors and others who work on Unilever sites, on a full or part-time basis.
“[We hope] that by helping to safeguard our workers’ incomes and jobs, we are giving some peace of mind during these uncertain times,” said Jope.
According to Annemarieke de-Haan, Managing Director of Unilever Malaysia and Singapore, Unilever is working with local organisations to supply hygiene products to help prevent the spread of the virus.
“Unilever’s priority is to protect lives and livelihoods and through our many hygiene brands we aim to improve the health and hygiene of millions. We proudly support the frontline healthcare workers who are most at risk and working tirelessly to support communities,” said de-Haan.
In Malaysia, Unilever is also partnering with Tesco to donate Lifebuoy hand wash to 63 of their adopted schools. This collaboration is part of an ongoing awareness campaign to help children cultivate good hygiene habits through handwashing.