Fashion designers recently rallied and volunteered to
fabricate personal protective equipment (PPE), and donate these to frontliners
in the fight against COVID-19. Recently, social media has been abuzz with
tutorials, calls for fabric donations, and requests for logistical assistance
to get the PPEs to their intended recipients. To address limited materials and
manpower, fashion volunteers turned to upcycling.
Upcycling, or the creative use of waste or by-products
to produce something that is useful or of value, has helped keep people safe in
these trying times. Furthermore, anyone can do it, as upcycling can be done
with materials found in your own homes.
On a larger scale, partnerships between corporations
and volunteers have also been integral in getting PPEs to the frontlines. One
example of such a collaboration is between Pilmico Foods Corporation and Mich
Dulce, a well-known fashion designer and founder of the Manila Protective Gear
Sewing Club.
Pilmico, the food and agribusiness unit of the Aboitiz
Group, will be providing materials, specifically flour sacks, that the Manila
Protective Gear Sewing Club may upcycle for their PPE production. The company
will be donating the excess flour sacks that were unused in their packaging to
the Sewing Club and to other cooperatives who may need them as a base material
for their masks.
According to the Disaster Medicine and Public Health
Preparedness journal of Cambridge University, masks made with the flour cotton
sacks are best used by ordinary citizens who are their respective households’
runners for errands and supply. Another advantage of making these reusable
masks is reducing medical waste, as single-use masks should be immediately
discarded after use. While unsuitable for high-risk exposure, these masks will
address the shortage so that more N95 and surgical masks will be allotted to
those who need it more.
"As more data begins to come out about the
importance of wearing masks to slow the transmission of COVID19 between
individuals, we saw a good opportunity for Pilmico to work with other
stakeholders in this fight against the spread of the virus to upcycle our flour
sacks and create facemasks that can be used by everyone to keep themselves
safer. This should also help to plug the current shortage of PPE's that we are
seeing in different parts of the country" said Tristan Aboitiz, Pilmico
President and CEO. “Aside from this partnership, Pilmico also continues to
provide medical supplies and make food donations nationwide to various
frontliner groups. We want to ensure that, especially, during times like this,
we are doing what we can to ensure the advancement of the communities we operate
in and the various stakeholders therein” he continued.
Currently, Pilmico is also rolling out a Flour Sacks to Face Masks program which
aims to provide these raw materials for cooperatives, as well as teach them how
to produce the face masks."We have to do what we can to pitch in during
times of crisis," Aboitiz urged. “One of those things is to increase the
access of Filipinos to tools that make people safer."
About Pilmico
Pilmico
Foods Corporation is the integrated agribusiness and food company of Aboitiz
Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV). Comprised of four divisions: Flour, Feeds, Farms,
and Trading, we are well-positioned at the beginning of the value chain. Our
businesses add value to one another, and ultimately to our customers; providing
guidance, consistency, and results. In its journey moving forward, advancing
business and communities is how the Aboitiz Group will drive change for a
better world, with Pilmico creating Partners for Growth
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us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PILMICO.officialpage/
1 comment:
This is a nice initiative po
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