With the mission to create a more sustainable community, Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa, Cebu held the first leg of its Soap for Hope program last Sept. 16 at its adopted community, barangay Tingo, in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City.
The launching of the program was graced by its founder, Stefan Phang of Sealed Air Corp., who personally demonstrated to the staff volunteers and community members how leftover soap bars can be reprocessed.
The program aims to provide livelihood to members of the community and improve their hygiene practices.
Over 10 kilograms of discarded soap were collected and used at the launch.
Colleagues and community members were taught Phang’s innovative method of recycling the used soap into fresh bars.
The entire process takes less than 10 minutes. It involves mixing the used soap with fruit zests then solidifying it through a cold-press method.
Originated in Vietnam, Soap for Hope has since recycled 228 tons of used soap into 1.9 million bars of fresh soap, and has benefited over 160,000 individuals in local communities each year.