- 7,500 face masks donated in Aalst to mark International Day against Poverty
- Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontex has donated more than 4.5 million items to help vulnerable people on 4 continents
Aalst, Belgium – October 14, 2021 – Ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which is an international observance taking place each year on October 17th, Ontex today announces an additional donation of 7,500 face masks to charity organization Vierdedewereld groep Mensen voor Mensen. This is a local NGO fighting for the rights of people in poverty and vulnerable situations based in Aalst where Ontex is headquartered. The face masks will be distributed by Vierdewereld among people who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons.
“For people in poverty, the purchase of face masks disproportionally impacts their total budget. After all, we are talking about people that were already financially struggling before the COVID-19 crisis started. They struggle even more today as many products have become more expensive due to the pandemic and the current inflation”, said Joke Steenhoudt, Coordinator at Vierdewereldgroep Mensen voor Mensen. “As an NGO, we are convinced that we need to tackle poverty together with all stakeholders involved. Which is why solidarity actions, such as this donation by Ontex, are very important.”
“Since the start of the global pandemic, Ontex has donated more than 4.5 million Ontex products in 14 countries on 4 continents”, said Annick De Poorter, Ontex’s Executive Vice President for Innovation and Sustainability. “For many years, and as part of our sustainability strategy, we have been donating locally and try to reach the most vulnerable groups in society, such as the elderly in poverty, families with financial difficulties and refugees.”
To ensure that donated products are offered to the most vulnerable groups in society, Ontex has a donation policy with guiding principles dedicated to increase the transparency of the donations. As such, each organization or NGO that Ontex collaborates with, needs to sign a contract with Ontex to assure that the donated goods arrive at the right place.
To combat the Covid-19 virus Ontex also used its forty years of experience in the production of personal hygiene products to set up a production for medical face masks for its European brands iD and Serenity at its factory in Eeklo, Belgium.
Ontex is donating personal hygiene products around the world. An overview can be found on ontex.com:
https://ontex.com/sustainability/building-trust/covid-19-ontex-donations-and-donation-policy/
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