Unilever and Reckitt Benckiser are two of the latest companies to step up and pitch in to help during the Covid-19 crisis.
As businesses feel the pinch from significant government trading restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the deadly pandemic and vulnerable Australians face product shortages due to panic buying, the two consumer goods comapanies are helping out those in need.
Reckitt Benckiser today announced they will donate $1 million worth of their Glen 20, Pine O Cleen and Dettol disinfectant products to community group Meals on Wheels.
They will be distributed to the elderly and the volunteers working to keep up with the increased demand from Covid-19 and are expected to be available to the not-for-profit service by next week.
RB’s general manager of hygiene ANZ, Jerome Lemaire, said they were glad to be able to provide the in-demand products to Australians most in need.
“In the current climate, hygiene has never been more important. As a leader in this space, we are dedicated to supporting all Australians, though we are cognisant that our nation’s most vulnerable – the elderly – may be struggling to get their hands on our products, particularly those who are currently self-isolating with limited support systems in place. We want to do what we can to help them get through this”, he said.
The donation is also being supported by a national TV campaign highlighting the work of the not-for-profit service in an effort to help bolster community support for Meals on Wheels.
Unilever has also announced an initiative to help the food service industry cope with supply shortages or oversupply. The company’s Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) arm has partnered with food waste social enterprise Yume to create an online distribution marketplace to connect the industry.
The Yume for Distributors site will allow distributors to sell to one another and reach those beyond their regular customer base, offering a lifeline to businesses left with excess stock due to the sudden trading restrictions implemented by the government last month.
UFS ANZ’s managing director Yezdi Daruwalla said it provided businesses an innovative solution to challenges posed by Covid-19.
“Our food industry is facing a huge crisis, particularly food supply availability and we approached Yume due to their proven expertise in this space as a leading technology platform,” he said.
“Together, utilising Yume’s technology and Unilever Food Solutions’ extensive industry knowledge, we can help the distributors who suddenly have surplus stock and other businesses who face a surge in demand all through the Yume for Distributors easy to use online marketplace.”