ZucoraHome making hand sanitizer to aid in COVID-19 fight

LONDON, Ontario – As part of its contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, ZucoraHome has converted part of its production facility to manufacture and distribute hand sanitizer as part of its recently launched Rainbow Initiative.

“At the initiation of our employees, we launched a successful Be a Rainbow program to inspire hope, generate a positive spirit and to recognize the need in the communities where we work as we get through this difficult period together,” Brad Geddes, president and chief executive officer of the added-value resource, said in a statement. “But our team also felt there was more we could do to help fight the ongoing challenge of COVID-19 in Canada.”

In support of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to mobilize industry, ZucoraHome has shifted its bottling capabilities to produce thousands of pump-dispensing bottles of Health Canada-approved hand sanitizer.

Geddes told Home Goods Online the new to ZucoraHome product was created in collaboration with some of its suppliers. “Given the significant gap and huge demand for hand sanitizer, we were successful in obtaining approval from Health Canada to produce it for end consumers,” he explained.

“Our goal is to donate Be a Rainbow Hand Sanitizer to the community organizations supported by ZucoraHome where their front-line staff and volunteers are working directly with some of society’s most vulnerable,” Geddes continued. “We have also allocated some of the product to our retail partners to help support their own safety measures in preparation for when they reopen and begin to welcome consumers back to their stores.”

He told HGO the hand sanitizer is ready to ship and will be donated to institutions such as nursing homes where frontline healthcare workers are supporting the more vulnerable in society. The company is capable of producing thousands of bottles every week and is limited only by the availability of raw materials.

While not currently part of ZucoraHome’s standard offering of cleaning products, that may change. “We are looking at the possibility of including hand sanitizer as part of our soon-to-be-announced collection of products that can help our retail partners practice ‘safe retailing’ when they begin to reopen their stores,” Geddes said, adding he expects an announcement will be made in the next couple of weeks.

In addition to the hand sanitizer, the company’s Rainbow Initiative, which was launched at the outset of the COVID-19 shutdown, has several other components.

One was a social media campaign to inspire hope, a positive outlook and to recognise the responsibilities people have to each other. It will also introduce some soon-to-be announced programs to help retailers get ready to re-open once the self-isolation orders have been lifted. More information about the effort can be found on the Rainbow Initiative section of its web site.

“For many years, our focus has been on ‘Clean Homes and Healthy Families’ and production of hand sanitizer is just another step to support that effort,” said Geddes. “Most important, we believe that business is more than just about the numbers - it’s really about people helping people - and we’re here to help any way we can.”

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