Hilton helps underprivileged through soap recycling

Cleaning up…representatives from Hilton Worldwide, DHL, UWCSEA and Soap Cycling

The new soap bars are transported to vulnerable communities in the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and other countries across Asia.

Hilton Worldwide has launched a soap recycling project to aid underprivileged families in South-east Asia. The initiative for the project came from students at United World College Southeast Asia who were looking for ways to help street kids. 

Said Peter Webster, regional GM, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, Hilton Worldwide, “The students approached us with the idea of soap recycling and since we had a similar project launched in the United States, we were ready to help.”

On average, less than half a soap bar gets used by guests at Hilton Singapore, while thousands of underprivileged families – in South Asia – cannot afford to buy soap. Almost, 600,000 children in Asia die before their fifth birthday because of infections like diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Since June, Hilton Singapore and Conrad Centennial Singapore have been collecting used soap bars from guest rooms. This is where other partners such as DHL and Soap Cycling come in as the soap bars are transported to Hong Kong where they are recycled for use

The new soap bars are transported to vulnerable communities in the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and other countries across Asia.

Said Webster, “ Hilton hotels in Japan and Korea are now involved in soap recycling and we are looking at Malaysia next.” 

As of September, 16 properties across Asia Pacific are involved in this project with the creation of 175,000 new soap bars.