Danone South Africa has taken on the challenge to provide COVID-compliant desks to seven ECD schools, five of which are based in Ekurhuleni, the metropolitan in which its production facility is situated. What makes these desks unique, is that they are made up of recycled yoghurt cups!
This is part of the Day One campaign which is focused on the first day back to school. About 30 per cent of ECD centres did not reopen after June 2020 due to their inability to comply adequately to COVID regulations and unfortunately, have remained closed.
Danone is converting 19 tons of waste into resources addressing a social need – the immediate one is the provision of much-needed desks to help adequately space out children and secondly, it helps Danone fulfil its commitment of no waste to landfill by 2030. Through this one initiative this year, the yoghurt manufacturer will transform 19 tons of waste into school desks.
The equivalent of 914 of the Nutriday 1kg tubs go into making the desk frame and 245 of the yoghurt six-packs go into the top and the desks are designed under the supervision of an occupational therapist for children aged four to six and are not only a safe place to learn how to read and write but to eat as well.
In terms of the social distancing guidelines published by the Department of Social Development in June 2020, the ECD centres can now ensure that their young learners are kept at least one metre apart.
Please see the full press release below and follow the WeTransfer Link to the Presskit, which holds images of the desks and voice notes from Kid Nkantsu, Operations Director of Danone South Africa and Henk van der Hyde, Danone’s Sustainability Manager.
