From used to useful

In 30 years of partnership, Diversey and Melia have always kept striving for outstanding guest experiences, whilst protecting the environment and caring for local communities in need.

A meaningful example is our collaboration around Soap For Hope TM, an innovative upcycling program that creates economic and social value out of solid soap waste, left behind when guests check out of their rooms. This waste is collected, and then reprocessed with the support of nonprofit organizations and local communities to be turned into new soap bars.

With this initiative we aim at:

· Saving lives by providing access to free soaps to people desperate for proper sanitation,

· Enhancing livelihood of local communities by providing them another way to make money for their families, · Protecting the environment by avoiding waste to go to landfill

After a great start in Vietnam and Indonesia, successfully followed by Myanmar and China, Melia and Diversey have recently expanded Soap For HopeTM in the Caribbean and in Central America.

Daniel Lozano, Managing Director of the Paradisus by Melia in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, pioneered the launch in the region, and was soon joined by the Paradisus Cancun. Altogether, those two properties can create up to 2000 soap bars per month. Enough to make a substantial impact, and to facilitate the lives of a large number of children and families. And this number keeps growing: Melia and Diversey now ambition to jointly operate the program in Iguazu, Playa del Carmen and Los Cabos.

Soap For Hope TM, an innovative upcycling program that creates economic and social value out of solid soap waste.