Softcare

LOCALLY MANUFACTURE + PROCUREMENT

Wood pulp is a natural moisture-absorbing material. All the wood pulp purchased by Softcare sanitary products comes from North American companies such as Georgia-Pacific and International Paper. These suppliers have been certified by globally recognized third-party certification systems, such as the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).
Note: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global non-profit organization that promotes responsible forest management and certifies all wood and paper products derived from it to protect the well-being of rare animals and residents in original forests and forest lands.

Wood pulp itself has natural biodegradability as it is extracted from plant fibers. Therefore, most wood pulp-based products will naturally decompose under appropriate environmental conditions (such as moderate humidity and temperature).
Composite core products are typically composed of multiple materials, which may include wood pulp, polymers, cellulose, and other components. Some composite core products may contain non-biodegradable plastics or synthetic materials, which can reduce the overall biodegradability of the product. In addition, the production of composite core products involves more complex manufacturing processes and consumes more energy and resources.
Therefore, LeComfort sanitary products are all made with wood pulp cores (to be confirmed), which have better biodegradability, reducing their environmental impact.
Note: Wood pulp cores are relatively thick and also align with the consumption preferences of local people.

Traditional fuels still dominate the energy structure in Africa. Despite Africa only accounting for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is one of the regions most threatened by climate change. The International Energy Agency believes that climate change has already caused many negative impacts in Africa, including water scarcity, declining food production, increased extreme weather events, and hindered economic growth. Solar energy can not only help Africa reduce carbon emissions but also expand electricity supply.
According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Bank, Africa possesses 60% of the world's best solar resources. The long-term potential solar output in Africa exceeds that of multiple regions including Central and South America, North America, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Russia. However, its solar power generation capacity accounts for only 1% of the global total.
To promote the clean energy transformation of the factory, the Kenya Health Products Factory plans to implement a solar photovoltaic project by 2024. It is anticipated that this project will save approximately 30% of the electricity costs, resulting in annual savings of about $660,000. The estimated payback period for the investment is around 2.5 years.
Data sources: Global Solar Atlas, World Bank, Henley & Partners, and Statista.

In the production of health products, a large amount of non-woven fabric scraps are generated. In many African countries, due to the lack of recycling facilities, these solid waste can only be landfilled or incinerated, causing soil and air pollution.
In 2022, pilot projects were initiated in the Tanzania and Ghana facilities to recycle non-woven fabric scraps and extract viscose non-woven fabric. Plastic granulation equipment was introduced to process them into PP plastic pellets. These pellets are sold to local plastic product manufacturers as well as used in the production of plastic packaging drums for laundry detergent factories, turning waste into treasure.
By 2023, this initiative has been gradually extended to health product factories in various countries.