There are a lot of things humans unknowingly do that negatively affect the environment. Tossing out unused soap is one of them.
While we try our best over here at Anjali by Syphon, we know the power of learning. Thanks to our friends at Eco-Soap Bank, we now know the impact of rescuing every resource, soap included.
Who Is Eco-Soap Bank?
Eco-Soap Bank is a non-profit organization with both the planet and people in mind. They work with hotel soap, specifically to “save, sanitize and supply” recycled soap bars from hotels across the world.
From Sierra Leone to Laos, Lebanon to Cambodia, Eco-Soap Bank has made their mark. They know that having access to soap means preventing the spread of disease. While many of us consider it a staple in our home, so many people throughout the world don’t have access to hand-washing soap.
Moreover, hotels are notorious for tossing barely used bars of soap in the bin. Once one guest leaves, opened soap becomes a forgotten commodity. Each new visitor requires a fresh bar, but what if the old ones had a different fate than simply winding up in the trash?
Thanks to organizations like Eco-Soap Bank, we’re able to take advantage of these valuable resources that are right in front of us. Since they work to foster generative, long-term change that avoids unhelpful dependence, we feel confident that Eco-Soap Bank is the way to go.
The Anjali Impact
Anjali by Syphon is just one of 141 Eco-Soap Bank partners making a difference each day. Nearly 20 of those partners are right here in Siem Reap, proving that we’re surrounded by caring hospitality groups.
Since we started partnering with Eco-Soap Bank, we’ve donated 230 bars of soap. That’s 23 kilograms of recycled soap and 230 people served.
It’s hard to envision the difference you’re making, but numbers sure help! Metrics like this remind us to not be so hard on ourselves. The important thing is that we’re trying to make the world a better place, and the fact that we’ve helped 230 underprivileged people makes us feel like we’re headed in the right direction.
Helping Cambodian Communities, One Bar of Soap at a Time
The Eco-Soap Bank impact runs deep. The non-profit employs local Cambodian women to sterilize and craft their bars—yes, eco-soapmaking is their livelihood! This brings societal change into our very own local community of Siem Reap by boosting the economy from the ground up.
With 35 women in Siem Reap employed by Eco-Soap Bank, we’re bearing witness to change as it happens, right here at home.
Trade training and career building is the kind of infrastructure that makes a tangible, long-term difference, no matter the region at hand. It’s not a quick fix, but it is sustainable change. For that, we couldn’t be more grateful.
We Couldn’t Do It Without Our Guests
If it weren’t for the travelers that stay with Anjali by Syphon during their Siem Reap visits, we wouldn’t be able to do all we do for the environment and the community at large.
You team up with us in our fight against plastic. You support some of our favorite community organizations, not the least of which are Manava and Cambolac. And you stand behind us when we take on the status quo, whether it be by partnering with Eco-Soap Bank or another influential organization.
To that, we say thank you.