CMPC has donated 2 million masks to Cenabast in Chile

Since the coronavirus started to spread in Latin America, through its subsidiary Softys, CMPC acquired a total of six machines for the manufacture of surgical masks for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru, motivated by generating a local, timely and safe supply, that collaborates in the task of reducing the risks of contagion of viral diseases.

In the case of Chile, CMPC committed 3 million masks -produced by the machine installed in the Softys plant in Puente Alto- to the National Supply Center (Cenabast), the entity in charge of distributing the masks to the public health services of all over the country and other entities according to their needs. To date, the company has donated 2 million masks to it and the main beneficiaries has been municipalities, foundations and firefighters.

Some of the municipalities that have been benefited with the CMPC masks through Cenabast are Independencia, Huechuraba, Renca, La Pintana, Recoleta, Conchalí and Puyehue. Each one has received 30 thousand units.  

In addition, Cenabast has delivered CMPC masks to non-profit organizations such as the Las Rosas Foundation, Hogar de Cristo, the Chilean Fire Department and the Andean Relief Corps.

In addition, to date, the company has delivered another 200 thousand masks to various entities and communes in Chile, such as the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to be delivered to the Gendarmerie health officials throughout the country; residents of Puente Alto; San Javier and Yerbas Buenas medical centers in the Maule region; and to different locations in the Biobío and La Araucanía regions, including Los Ángeles, Angol, Nacimiento, Collipulli, Mulchén and Negrete, among others.

In the case of Brazil, from April to date, the company has donated more than 600 thousand masks in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, of which 400 thousand were destined to the State Government and the rest to the Gaucho municipalities where the company is present. with port or forestry operation. By the end of August, a total of 1 million masks will have been donated for that state, all of them produced by Softys. Furthermore, in the state of Paraná 260 thousand units have already been donated, of which 200 thousand were destined for the State Government and 60 thousand for the municipality of Mallet; in Sao Paulo 560 thousand masks were delivered up to July, of which 350 thousand correspond to the State Government, 150 thousand to the municipality of Caieiras and 60 thousand to the municipality of Mogi das Cruzes. Finally, in Pernambuco 160 thousand masks were donated: 100 thousand for the State Government; 30 thousand for the municipality of Jaboatão dos Guararapes and 30 thousand for Recife. 

Also, CMPC announced that will add a new mask manufacturing machine in Chile, which will also be installed at the Puente Alto plant. Thus, the company will achieve a production of 3 million masks per month in that country.

CMPC Solidaria

Collaborators of the company, motivated to contribute in the midst of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus -and who through their daily field work and outreach to the community raised the need to go to the aid of the most vulnerable groups-, created “CMPC Solidaria”.

The initiative consists on delivering meals to elder people, many of whom are currently having difficulties to buy their basic needs, in the communes where CMPC has an industrial and forestry presence in southern Chile.

The solidarity meals are being held from Monday to Sunday during the months of July and August, in 6 communes of the Biobío and La Araucanía regions: Los Ángeles, Mulchén, Laja, Nacimiento, Lumaco and the town of Villa Mininco, being prepared every day between 60 and 150 servings per commune. This adds up to more than 50 thousand meals in these two months and every day new CMPC collaborators -volunteers- are added to deliver the food.

In addition, the project seeks to reactivate local small and medium-sized enterprises, for which reason for the food preparation service there were hired local cooks and for the distribution of the meals, school buses and carriers, all of them from each sector, thus reaching directly to the home of each older adult.

All CMPC Solidaria processes have compliance with strict protocols for the prevention of infections, either by CMPC volunteers and contracted enterprises.

Supporting the population at risk

In addition to this initiative, in order to help in taking care of the most vulnerable population in the context of the health crisis caused by the Coronavirus, CMPC, also through Softys, made a donation to the National Service for the Elder People of Chile (SENAMA) consisting of 100,000 units of Cotidian adult diapers and one thousand units of 1-liter Elite Professional alcohol gel bottles.

SENAMA will be in charge of distributing this aid, which will be delivered by the public entity in the most affected regions, such as La Araucanía, Biobío, Ñuble and Metropolitan.

In addition, on April 28, at the Chilean government house, the company made its contribution to nine residences of the National Service for Minors (Sename), which consists of hygiene and prevention elements, such as alcohol gel, surgical gloves, surgical masks, lab coats and face shields that will benefit 251 highly vulnerable boys and girls from Sename homes in the communes of Puente Alto (3 residences), Los Angeles (4), Collipulli (1) and Cañete (1).

Following this line, on April 30, the company also donated 30 liters of liquid soap, 30 liters of alcohol gel, 60 rolls of paper towels, 100 packages of baby wipes, 200 rolls of toilet paper and a thousand masks to the Municipality of Talagante, in the Metropolitan region. 

Also, CMPC donated 100,000 diapers to the Teletón, to be distributed among the families of the institution, and the company announced a new contribution consisting of 20,000 masks to support the work of the Telethon professionals, especially for when they return to face-to-face care in their rehabilitation centers.

Protecting individual collectors

Also, CMPC, committed to Chile’s paper and cardboard individual collectors, donated 250 hygiene and personal care kits together with the Ministry of Environment and the Fabril Development Society (Sofofa).

Sanitizing streets and public spaces

On the other hand, continuing with CMPC’s commitment to its neighbors, the company will take sanitary measures in the Chilean communes of Puente Alto and Buin (Metropolitan region); Santa Juana, Santa Bárbara, Quilaco, Contulmo, Tirúa, San Rosendo, Nacimiento, Laja, Los Ángeles and Mulchén (Biobío region); Angol, Los Sauces, Collipulli, Ercilla, Victoria, Nueva Imperial, Cunco, Chol Chol, Carahue, Toltén, Loncoche, Cañete, Gorbea and Villa Mininco (La Araucanía region), such as disinfection in public spaces, entrances of health centers, entrances of the plants of the company, and in the busiest streets.

Mobile Clinics

Also, together with Desafío Levantemos Chile, the company is part of the “Mobile Clinics” project, an initiative that seeks to decongest the public and private health network of the Biobío and La Araucanía regions, and also the commune of Puente Alto in the Metropolitan region, through vans that allow people to take medical care at their private homes, get medicines, get vaccinated against flu and even test for the coronavirus without having to leave their homes. To date, six Mobile Clinics are operating in the above-mentioned localities.

Field hospital in southern Chile

The company enabled its former offices in the city of Los Angeles, Biobío region, in Chile, transforming them into a field hospital with 116 beds and medical equipment to serve low and medium complexity patients free of charge.

On June 4, CMPC handed over to the regional health authorities the premises located on Avenida Alemania.

The dependencies were enabled with clinical spaces, a resuscitation room, staff residence, interior cladding, clinical and administrative furniture, as well as bathroom fixtures and accessories, with the provision of hot and cold potable water.

COMMITED TO OUR WORKERS

As a company we have also taken different measures and have generated various actions that allow us to take care of our workers and also continue with the production of our products that today are so necessary for people.

The continuity of our operations is of utmost importance, since the products we manufacture – such as cellulose, tissue products, cardboard, wood, among others – are key to the elaboration of articles that are so necessary for society today, such as masks, diapers, toilet paper, food or medicine packaging, etc.

The company has deployed progressive internal management protocols since February to ensure full compliance with the recommendations of health authorities worldwide and locally. These protocols have been regularly updated according to recommendations of the World Health Organization, health authorities in each of the countries where the company operates and the best international experiences.

In fact, preventively, we are taking steps to operate with as few people as possible, aware that minimizing the risk of exposure and contagion requires avoiding as much contact as possible between people.

The care and protection measures for the entire CMPC team, in all the countries where we operate, include the implementation of a home office for administrative personnel -a measure that has been carried out since March 16 and which has had very good results-, adequacy of operational shifts to minimize contact within our plants and implementation of protocols for cleaning, food and transport services.

Among the measures that have been taken in each plant are intense and permanent tasks of sanitation, control that conglomerations are avoided in public spaces, distance demarcations have been established to avoid physical contact between collaborators, an increase in the number of buses so that less people congregate within them, among others. New measures are constantly being analyzed to be incorporated and thus decrease the risk of contagion from the virus.

Without the daily work of all the collaborators who continue to work in the factories – under all the safety and hygiene measures imposed by the protocols – it would not be possible to continue the operations to maintain the productive chain at the service of society. To them, thank you very much!

Additionally, we have taken other precautionary measures that help minimize opportunities for contact with the virus. Domestic and international travel have been cancelled, privileging virtual meetings, either by phone or videoconference. Event attendance has also been suspended until further notice.

To keep the company’s employees informed, CMPC’s CEO, Francisco Ruiz-Tagle, has conducted Dialogues via videoconference, accompanied by Dr. Carlos Pérez, dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the San Sebastian University, and specialist in infectious diseases, with collaborators of the different plants and offices of the three business areas. 

In addition, from the Dialogues, the CEO visited CMPC Cellulose plants in southern Chile (Pacífico, Santa Fe and Plywood) to personally that the safety and hygiene measures are being complied, as well as he had some time to talk to the workers and to answer to their doubts or concerns. 

The company remains very attentive to the evolution and impact of Coronavirus in the different markets where it operates, in order to generate the measures that allow to face this situation quickly and responsibly.