Diageo has pledged to enable the creation of more than eight million bottles of hand sanitiser by donating up to two million litres of alcohol to manufacturing partners.
Diageo will provide grain neutral spirit (GNS), which is a 96% strength ethyl alcohol used primarily in production of vodka and gin, and make it available at no cost to hand sanitiser producers in multiple countries. According to Diageo, this donation will enable the production of more than eight million 250ml bottles of hand sanitiser.
500,000 litres of GNS will be made available for national healthcare systems and workers across Ireland and the UK; 100,000 litres of GNS will be made available to the Italian healthcare system; the USA will get 500,000 litres of GNS to meet local community needs; and India will receive 500,000 litres of alcohol for use in national healthcare systems and for consumers.
Diageo's Ypioca plant will produce 50,000 litres of spirit for the local healthcare system, in conjunction with the Ceara State Government, while Diageo's East Africa Breweries Ltd will enable the production of 135,000 litres of sanitiser, prioritising vulnerable and at risk groups, and Diageo's Bundaberg Distilling Co. will produce 100,000 litres of ethanol for the Queensland government, to be forwarded to hand sanitiser manufacturers.
Determined To Help Protect Healthcare Workers
Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes stated, "Healthcare workers are at the forefront of fighting this pandemic and we are determined to do what we can to help protect them. This is the quickest and most effective way for us to meet the surging demand for hand sanitiser around the world."
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