COVID-19 Barriers Become 'Emergency Kits' for Child Protection

KOSHA Donates to 'Save the Children'

Upcycling of Dust Barriers, Production of Emergency Kits

With the easing of COVID-19 social distancing measures, discarded plastic shields that had become useless are taking on a new role as emergency kits to protect the safety of vulnerable children.

Upcycled Emergency Kit from Waste Barriers.

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, held a ceremony on the 14th to deliver upcycled emergency kits made from discarded shields in collaboration with Save the Children Southern Regional Headquarters (Director Lee Hyun-joo).

Cha Jung-chul, Head of Ethics Management Department at the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (right), and Kim Dae-woo, Manager of the Save the Children Southern Regional Headquarters, held an event on the 14th to deliver emergency kits upcycled from COVID-19 protective barriers.

The agency produced about 300 portable emergency kits by upcycling discarded plastic shields previously used in meeting rooms and cafeterias, and plans to distribute them to 150 vulnerable children in the Ulsan area through the international relief and development NGO Save the Children.

Upcycling refers to the process of repurposing used products into new items with different uses.

The collected discarded shields were transformed into emergency kit bags through a production process (sorting → crushing → injection molding) carried out by a social enterprise based in Ulsan. Additionally, reflecting the opinions of school officials, necessary items such as bandages were selected for the children, and stickers preferred by the children were also included.

Director Ahn Jong-joo of KOSHA stated, “We will establish an organic cooperative system with local social enterprises to revitalize the regional economy and take the lead in environmental protection. We hope that children will be able to quickly utilize these emergency kits in times of crisis.”