The rural Binga district is in the northwest of Zimbabwe, and is home to around 3000 people, the majority of whom come from very poor backgrounds. There are various reasons for this: the region has been neglected by politicians, is very remote, and the soil is largely unfertile. The women in particular have very few opportunities to earn a living and are often not able to escape the spiral of poverty and feed or support their families. In order to improve this situation, the "Jatropha soap project" was launched in 2015 by women's organization ZUBO in collaboration with Welthaus in Bielefeld, with the aim of tackling poverty in the region. ZUBO has been well entrenched in the region for many years, and has earned the trust of local women over the course of numerous projects.

Sustainable soap made from jatophra seeds

As part of the project, funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and the Welthaus Bielefeld were used to set up a small and self-organized production operation for soap made from jatophra seeds. 400 rural women collect the jatophra fruit and then use local facilities to press the seeds to produce oil. The oil is then turned into soap in order to add value, with a focus on fair working conditions. Approximately 2500 kg of soap is produced in this way every year and can be made in all shapes and sizes to meet specific customer requirements on local and international markets. "When we heard about this initiative, we held internal discussions to work out how we could provide our support within the framework of our commitment to sustainability and social issues", explains Weidmüller Sustainability Officer Dr. Eberhard Niggemann.

Sustainable gift at the Hannover Trade Fair 2018

Weidmüller bought several hundred of the soaps made from pure jatophra oil for the Hannover Messe 2018, and gave these to visitors to the Weidmüller stand together with other promotional gifts. "The soap is a high-quality product with an attractive and sustainable design that is very appealing to customers", says Niggemann. The involvement in the project will be continually expanded upon over the coming years, and the soap will be given out as gifts at other trade fairs and events. "Instead of the standard give-aways, customers visiting us at trade fairs will receive sustainable and meaningful gifts that send a clear message and make a positive contribution to people's lives".

Part of its holistic sustainability strategy at Weidmüller

Weidmüller is supporting this project as part of its holistic sustainability strategy that is based on a balance between economical, environmental and social aspects of sustainability.