Background information

The L'Oréal factory in Burgos changed the production of hair products at the beginning of the pandemic crisis to the manufacture of hand sanitizer gel to distribute them to hospitals and nursing homes, among other essential services. This initiative is part of a global strategy of the company to fight COVID-19.

Content of measure

The L'Oréal factory in Burgos (biggest factory of the company in Spain) changed its organization of work to primarily produce 150-milligram bottles of sanitizer gel under the brand name 'La Roche-Posay' in support of the fight to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The Stanpa employer association (largest EO of the cosmetic industry in Spain) coordinated the distribution of these gels to hospitals and nursing homes in Madrid, Castilla y León and the Basque Country. Moreover, this initiative is part of the collaboration between Stanpa and Feique (the main EO of the chemical sector) since the beginning of the health crisis to produce and supply hydroalcoholic gels to support the fight against the pandemic of the health system, nursing homes and security forces.

Use of measure

The 40% of the Burgos factory's workforce (which has more than 500 employees) changed voluntary their tasks and responsibilities to the production of an average of 20,000 units of sanitizer gel per day. The company highlighted the importance of workers commitment for the implementation of this initiative.

Contents

• Solidarity
• Work organisation

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Employers' organisations Company / Companies	Companies Employers organisation

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Informed	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Not applicable	Direct consultation outside a formal body

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

The Stanpa employer association (largest EO of the cosmetic industry in Spain) was involved in the implementation of the initiative. In addition, this initiative is part of the collaboration between Stanpa and Feique (the main EO of the chemical sector) since the beginning of the health crisis to produce and supply hydroalcoholic gels to support the fight against the pandemic of the health system, nursing homes and security forces.

Views and reactions

The CCOO union sets L'Oreal as an example for workers at other perfume and cosmetic companies to adapt their production to make hydroalcoholic disinfectant gels. For its part, the EO Stanpa asked more manufacturers in the sector to follow the example of L'Oreal, as well as asked the public administration for agility in the bureaucracy so that the delivery channels were fluid.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 23 March 2020: Menos crema solar y más geles hidroalcohólicos (industria.ccoo.es)
• 25 March 2020: La planta de L’ Oréal en Burgos distribuye sus primeras 20.000 unidades de gel hidroalcohólico (www.larazon.es)
• 02 April 2020: La fábrica de Burgos de L’Oréal España produce 20.000 unidades diarias de gel desinfectante de manos (www.europapress.es)
• 03 April 2020: STANPA y FEIQUE colaboran para asegurar 4,5 millones de litros de geles hidroalcohólicos para apoyar la lucha contra la pandemia (www.feique.org)
• 13 April 2020: Destilando al Covid-19 (www.abc.es)