Message from President & CEO Lezlee Westine about COVID-19, Feb. 16, 2021
For more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us in unprecedented ways, but we can see a light at the end of the tunnel with the development and distribution of multiple vaccines. Our industry, our nation and indeed our world will continue to persevere and endure until the last traces of COVID-19 are gone.
The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies worked together to respond to the virus and ensure families have access to the safe, essential products they trust and rely on every day.
PCPC’s Board established a COVID-19 Task Force to provide strategic direction and guide priorities in the following areas:
- Business Continuity: Advocated with global, federal, state and local governments to designate our industry and supply chains as “critical” and our workers as “essential,” and addressed a national shortage related to hand sanitizer manufacturing;
- Communications Strategy: Provided updated resources and information about the virus and industry’s response to members, consumers and other key stakeholders through our online COVID-19 Command Center; and
- Call to Action: Encouraged and coordinated charitable monetary and in-kind donations from member companies to hospitals, community clinics, medical and emergency professionals, first responders and industry employees.
On behalf of its member companies, PCPC secured “essential” designation of personal care product manufacturers or products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and advocated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Critical Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) for the designation of “personal care and hygiene products” as COVID-19 critical infrastructure, which most states and localities across the country adopted. PCPC advocated these same principles globally with our international sister associations. These designations are critical and helped many of our members maintain operations and production.
To address the national shortage of hand sanitizers, PCPC worked with FDA and members of Congress to allow non-traditional manufacturers to convert manufacturing lines to produce hand sanitizer and address the critical shortage, producing and donating more than 20 million units. To connect buyers and sellers of hand sanitizer materials, PCPC created the Hand Sanitizer Connection program, a program with more than 193 companies and nearly 4,000 matches.
PCPC advocated for business economic assistance for its member companies, and shared information about federal government programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Federal Reserve lending programs and Economic Injury Disaster loans.
As circumstances evolve, PCPC continues to monitor and communicate updates to its members on changes in U.S. and global regulations, government policies and other information necessary for business continuity. We continue to engage with government agencies and other trade associations to promote uninterrupted critical infrastructure, active and safe supply chains, and availability of important products.
The COVID-19 Command Center, members-only section of PCPC’s website, and our science and safety website, Cosmetics Info.org, provide up-to-date information including a comprehensive FAQ.
In addition to PCPC’s resources, the following organizations provide information on ways to protect your health and well-being and alleviate financial concerns:
Health & Wellness Information
- American Cleaning Institute (ACI)
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Department of Agriculture
- Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Business & Finance Information
We hope you, your families and your communities continue to stay healthy and safe. And we will continue to work together toward recovering from this crisis.
Read more from Lezlee Westine