Common questions and answers regarding Olyset

OLYSET PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION IN TANZANIA

 
Q.1  Why is Sumitomo Chemical manufacturing Olyset in Africa?

A:  Manufacturing in Africa is representative of Sumitomo Chemical’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, ensuring that Olyset is available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible cost. Sumitomo Chemical receives no license fee for the manufacture that takes place at A-Z Textiles. However, that manufacture provides hundreds of skilled jobs for a local economy that needs more than just malaria control if it is to break out of the poverty trap.


Q.2   Why did Sumitomo Chemical select A-Z Textiles?

A:   Sumitomo Chemical looked at a number of manufacturers in Africa. A-Z Textiles was a unique company in that it had established skills and experience in both plastics and textiles. These dual technologies were needed for Olyset and are not normally found in companies that just manufacture netting. In addition to these very basic requirements, A-Z has other vital characteristics, such as a good appreciation of the importance of quality and productivity.


Q.3   Does the A-Z factory manufacture all elements of the Olyset net?

A:   The factory carries out the most recognisable elements which are; extrusion of yarn, industrial knitting and sewing of nets. The plastic raw material (which incorporates the insecticide) for extrusion is supplied from Sumitomo Chemical in Japan.


Q.4   Is Sumitomo Chemical looking to develop other manufacturing facilities in Africa?

A:   Depending on continued growth in demand, other manufacturing facilities are possible. These might include cottage industry sewing facilities which are less high-tech than the complex industrial approach that is seen in Arusha.

Q.5   Can African (Tanzanian or otherwise) members of the public buy their own nets without going through a government or NGO distribution outlet?

A:  Yes, in some countries, including Tanzania.   Please contact us through with specific product availability questions.

Q.6   What’s the breakdown of net distribution to African countries? Does Tanzania take the bulk of African production?

A:   It is impossible to provide a simple numerical answer because demand has been so dynamic over the past year or two. We are receiving demands from new countries all the time. Today, Tanzania represents only a fraction of the total African demand for Olyset.

Q.7   Are women and children prioritised in bednet distribution?

A:   Most aid funds have been directed at the UN Millennium Goals – focusing on children below age 5 and pregnant women sleeping under bednets. As a consequence, many of the nets are prioritised such that they are eventually slept under by these demographic groups.

AFRICAN MALARIA INITIATIVES

Q.1   Is Sumitomo Chemical involved in other anti-malaria projects in sub-Saharan Africa?

A:  Yes, Sumitomo Chemical is involved in many projects.  Among the most well known are:

• A 12-month project in Namasagali village, Uganda. All the villagers received a free net in December 2005 and Sumitomo Chemical is currently researching the impact of net usage in the village to determine the incidence of malaria following the distribution of Olyset nets. The findings will be made available early in 2007.
  
• A similar project is underway in Usa River Village, Tanzania. Feedback from villagers is very encouraging, with one resident – who was commonly afflicted by malaria at least three times per year – reporting a total absence of malaria attacks since he started using Olyset.
  
• Sumitomo Chemical has also provided 336,000 Olyset nets – worth around US$2 million – to designated ‘Millennium Villages’ (www.millenniumpromise.org). One hundred villages (individual population c. 5,000) in 10 African countries will receive the nets, enabling at least half a million people to be protected from exposure to malaria. The Millennium Villages project is at the heart of Millennium Promise, a non-profit organization focused on the eradication of extreme poverty. This organization draws upon experts from the UN Millennium Project and the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Q.2   Is Sumitomo Chemical collaborating with international agencies to tackle malaria?

A:   Sumitomo Chemical is an active member of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership (www.rbm.who.int) which was launched by the WHO, UNICEF, the UN Development Programme and the World Bank in 1998. RBM’s goal is to halve the burden of malaria by 2010. Partnership in RBM provides opportunities for Sumitomo Chemical to work with many institutions whose goals are compatible with Sumitomo’s goal to be an active participant in the global fight to bring malaria under control.