Wednesday, 04 May 2022 12:48 PM MYT
Painful as it is, we have to accept that it is highly unlikely that the “gold rush” days at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 ― whereby every glove stock one touched turned into gold which then prompted the mushrooming of new industry players ― will recur anytime soon especially as the world is gradually transitioning into the endemic phase.
To cite MARGMA president Dr Supramaniam Shanmugam, while demand for gloves would not be able to match levels seen during the pandemic stage of Covid-19, glove makers are also aware that there are industries out there which critically need gloves but such measures is currently not prioritised. While the F&B industry was only a small consumer of gloves for the longest of time, the past eight to 10 years has seen rising awareness level with industry players and consumers alike taking cognisance of the fact that handling food revolves around the levels of cleanliness.
A shopper puts on rubber gloves after arriving at one of the shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur, May 26, 2020 — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon