Karibon facewear and local retailers will fund the Vietnamese NGO to develop and implement a school-based, education program on air pollution.

“This partnership shows that environmentally-aware, small businesses can play an important role in raising awareness and action on key environmental issues,” said Ben Cole, Director of Karibon facewear.

Monitoring has found air pollutants regularly exceed international standards in and around heavy traffic zones in Hanoi. The Stockholm Environment Institute classified Hanoi to have only limited capacity to manage and monitor air pollutants.

The school-based program will encourage students to talk about their experiences with air pollution and ask them to identify what steps they can take to reduce their contribution to air pollution.

“Motorbikes and cars are the leading sources of air pollutants in Hanoi. We can all take small steps such as riding a bicycle, walking or using public transport to help clear the air of harmful pollutants” said Ben Cole.

The makers of Karibon facewear won the start-up category of the Business in Development 2007 Challenge. Karibon facewear offers stylish protection from damaging air pollutants.