In 2021, Redox established a philanthropic relationship with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, to support their urgent work worldwide. Our support allows Médecins Sans Frontières teams to react to emergencies and give high-quality care to those who need it most. 

Who are Médecins Sans Frontières, and what do they do?

In 1971, in the aftermath of the Biafran famine of the Nigerian Civil War, a small group of French doctors and journalists sought to expand access to medical care across national boundaries irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. 

To that end, the organisation emphasises “independence and impartiality” and explicitly precludes political, economic, or religious factors in its decision-making. For these reasons, it limits the funding received from governments or intergovernmental organisations. These principles have allowed MSF to speak freely concerning acts of war, corruption, or other hindrances to medical care or human well-being.

MSF exist to save lives by providing medical aid where it is needed most – in armed conflicts, epidemics, famines and natural disasters. These situations require a rapid response with specialised medical and logistical help. 

But, they also run longer-term projects, tackling health crises and supporting people with the greatest need. 

They currently have projects running in over 70 countries.

They are an independent, self-governed, non-profit organisation committed to addressing people’s suffering and providing medical care to help people survive catastrophic situations where communities and health structures may be overwhelmed. 

Médecins Sans Frontières offers assistance based on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation, guided by medical ethics and the humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality.

How can you help?

Your support is crucial to their efforts to provide medical aid where it is needed most. If you’re able, we’d love it if you could contribute to helping them fulfil their mission and to save lives by providing medical aid where it is needed most.

There are a multitude of ways to assist, or you could simply click here to donate now!

National Science Week is an annual celebration of science and technology in Australia. It happens every year in August and has more than 1000 events around the country, delivered by different types of organisations such as universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums and science centres.

The school theme for National Science Week in 2022 will be “Glass: More than meets the eye.” This is to celebrate the United Nations International Year of Glass, Celebrating the past, present and future of glass for a sustainable, equitable and better tomorrow.

In helping to celebrate National Science Week, we thought we could bring our expertise to this year’s school theme – Glass. Redox are very active in this market with a customer base of roughly 154 assorted customers specialising in producing glass products. 

Being a leading chemical and ingredients distributor, we supply our customers with various products to help them produce hundreds, if not thousands, of products made of glass.

What are some of the chemicals we supply?

Materials such as: 

• Dense Soda Ash, 
• Boric acid, 
• Borax and,
• Potassium Carbonate,
• Monobutyltin Trichloride,
• Sodium Sulphate.

Are all used in the manufacturing of glass products. But, how are these chemicals used in glass products?

Let’s look a little closer – Monobutyltin Trichloride.

Monobutyltin Trichloride or MBTC’s most critical application area is glass coating. MBTC is used to increase the scratch resistance of glass. A tin oxide coating is applied that closes microcracks and improves resistance to physical effects. It’s an essential raw material for this coating.

In the production of flat glass, for example, it’s combined with other ingredients in a uniform formulation that creates an even and thin layer.

Steve Jobs, the late Apple CEO and innovator known for his innovative genius in technology, sought out Corning’s help to make a screen that would be thin yet durable. Then they came up with Gorilla Glass, which dominates mobile device sales today because it can withstand drops up five feet without breaking or sustaining any damage!

It’s also used to coat containers (bottles, glasses, etc.), where Monobutyltin Trichloride is applied directly via gravity slides, which is depressed into the shape of the final bottle. The still hot bottles then pass through a coating stage where an MBTC vapour is sprayed on the hot surface, which is oxidised. This creates a layer of tin oxide, which forms the coating.

Another critical application the glass industry employs comes from Sodium Sulphate. It’s used as “fining agent” to help remove tiny air bubbles within molten glasses and prevent scum formation during refining. The chemical also fluxes the melts while it prevents melt segregation or caking on equipment by preventing negative interactions between components like acidity levels with base stocks such as silica sand.

Endlessly recyclable and natural

“We’ve been making glass for thousands of years, and we still don’t have a good idea of what it is,” says Mathieu Bauchy, a glass expert and materials researcher at UCLA. One thing we do know, unlike many other materials that become dangerous waste, glass can be recycled and refilled an infinite amount of times without losing clarity, purity or quality. 

Have a great National Science Week.

Redox is delighted and proud to be supporting the committed team at Chemical Education Foundation (CEF), who are dedicated to chemistry education and awareness in the United States, for students in grades K-8.

When it comes to preparing the STEM workforce of the future – those industries relying on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – too often the focus is on students in high school and post-secondary education.

But the truth is, if students aren’t inspired by science when they are young – as early as five years old – it gets increasingly harder to engage them in learning and ultimately, enter careers in STEM industries.

Through their You Be the Chemist program, CEF provides educational resources in the form of activity guides and workshops for educators. Their academic competition is held annually at local, state and national levels where students in grades 5-8 compete for scholarships and other prizes.

The results of their You Be the Chemist program speak for themselves.

The impact on students when STEM is introduced early in their academic life.

Our contribution allows CEF to:

• Engage tens of thousands of K-8 students through hands-on science experiences,
• Provide thousands of teachers with professional development opportunities,
• Run CEF’s signature student competition — the You Be The Chemist Challenge®
• Support the community impact initiatives across the country.

“Student interest in science and chemistry is essential. It’s of fundamental importance that we reach the youngest students to inspire them towards careers that drive our businesses and the economy. Our great hope is to make a fundamental difference to these young people, building the workforce of tomorrow by Inspiring youth of today” Nick Osmo, Redox USA

You Be the Chemist continues helping businesses and education providers show young students the potential to build a better world through the science of chemistry.

Our Partnering Manufacturers

Redox opens up a world of opportunity giving you access to more than 850 of the world's best manufacturers.