Mainetti, a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions, together with the Cuore di Maglia Association – a non-profit volunteer group that provides handmade clothing for premature babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Italy – has launched its latest charitable initiative, MAMI. Developed by Mainetti Italia’s fabric business unit, MAMI provides specially designed therapeutic gloves for premature babies that Cuore di Maglia helps distribute to around 124 NICUs throughout Italy.
Each MAMI glove is CE-certified in accordance with European legislation and is crafted from a fireproof fabric and filled with polypropylene granules contained within 100% cotton bags that replicates the warmth and scent of a parent’s touch. The gloves are intended to envelop premature babies in a NICU incubator, simulating the warmth and weight of parental touch that promotes relaxation, thermoregulation, and stress reduction during periods where direct parental contact is limited.
Roberto Peruzzo, CEO of Mainetti and founder of the charitable initiative said: “MAMI represents the hard-work and compassion of our design experts across Mainetti Italia and is the result of a period of intense study and meticulous attention to the smallest details. Upon recognizing a need within Italy’s NICUs and the vital importance that tactile contact delivers in early infant development, the team reviewed many options to find the best and most suitable fabric for the delicate skin of newborns. The result is our MAMI glove which is washable at 60° to ensure sterilisation, packaged with soft seams and an exact number of microspheres that simulate the weight of a parent’s hand. Now with the support of Cuore di Maglia, these gloves will be delivered to various NICUs across Italy, and I am beyond proud of Mainetti’s role in helping to bridge the physical gap felt by parents and newborns during these critical times.”
The development of MAMI began after Mainetti Italia and Cuore di Maglia identified an urgent need for large quantities of fabric gloves for NICUs in Italy, where previous solutions exported from international suppliers proved too cost-prohibitive for many hospitals. With more than 65 years’ experience of being a trusted packaging and retail solutions provider, Mainetti was able to utilize its extensive manufacturing capabilities and team of specialised experts across multiple divisions within Italy to produce all components of the specialised gloves in-house.
By leveraging existing materials from Mainetti’s paper packaging business units, including Reca Mainetti in Carpi and Mainetti Omaf in Taranto, Mainetti is able to produce MAMI gloves at significantly reduced costs and donate, rather than sell, the necessary quantities which Cuore di Maglia helps distribute to Italian NICUs.
The development of MAMI also aligns with Mainetti’s longstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility and ethos of giving back to the community. With the launch of MAMI, Mainetti hopes to be able to continue supporting the health and wellbeing of infants and families in healthcare facilities and champion the belief that business can be a powerful force for good.