The 2020 China Charity Festival, one of the most influential charity events in China, was held in Shanghai on January 28 and 29. Arkema China was awarded the “2020 CSR Industry Model” prize in recognition of its ever-improving local sustainable development strategy and its ample efforts to conduct charitable projects for communities close to its sites.
A continuous commitment to education and access to safe drinking water
In November 2020, Arkema officially joined the One Foundation's “Clean Water Project 2020” charitable initiative, helping improve the supply of safe drinking water in a dozen elementary schools in Yunnan Province, and raising awareness among young students of drinking water quality.
The project involves installing a water purifier at every school and giving a water bottle to every student. Arkema volunteers also regularly visit the schools to teach about hygiene, health, safety, and the environment. Approximately 4,000 students are the beneficiaries of the scheme every year.
In 2020, in the unusual context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arkema Shanghai and its production sites had a particular opportunity to demonstrate their involvement with their local stakeholders through various solidarity actions. Indeed Arkema China made numerous donations to help fight the epidemic, and continued to intensify its philanthropic efforts targeting the world of education. The Chinese subsidiary also pursued its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint by saving energy, cutting down emissions, and improving safety performance.
Donations to fight the pandemic
Since the beginning of the epidemic, Arkema China and its production sites have distributed large amounts of hydrogen peroxide and other disinfectants to hospitals, schools and universities in the main areas affected by the pandemic in Hubei province. In addition, early on Arkema supplied masks and alcohol hand gels to its customers, haulers and local communities to fight the epidemic and keep activities running where possible.
As part of its “Better Life, Better Future” CSR program, Arkema also launched the “Arkema ChemArt Green Innovation Class” initiative. Since its launch in 2016, the project has involved six elementary schools in Hebei and Yunnan provinces. Every year Arkema volunteers provide training on environmental protection, safety, I.T., scientific research, and the circular economy, as well as English and DIY courses. The project helps students become aware of the role they can play in contributing to a better future.
Arkema China, which has always made sustainable development one of its priorities, is one of the few chemical companies to have received an award at this festival since it was first launched ten years ago.