Covestro LLC, a leading polymer materials supplier, has unveiled i3 (ignite, imagine, innovate), its
U.S.-based corporate social responsibility
(CSR) initiative that aims to spark curiosity, to envision what could be and to help
create it.
Formerly known as Bayer
MaterialScience, Covestro has a rich history of corporate citizenship across the U.S.
and in the communities where it operates.
The i3 initiative will build on that tradition through its three pillars: i3 STEM,
which ignites young minds to become the
innovators of tomorrow through support
of hands-on, inquiry-based STEM education, workforce experience and employee
volunteerism; i3 Engage, which re-imag-ines the way employees from for-profits
and nonprofits engage with one another
for more effective outcomes; and, i3
Give, designed to innovate corporate philanthropy strategies that combine both
human and financial resources to build
stronger communities.
“Covestro is an innovation company
that is using the three pillars of i3 to fuel
our commitment to STEM education,
employee volunteerism and philanthropy—all to create sustainable and lasting
impacts,” said Jerry MacCleary, president
of Covestro LLC.
To celebrate the launch of I3 in
Pittsburgh, PA, where its North American
headquarters are located, Covestro has
established the Covestro Employee
Engagement Institute (CEEI) through
a $300,000 grant to Robert Morris
University at its Center for Nonprofit
Management. CEEI seeks to build sig-
nificant bonds between corporations and
nonprofit service organizations by pro-
viding innovative training and education.
It aims to increase capacity for nonprofits
by engaging employees from both sec-
tors in new and novel ways, including
through Skills-based Volunteerism (SBV)
and training for effective board service.
“Retaining our talent is a top priority,”
said Rebecca Lucore, chief of staff at
Covestro LLC. “CEEI will help us do that
by providing myriad opportunities where
our talent can engage together outside
our company walls in the greater commu-
nity and connect their passions, skills and
ideas to the causes they care about most.”
CEEI’s programs are available not
only to Covestro employees, but to em-
ployees of other corporations, as well.
With i3 STEM, Covestro will continue
contributing resources and ideas to the
national conversation about how best to
improve STEM education and diversity.
Covestro’s manufacturing facility in
Baytown, Texas, recently rededicated
its commitment to the Goose Creek
Consolidated Independent School District
by unveiling the Covestro i³ STEM
Center at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands
Center. There, volunteers will conduct the
inquiry-based Microscope Lab program
for all 1,700 Goose Creek fifth graders
throughout the 2015-2016 school year.
“On behalf of all our Covestro i³
STEM volunteers, we are proud and excited to deepen our long-standing commitment to improving STEM education
in the U.S.,” said MacCleary. “We understand firsthand how important it is that
all students have access to these kinds of
hands-on experiences, as well as to real-world working scientists and engineers
to illustrate the science in everyday life
and the job opportunities that exist in
their backyards.”
BASF SE Announces New
Site Agreement
Company and employee representatives
at BASF SE in Ludwigshafen signed a
new site agreement. The agreement, titled “Meeting the challenges of constant
change together,” applies to the approximately 36,000 employees of BASF SE at
the site. It will run for five years (from
January 1, 2016 until December 31,
2020) and follows on from the existing
site agreement, which expires at the end
of 2015.
The company will continue to forgo
forced redundancies for the duration of
the agreement. Furthermore, BASF SE
has committed itself to spend a total of at
least € 6 billion on investments, upgrading
and maintenance measures between 2016
and 2020 at the Ludwigshafen site.
“Economic and social changes are
occurring ever faster and are becoming
less and less predictable. With the new
site agreement, we are creating a frame-
work that offers both flexibility and reli-
ability and will enable the Ludwigshafen
site to remain competitive – now and
in the future. We rely on our team of
dedicated and skilled employees and we
will continue to substantially invest in
the largest, integrated Verbund site of
BASF Group in the coming years,” said
Margret Suckale, member of the Board
of Executive Directors of BASF SE.
Company and employee representatives
are committed to the central role of the
Ludwigshafen Verbund site with produc-
tion, research and technology, market-
ing, infrastructure and services as well as
competence centers.
“Job security is highly valued and a
decisive factor in motivating employees
to actively support the constant change.
With the new site agreement, we have
been able to extend job security for em-
ployees. The company’s stated intent to
continue vocational training on a com-
parable level as in the past and to foster
the employability of its staff will also
contribute to making the site fit for the
future,” said Robert Oswald, head of the
Works Council of BASF SE.
Forward-looking investments and ac-
tive portfolio management are fundamen-
tal to the competitiveness of BASF SE.
Flexible forms of employment, especially
in areas where capacity utilization and
order levels can fluctuate considerably,
will be maintained and further developed.
“The changes in the coming years
will be very demanding for employees
Covestro Launches New U.S.-Based
Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
