PHILANTHROPY
Philanthropy
Following The Greif Way, we strive to create a culture that supports the common good through our financial and human resources. The Creating Thriving Communities mission of our Build to Last Strategy emphasizes our dedication to making communities stronger – with the goal of creating positive and lasting social, environmental and economic impacts across the world.
Greif is committed to being an active member of the communities where we live and work through corporate giving, which is administered through direct Community Giving and the Greif Foundation as well as employee-centric channels, including the Colleague Matching Gift Programs, Colleagues Helping Colleagues and Colleague Engagement Days. Our philanthropic efforts contribute to community development by investing in projects and initiatives that enhance education, healthcare and overall wellbeing. They also encourage colleague engagement and wellbeing by providing opportunities to participate in community service, volunteerism and socially responsible activities.
Greif maintains a Contributions Committee, composed of colleagues from across our business who are responsible for ensuring that all contributions align with our Corporate Philanthropy Policy. In 2023, the structure of our Contributions Committee was updated to expand representation outside of Central Ohio, which included adding two members from our Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
This year, we updated our Corporate Philanthropy Policy, which outlines our commitment to using financial, natural and human resources wisely without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. For more information, please see our Corporate Philanthropy Policy.
Direct Community Giving
Greif supports causes that improve the quality of life in our local communities. In 2023, we supported 63 initiatives in partnership with local, national and international organizations that are focused on topics relevant to our communities. We are also proud to share that we received the 2023 Outstanding Business of the Year Award from the Delaware County Foundation at their Evening of Generosity event.
Red Cross
We frequently partner with the Red Cross to provide funding and volunteer services. In 2023, we engaged Greif employees in our partnership with the Red Cross to raise funds for disaster relief efforts following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Through the sale of GreifCares volunteer shirts to employees, $25,000 was raised for the effort. We also contributed to the opening of a new Delaware County Blood Donation Center and the purchase of a Community Emergency Vehicle for transporting life-saving blood to the Central Ohio Red Cross – our third to date.
Autism Speaks
Greif hosted the 2023 Golfing Fore Autism Benefit Tournament, which raised over $115,000 to support autism research and outreach activities.
United Way
In 2023, Greif contributed $150,000 to United Way of Delaware County for their new Youth Transitional Living House, which provides short-term housing for young adults in need. In addition, all U.S. colleagues are empowered to support the United Way locations of their choice by opting into automatic deductions each pay period or as a one-time gift.
Colleague Matching Gift Programs
Our Colleague Matching Gift program encourages colleagues to support nonprofit organizations of their choosing by Greif matching their donations up to $500 per year per colleague.
In 2023, we launched our Community Volunteer Match program, which is designed to encourage global colleague volunteerism. Greif provides financial donations, or service grants, to nonprofit organizations based on the number of volunteer hours performed by each colleague. Throughout the year, Greif contributed $60,000 in matching grants, while colleagues volunteered a total of 1,500 hours of their time.
Colleagues Helping Colleagues
The Greif Colleagues Helping Colleagues Fund was created to help colleagues facing financial hardship immediately after a natural disaster or unforeseen personal hardship. The Fund relies primarily on individual donations from colleagues, with additional funding support from Greif. Contributions are combined to provide colleagues in need with grants, which are tax-free for colleagues based in the United States. For example, in 2023, the Colleagues Helping Colleagues Fund supported colleagues impacted by heavy flooding in California.
Colleague Engagement Days
Colleague Engagement Days encourage our colleagues to come together to raise awareness and support causes that are important to them. In 2023, we supported women’s health by hosting a Greif Goes Pink fundraiser in October for breast cancer awareness month. Greif donated $25 to the American Cancer Society on behalf of each colleague who participated by wearing pink for a day. Over 2,000 colleagues participated, resulting in a donation of over $50,000, which was an increase of over $10,000 compared to 2022.
In addition, we distribute a monthly Greif Cares Newsletter to highlight our engagement worldwide and encourage further colleague participation.
