Greif colleagues from across the globe recently volunteered in an environmental initiative, resulting in 600 trees planted and 42,000 pounds of trash collected.
The company’s first “Greif Going Green” effort challenged colleagues to make a positive environmental impact in their communities during the five weeks leading up to Earth Day. Greif teams from 16 different countries participated.
“In this new initiative, we are proud to see our Greif colleagues from around the world accept the challenge to make a positive difference for the environment,” said Aysu Katun, Greif’s director of sustainability. “The enthusiasm and creativity shown by our colleagues during the Greif Going Green initiative exemplifies Greif’s steadfast commitment to the communities in which we live in and work.”
Teams chose to participate in a wide range of activities, including:
- Planting trees and other vegetation
- Park, river, beach, neighborhood clean-up
- Raising awareness on environmental issues and conservation through videos, flyers, presentations and formal discussions
- Distributing reusable canvas bags to reduce plastic waste
- Encouraging colleagues to use alternative methods of transportation to work such as biking, public transportation and carpooling
Greif awarded a team from each of its four regions with the most impressive efforts:
1. North America – Paper Packaging & Services – Atlanta Office
A total of 40 colleagues from Greif’s Atlanta PPS office partnered with the City of Austell to clean up a local park. The group laid pine straw, pulled weeds, de-limbed trees and shrubs and picked up trash.
2. Europe/Africa – Flexible Products & Services – Zhytomyr, Ukraine
A group of 40 colleagues from Greif’s FPS facility in Zhytomyr spent two separate weekends collecting garbage, sweeping streets, painting curbs, trimming branches, cutting grass, collecting eight large bags of waste and planting nearly 100 trees.
3. Asia Pacific – Flexible Products & Services – Changzhou, China
More than 400 Greif colleagues partnered with a local organization to plant 100 trees. The group also picked up trash and distributed Greif canvas bags in the community to replace single-use bags. This group also raised awareness about different sustainability topics such as the global waste crisis, pollution, water scarcity and the importance of environmental conservation.
4. Latin America – Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services – Santo Amaro, Brazil
Colleagues from Greif’s RIPS facility in Santo Amaro participated in five separate events as part of the initiative. The facility held activities that involved garbage collection, tree planting and education on proper recycling methods. Colleagues also committed to a day of utilizing public transportation and a day without meat to reduce carbon emission impact.
Greif continues to receive high acclaims for its sustainability efforts across the globe. EcoVadis awarded Greif the ‘Gold Recognition Level’ in sustainability performance, placing the company in the top five percent of companies it evaluates. Additionally, Greif received an A- rating from CDP for our 2018 Climate Change response, illustrating the company’s robust energy and emissions management practices.
Learn more about Greif’s commitment to sustainability,
Photos (top to bottom): 1. Santo Amaro, Brazil facility 2. Atlanta, Georgia office 3. Changzhou, China facility 4. Zhytomyr, Ukraine facility
