Indorama Ventures PCL sets up special fund to support local projects

This includes projects in Guben (Brandenburg) and Bobingen (Bavaria), the homes of two Trevira sites. Indorama has already allocated a sum of money to these two areas, while additionally, all Indorama employees – including Trevira staff – have been invited to contribute to the fund on a voluntary basis. To be selected for funding, eligible projects must first be put forward by the staff of Indorama and subsidiaries such as Trevira. This ensures that the projects have a local connection to the areas where the companies are based.  An  internal,international  jury  evaluates  the  submissions  and  selects  the  projects  it thinks will benefit most from support.

A total offive charities were chosen for the Guben and Bobingen regions, and on Tuesday, 19May, funds totalling €11,556 were distributed among three charities in Guben. Guben plantmanager Thomas Rademacher visited each of the three charities in person to present them with the cheques. This gave the Trevira representativea chance to find out more about the fantastic  work  carried  out  by  the  charities,  and  to  learn  more  about  how  they  have  been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ‘Gubener Tafel’, a food bank run by the national Association for the Unemployed (State of Brandenburg branch) received €3,000.  The food bank redistributes food that would otherwise be thrown away to people in need, relying entirely on donations to carry out its work. At the beginning  of  the  pandemic,  it  had  to close  downits  operation  temporarily  as  hygiene requirements made it impossible to deliver food to clients. However, thanks to the creativity and commitment of the food bank’s directors, it was only a short while before 300 people could once again receive support.

A further beneficiary of the fund was the Comet Youth Club, which is organised by the Friends of Alternative Youth Work and Youth Culture in Guben. The Friends’ society, which has charitable status, supports youth work in the region by helping to fund a number of different leisure activities, especially for low-income families. The coronavirus crisis meant that it had to cancel or postpone various projects and the youth club had to be shut. When lockdown started, the club – where around 30-40 young people and children used to meet up on any given day – closed down literally overnight. The donation of € 4,056 will help the club to get back on its feet. 

The final organisation in Guben selected by the jury was the cultural centre ‘Volkshaus Guben der Fabrik’, which received €4,500. The centre organises up to 150 cultural events for all ages every year. Its closure during the coronavirus lockdown has meant that no events have been able to take place for weeks, threatening the centre’s survival. Now, thanks to donations, the centre now hopes it can continue its work. It’s already planning its first live concert, which it is hoped will take place in the centre’s beer garden at the beginning of June.

Guben plant  manager Thomas Rademacher said, ‘I could see for myself that the funding donated by our parent company is going to three very good causes. I wish the charities every success  in  delivering  these important  projects’. The  mayor  of  Guben,  Fred  Mahro,  also expressed his gratitude to Trevira for the financial support.

IVL  also  selected  two  charitable  projects  in  the  Bobingen  region  to  benefit  from  the  appeal fund, each of which received a donation of €5,000.  Andreas Borchert, manager of the Trevira Bobingen plant, presented the cheques on Friday, 22 May 2020. One of the organisations to receive help was the charitable foundation, ‘Kartei der Not’ in Augsburg. The organisation supports people who, through no fault of their own, are experiencing especial financial or other hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The ‘BobingerTisch’, a food bank in Bobingen, was also selected to receive a donation from IVL. The food bank was set up jointly by the City of Bobingen, the welfare association Caritas, the Catholic Church and ‘Treffpunkt’, an association  of  community  groups  in  Bobingen.  It collects surplus food along with food items which are nearing their expiry date or are not 100% perfect. These are then distributed to people in need in return for a small donation to cover costs. Because of the coronavirus situation, volunteers at the food bank have found it much more difficult to collect foodstuffs.

The  Covid-19  pandemic  is  affecting  all  of  our  lives.  As  a  global  concern,  IVL  is  showing  itssolidarity with those who have been hit hardest while ‘doing its bit’ for local projects.