Sustainability Champions to create change towards sustainable development
In 2022, the Sika Sustainability Academy – a flagship global sustainability education program - took place from October 17 to October 20, 2022 in Preston (UK).
The training provided the necessary skills, methods, and practical examples to the responsible people in the countries to develop, coordinate and implement local activities and projects in all sustainability focus areas. 27 participants from 20 different countries were producing roadmaps for implementing the Sika Sustainability strategy, targets, principles, and tools.
Some examples of conducted activities:
- Beside classroom training and interactive workshops, the participants visited a NGO and learned how to plan and run Community Engagement projects which included volunteering activities together with the Preston Vocational Center (PVC). The Center is in fact committed to advancing the education of children, young people, and adults, in particular through provision of vocational training, supporting their personal development and equipping them for further education, training and employment.
- Thanks to the close cooperation with the Global Technical Center (GTC) Preston, the participants worked together with local chemists, by using Sika’s new Sustainability Portfolio Management (SPM) framework to evaluate new product innovations. They gained insights on how this new strategic steering tool can support the transformation towards “More Performance - More Sustainable” product portfolios. A plant tour and projects in the “Less Impact” focus areas gave insights into local initiatives and how they have been implemented successfully.
- The interaction with a customer and insights into the sustainability journey of Sika UK rounded off the interdisciplinary academy.
After attending the entire week of trainings and workshops, participants were certified as local "Sustainability Champions". Those employees now rely on knowledge, methods and ways to initiate, manage, and drive sustainability projects and engage people in their organizations.
The Sika Sustainability Academy 2022 was designed as climate neutral training and certified by the “MyClimate” Swiss organization. Sika calculated and reported all relevant GHG emissions produced in connection to the event, including flights of the participants, catering and lodging, and event-specific materials and waste generated. The 49 tons of CO2 emissions emitted were compensated (offsetting). Sika supports a high quality and gold standard certified project in Kathmandu, Nepal to process organic waste into compost. In this way, greenhouse gas emissions from traditional landfills are reduced and high-value fertilizer is produced for surrounding fields.
The Sustainability Academy is an important initiative which enables strong engagement of Sika subsidiaries, increasing the number of sustainability-related projects and activities across Sika countries at global level. Here you find examples of local projects.
