LANXESS SA - Educate to Grow: funding program to support educative projects

Background to the casestudy

Initial situation

The public schools and organizations from Zárate city have not always enough funds to run projects for their own, related to education and with a broad benefit for many students.
This program should ensure that educational institutions could manage their own self-development in order to avoid sponsor dependence; also to assure the continuity of the projects and leave know-how in the community.
Besides, the companies settled in Zárate realized that the educational system was not always enough, or at the same top level at what companies needed, to apply for a job in the local labour market.

Relationship to core business

LANXESS works every day to make their processes more effective, optimizing the value chain with united work, and developing the community, eye to eye with the company. These are only a few and representative examples of what the company is doing day-by-day to help in the real developing of the communities, its members and environments.
LANXESS has been part of Zárate for 28 years. During this period it has strengthen the links and relations between the company, the employees and the community through social activities.
As a chemical company, the educative development of the community will be traduced into prepared professionals.

Intension of corporate citizenship

Description of the issue

Every non-profit organization was invited to present sustainable educational projects to apply for the funds and implemented in the region.
The funds were obtained by means of a paper recycle action carried out by LANXESS. The employees’ support is essential for that matter. With the sail of these materials, LANXESS S.A. could raise the complete amount of the project.
The company prepared the guidelines and introduced the project through a media campaign and a meeting at LANXESS Club for organizations.
During the second edition, and before presenting any project, the institutions received a free and open seminar on “How to present projects”.
The jury was formed (with public and private sector members) after informative meetings with all of them. The NGO’s and schools presented their projects. The jury got together and decided the ones who would receive the funds.
Through a press conference, the winners were announced and money delivered.
Together with the CSR consultant, the company made the follow up of each winner project, and communicated the results (transparency with funds).

Target group

Zarate community, through the formal and non formal education institutions (schools, universities, foundations, NGO’s, neighbours associations). Primary beneficiaries are students; secondary beneficiaries are teachers, parents and the community.

Implementation

Strategy

LANXESS reached different goals in one program:
- environment care: through a sustainable resource such as the paper recycling program
- internal commitment: all the employees helped in the paper campaign and suggested local NGO’s to invite
- management support: good labour environment to participate
- executive positioning: the CEO offered many press interviews related to it
- know-how: the institutions took the training to their schools and NGO’s for free
- better quality in projects: after the training, the presented projects showed an improvement
- higher amount of presentations: due to improvements in the LANXESS communication activities, more institutions noticed of Educate to Grow.
-more quality in execution: the CSR consultant gave a top professional touch to the meetings and follow up.
more beneficiaries: schools and students made their paper projects come true.
Real inclusion of parents and communities around those schools.

Resources

The funds were obtained by means of a paper recycle action carried out by LANXESS.  The help of the employees was (and still is) essential for that matter: they separate every day the library woods that can be recycle from those that are not-recyclable, and put it in special baskets.
With the sail of these materials, and corporate budget, LANXESS S.A. could get the funds.
The management team supported the employees to help.
An external consultant on CSR provided know-how to the institutions, through a free and open seminar on “How to present a social project”.
Media and government representatives donated time to be the jury.
Media supported the communication actions, for more NGO’s to join the program.

Partners

Although the local government and the local media were partners to make this project successful, there was no financial partner.
However, the company worked together with a CSR consultant to give a free seminar to institutions and make the follow up of each project presented.

Challenges

No.

Achievement

LANXESS could measure the success of the program through some figures:

- The 31% of educative institutions in Zárate attended the first edition of Educate to Grow.
- 50% more of organizations attended the 2008 edition, comparing to 2007
- 8 winner organizations in 2007 and 9 organizations in 2008.
- Those projects reached 3,200 students from 5 different neighbourhoods
- 2 winner institutions in 2007 are Technical schools, specially important for the company to promote the technical education to promote future chemical professionals.
- 200 employees and 16 managers involved
- According to a survey, LANXESS was recognized as one of the local companies helping strongly the community.

Lessons learned

Thanks to often meetings with the partners involved, including the institutions, the company improved the program from the first to the second edition.
- The jury was reviewed, in order to add members more related to specific topics, and respected by the community.
- The guidelines were improved
- The amount of individual funds are under review for a better management and execution of the projects