Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) launches its new annual employee-driven social action initiative dubbed SGRE impact. Employees worldwide were invited earlier this year to apply for funding for projects that would bring positive change to communities in which the company operates, thereby encouraging employees to become more engaged. “I strongly believe that it is our duty to contribute to improving society. This initiative will help us to further develop the communities in which SGRE is doing business and thus play our part” said Markus Tacke, CEO of SGRE and patron of SGRE impact, the new initiative.
One hundred and thirty-six employees from 14 countries followed the call and submitted 192 potential projects in 39 countries. All proposals were carefully reviewed and eight projects from seven different countries (Brazil, Denmark, India, Morocco, Spain, Thailand and England) were selected for implementation between now until the end of September 2019. “We are thrilled to have received so many great applications. It demonstrates that our employees want to get involved in the communities we, as a company, operate in and that there is demand for such an initiative. We hope to step up our employee and community engagement even further in the future,” said Isaac Ruiz, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at SGRE.
These are the projects selected for SGRE impact 2018/19:
BRAZIL: “Sustainable honey production” with GIRAL - Improving the conditions in which locals keep bees and harvest honey in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
DENMARK: “Robots – also for girls” with FabLab Spinderihallerne - Inspiring more teenage girls to investigate technology as part of their schooling and as a hobby by offering them the chance to participate in a robotics competition.
INDIA: “Positive change through sanitation facilities” with Bal Vikas India - Building sanitation facilities for nine families living in abject poverty in a rural community near Ankleshwar, Gujarat.
INDIA: “Siemens Gamesa Soccer League” with Team Everest - Bringing social change to underprivileged communities in and around the SGRE’s wind farm sites across India through soccer.
MOROCCO: “Providing access to water” with Parents & Students Association of the Groupe Scolaire Daya - Building sanitation facilities and training children and teachers on personal hygiene in a school near SGRE’s blade factory in Tangier.
SPAIN: “Business and biodiversity” with Fundación LURGAIA Fundazioa - Helping to plant 20,000 indigenous trees and shrubs to conserve and restore the forest ecosystem in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve in the Basque region.
THAILAND: “Green Island“ with PlayOnside - Building a community center and other facilities and offering after-school activities for children in a community that lives on a garbage dump in the border town Mae Sot.
ENGLAND: “Learn how wind energy works” with LabRascals - Introducing local children to wind energy through workshops at ten primary schools near SGRE’s blade factory in Hull.
About Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy
Siemens Gamesa is a global leader in the wind power industry, with a strong presence in all facets of the wind business: offshore (#1), onshore (#2) and services (#2). In 2017, the company placed first on the turbine OEM ranking compiled by Make Consultancy with a market share of over 17%.
Through its advanced digital capabilities, the company offers one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry as well as industry-leading service solutions, helping to make clean energy more affordable and reliable. With 87 GW installed worldwide, Siemens Gamesa manufactures, installs and maintains wind turbines in the onshore and offshore segments. Its order backlog stands at €23 billion. The company is headquartered in Spain and listed on the Spanish stock exchange (traded in the Ibex-35 index).
