Month: August 2023

View the full LyondellBasell 2022 Sustainability Report.

Our global corporate citizenship program, Advancing Good, demonstrates our commitment to being a responsible, good neighbor. The program focuses on three key areas of impact: Advancing Our Communities, supporting healthy, diverse and dynamic communities; Advancing Our Planet, demonstrating our commitment to being leaders in the efforts to end plastic waste and developing sustainable solutions to protect our planet for future generations; and Advancing Tomorrow’s Workforce, educating, training and preparing tomorrow’s workforce to be our future leaders.

Advancing Our Communities: Promoting healthy lives and well-being for all 

LyondellBasell employees based in the Netherlands raised funds for brain tumor treatment as part of their participation in the Rotterdam Marathon. Six weeks prior to the marathon, their goal took on new meaning when a dear colleague, Jeroen Breen, sadly passed away from brain disease. Employees laced up their shoes and raised over 11,000 EUR to honor his memory. Richard Roudeix, LyondellBasell president, Europe, Asia, Middle East & International Ventures, said, “Participating in the marathon to help advance brain tumor research will be one of the best ways for us to pay tribute to Jeroen. He will be greatly missed.” The funds from The NM Rotterdam Marathon will help support more effective treatments for brain tumors at the Erasmus Medical Center, one of the most reputable institutions in clinical medicine in Europe.

Elsewhere, LyondellBasell employees in Texas got on their bikes to raise funds for lifesaving programs and research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). In spring 2022, around 65 Houston-area employees, contractors, friends and families cycled the Bike MS: Texas MS 150. LyondellBasell representatives pedaled their way to a company milestone during their 150-mile, two-day journey from Houston to College Station, surpassing more than $2 million raised in the company’s 24th year participating in the ride. Kim Foley, LyondellBasell executive vice president, Intermediates and Derivatives and Refining, also reached the $100,000 fundraising milestone after 15 years of riding with the Team LYB. “After two colleagues shared their family members’ struggles with MS, I knew I needed to join the ride. It’s important for everyone to commit yourself to a cause that speaks to you, set a goal and ask for that help to give back.”

PROVIDING URGENT AND NECESSARY AID IN UKRAINE 

Advancing Good helped support refugees and people displaced by the war in Ukraine. LyondellBasell donated $220,000, with $110,000 going to United States Association for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to provide shelter, emergency relief items, cash assistance, and mental support, and $110,000 going to the International Medical Corps to support their mobile medical units programs. Additionally, employees from 64 LyondellBasell sites around the world made personal contributions to these organizations. LyondellBasell matched these donations 2:1 totaling more than $280,000, bringing the total amount given to the emergency response efforts, from the company, to half a million dollars.

LyondellBasell, Channelview Fire Department in Channelview, Texas, and Memorial Hermann Life Flight in Houston launched a new pre-hospital whole blood program to address severe blood loss in emergency settings. Funded by a $10,000 grant from LyondellBasell and modeled after Memorial Hermann Life Flight’s Pre-hospital Blood Product Administration Program, the Channelview Fire Department now carries one unit of o-positive whole blood for patients that experience any medical or trauma-related condition resulting in uncontrolled hemorrhage.

“Our emergency responders are critical to our communities, and vital within our operations at LyondellBasell,” said Tony Wood, LyondellBasell Channelview Complex site manager. “We are honored to support the whole blood program and grateful for the sacrifices and relentless efforts our first responders make every day; they are true heroes to our community.” Patients can receive the first unit of whole blood from the Channelview Fire Department and in conjunction with Memorial Hermann Life Flight, be transported to the Texas Medical Center via helicopter in preparation for a higher level of care if needed. “It’s been a great privilege to help Channelview Fire Department launch their whole blood program,” said Rudy Cabrera, Chief Flight Nurse of Memorial Hermann Life Flight. “Not only does the program benefit patients tremendously in the pre-hospital setting, but furthers to serve the community and those in need.”

ADVANCING OUR PLANET: PROMOTING A BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

In keeping with the 2022 Earth Day theme, “Invest In Our Planet,” LyondellBasell focused its Earth Day activities on meaningful action. The company’s aim was to help protect the environment and make progress toward our goal of planting and distributing 6,000 trees across the greater Houston area by the end of 2022. In May, together with Trees For Houston and the Astros Foundation, LyondellBasell young professionals employee network (YPEN) members and Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez, gave away 2,500 trees. In October, employees, friends and family from five Houston-area LyondellBasell locations gave away another 2,500 trees in celebration of our annual global day of service, Global Care Day, at the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy and Technology at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, and planted an additional 900 trees at Herman Brown Park. These two events along with additional planting projects at San Jacinto College achieved the 6,000 tree goal.

Also in October, 11 LyondellBasell employees in India volunteered their time to clean up an area at Fort Raigad, a historic hill standing 4,400 feet (1,356 meters) above sea level. Thanks to their efforts, 35 kg of bottles, straws, bags, cups, lids, wrappers, plastic cutlery and many other plastic items were cleared along the path.

ADVANCING TOMORROW’S WORKFORCE: MEET CHAKEITHA

LyondellBasell invests in training opportunities for the next generation of workers. For many years, our company has been involved in vocational office education programs (VOE) with local high schools. With years and time invested, we know that many high school students are unaware of the career opportunities our industry provides. The exposure to our company they receive through our VOE program can help shape their future career plans, as well as establish success for themselves.

Entering her senior year in 2000, Chakeitha Thornton enrolled in the VOE program at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston. Understanding at a young age the importance of having a good job in a stable industry motivated Chakeitha to graduate from high school as a VOE student with experience working for LyondellBasell. After enrolling in the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston as an Accounting major, Chakeitha maintained her employment with the company as a VOE student. For the last 22 years, Chakeitha has had a flourishing career in Finance, Accounting, and Treasury at LyondellBasell and is now in the People and Culture department as a DEI manager.

I had amazing mentors early in my career who believed in me and advocated for me. With their help, I am living the career I always envisioned.

ADVANCING GOOD BY THE NUMBERS

$11 MM contributed globally through 1,800 grants

$900,000 matched through 1,500 employee requests

$697,416 value of volunteer hours served5

23,286 hours employees spent volunteering

1,300 pieces of electronic equipment recycled to prevent e-waste

$700,000 value of volunteer hours served5 donated for emergency relief and first responder support

View the full LyondellBasell 2022 Sustainability Report.

For information about the factors that could impact our forward-looking statements, please see page two of the LyondellBasell Sustainability Report.

5 https://nlctb.org/tips/value-of-volunteer-time/

I recently had the honor of joining U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and activist-actor John Leguizamo in a powerful discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival about how we can best prepare students for the workforce of the future. What struck me during our conversation – and what I found so impactful – was how our respective efforts to support this shared mission are so deeply interconnected.

With 92 percent of jobs available today requiring digital or likely digital skills and nearly one-third of U.S. workers lacking opportunities to build these skills, targeted development programs are essential to closing the skills gap – and digital divide – while spurring critical job placement and increasing diversity and equity in the workforce.

$1B Commitment to reach tens of millions of people.

In Comcast’s efforts to advance digital equity, we consider the economic mobility of every individual and in turn, how it impacts our economic competitiveness as a country. Project UP ­– our $1 billion initiative to reach tens of millions of people with the resources they need to succeed in a technologically advanced world – is an intentional commitment to create opportunities that will change lives and communities for generations to come.

Nothing we do is in isolation. As we consider ways to ensure digital equity, we can’t ignore the many factors and circumstances that impact students’ learning and access to opportunity. Therefore, we must think about solutions holistically.

The Secretary and I were excited to highlight an example of the type of intentional collaboration that’s needed. The Roybal Film and Television Production Magnet program in Los Angeles is equipping historically underrepresented students with the technology and digital skills required for success in media and entertainment. This program serves as a model for how industry-informed education can help create pathways to high-paying careers and drive our economy forward.

As creator, producer, and director of Leguizamo Does America on MSNBC, John Leguizamo shared his invaluable expertise on leveraging the potential of students with skills like those developed at Roybal. More than 75 percent of the crew and production team were Latino or from communities of color and 90 percent of the creative or editorial team were Latino. And to pay it forward, the team promotes future talent, providing career opportunities, mentoring and shadowing to the next generation of creators. We’re proud that the show has been renewed for a second season and while this work is remarkable, it should not be an outlier.

We must continue to collaborate across the public, corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors to meet the challenges of achieving true digital equity. Getting more people connected to the power of the Internet through programs like the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program is stage one. Ensuring that ACP funding is extended, so that every student can be successful, acquire the right skills, and unleash their individual creativity and talent to the fullest potential is stage two.

Secretary Cardona boldly and accurately stated that we must be unapologetically intentional about lifting up every one of our communities. Comcast is proud to join him and John Leguizamo in continuing to partner with incredible leaders working relentlessly to build a future of unlimited possibilities.

Comcast is the founding member of Online For All, an Affordable Connectivity Program awareness and enrollment campaign launched by Civic Nation and the U.S. Department of Education.

Dalila Wilson-Scott is Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation & President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.

Hut Life | Pizza Hut Blog

July was National Culinary Arts Month, a time to showcase the amazing people who have helped create the amazing Pizza Hut menu. Although, here at Pizza Hut, LLC,  we know there never needs to be an excuse to celebrate the incredible work the culinary team does year-round.

To learn more about the Culinary Arts and what it takes to be a chef, we sat down with Pizza Hut U.S.’ Innovation Chef, Alex Yeatts, to share what a typical day looks like for him, how he finds inspiration, and advice he’d give to someone who is looking to pursue a career in the Culinary Arts.

What makes someone passionate about the Culinary Arts?
“It stems from a love of food – in all forms – and it grows from there. I love experiencing other cultures through food and I’m too curious to want to recreate things in my kitchen that I have seen or eaten. You would be surprised how much history and culture is encapsulated in a dish or ingredients.”

What does a typical day look like being the Pizza Hut, LLC Innovation Chef?
“Honestly, it varies a lot – which I love. Some days, I’m exploring things completely new on my own. Some days, I’m working with our amazing partners in marketing or the folks on the food innovation team, improving recipes. On other days, I get to work with supplier chefs to bring new and trending flavors to life. I spend a lot of time in our test kitchen, not a desk, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

What is the best part about working on this team?
“The support of all my coworkers! I have worked a lot of difficult jobs in my life, and I have learned the value of people who support you, fight for you, and lift you through difficult or stressful times. They are the ones that can make a tough day feel like the easiest day in the world when they are there for you. I am lucky to have so many people that value me at work.”

What product(s) are you most proud of that helped develop?
“As a part of my role, I create the ‘gold standard’ version of something – which is like the best version of a dish or ingredient. For example, if you were going to describe the best attributes of grilled cheese, what would that be? The gooey, melty cheese? The lightly toasted crust? The golden-brown color? The buttery, toasted bread? Those are the sort of things I help establish for all the things I create. I created the gold standard steak recipe for the cheesesteak pizza and melt. The rest of the team works with the suppliers to replicate it as closely as possible. I also created the recipe for the Pickle Pizza recipe with Nashville Hot Chicken that was launched in NYC for one weekend as a pop-up PR event. That was a lot of fun. Those are just the things that you would have seen so far. The Culinary team is very excited about the Melts platform and how we can leverage trending ingredients and flavors to create recipes customers crave.”

Where do you find inspiration for new menu innovations?
“A lot of it revolves around what is new and trending within the pizza industry, or restaurants in general. But I also dig into things I want to see on the menu myself. The Culinary Team has access to a lot of trends, research for flavors, ingredients, pizza styles, and so on. Social media is also a great tool to learn new things.

How does the team determine whether an idea is worth pursuing a test market or national launch?
“It depends on the product. It’s easier to get things into a test market and then a national launch. National launches take more time because we want to be very thorough and have things as flushed out as we can. The Culinary and Marketing teams may put something in a test market so that we can learn more and get feedback before launching nationally. Not everything will go into a test market before a national launch. It just depends on how confident the Brand and Franchisees are in the product and strategy.”

Is there anything people might be surprised to learn about being on the culinary team?
“You may think as a major quick-service restaurant chain the team puts a lot of limitations or guardrails on us, but we are very open to exploration and putting new things out there. I hope that the culinary team continues to bring new ideas to life so that they can be shared with everyone. Pizza is an amazing platform, and the goal is to have the Pizza Hut® Brand continue to innovate and create delicious pizza that people crave.”

What makes you most passionate about your job?
“Creating food that becomes memories for people. Food is one of the most powerful things we have on earth. It brings people together and fuels memories of your childhood or happy times. Brings communities and cultures together. Some people take that for granted. When I cook (especially the food I hold close to my heart), I put a piece of myself in front of people. It may be from a memory in my life, or an obsession over a specific dish or ingredient. But, no matter what, it always has a story behind it. I just want to share those stories.”

What advice would you give to someone who is starting a career in culinary?
“Learn as much as you can from the people around you. Everyone has had a different experience in life and has learned things along the way – so take advantage of that. And pay attention to the food. If you pay attention to detail, you will learn a lot about the food you are cooking. Finally, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. If you try new things that are a little outside your com