Month: September 2023

Given the energy-intensive nature of our operations, reducing our carbon footprint is a shared responsibility. Energy efficiency and emissions reduction have been consistent priorities for Covia over the years, and in 2021, we began adding more data-driven analysis to our efforts. We conducted a comprehensive GHG emissions assessment, analyzed the findings and evaluated the trends to determine our biggest climate-related opportunities and risks going forward. In 2022, Team Members contributed to these efforts in unique and meaningful ways.

To enable real-time monitoring of energy consumption, our Ottawa, Minnesota, plant conducted a full energy audit during the year to better understand electricity and fuel use trends at the facility and identify opportunities for improved efficiency. Through the audit, we determined that the existing method of relying on historical energy invoices for tracking consumption lacked the insights needed to help drive meaningful improvements.

Team Members installed a pulse sensor on the electrical meters at the site for more instantaneous feedback and in partnership with local utilities providers, now have access to real-time data, as well as monthly and annual reports.

After developing a baseline from this data, Team Members are able to modify the site’s equipment and processes to avoid peak consumption and drive energy and cost savings. Looking ahead, we plan to conduct similar audits at additional sites to help us better understand ways to reduce our energy needs across our operations.

 

To advance the collective emissions reduction efforts and help improve grid reliability in times of peak energy use, our Nepheline Syenite Operations (NSO) in Ontario, Canada, participates in the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) Global Adjustment and Demand Response program. The program aims to restore the balance between the supply and demand for electricity, helping to offset the shared impacts of increased energy market volatility.

Through the energy-use monitoring and production management systems we have in place, Covia is able to contribute to these meaningful programs without compromising our ability to Deliver on Promise to our customers. or more information about Covia’s Commitment to Addressing Climate Change, visit our 2022 ESG Report.

For university students, internships are a crucial opportunity to network with working professionals and sharpen technical skills through on-the-job training before entering the workforce full time. Knowing that internships help students to find their passions and bridge the gap between the lifestyle of a student and that of a full-time employee, Henkel takes pride in providing an internship program that helps students pave the way to their future careers.

This summer, Henkel welcomed 170 interns from 103 universities across the United States to work in our Henkel Consumer Brands and Adhesive Technologies business units and Functional areas such as HR and Finance. This summer’s programming kicked off with a hybrid event including a tour of Henkel’s facility in Stamford, CT, a live demo from R&D scientists in the Hair category, presentations from Employee Resource Group (ERG) Leaders and Sustainability Ambassadors, roundtables with employees from across the company, and a panel with former Henkel Interns turned full-time employees.

We also welcomed 9 interns through our partnership with INROADS, designed to offer mentoring and training opportunities to students from diverse backgrounds and help prepare them for corporate and community roles. A private panel discussion with employees who joined the company after their own INROADS internships provided these students with a unique opportunity to ask questions and walk away with advice and insights from professionals who have had similar experiences.

After their orientation to the Henkel organization, the interns joined their teams and embarked on a summer that promised real-world experience, a unique learning journey, and the opportunity to grow within a culture of trust and belonging. Interns jumped right into projects that made a real impact on the business such as budgeting, media planning, R&D formulations, and much more. Subject matter experts from across the company provided guidance and feedback that drove incredible results.

Outside of the office, interns and their mentors had the opportunity to make an impact on the community and on each other. Interns from our Connecticut offices spent 100 hours volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, continuing our legacy with a partner that Henkel has supported for 8 years with both grants and volunteer hours through our Make an Impact on Tomorrow program. A group also joined the Pride ERG at the NYC Pride March, sponsored by got2b, to show their allyship with the LGBTQIA+ community. Interns joined intermural sports teams, participated in speed networking events and Henkel trivia challenges, and had professional headshots taken to level up their LinkedIn profiles.

“I am proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone during my internship. I have been able to set up meetings with outside suppliers, work independently, and present my work to leadership members. Although uncomfortable at times, it has made me a better employee and my team has fully supported me the whole way and I am so fortunate to have them.”

Morgan Begley, Research and Development Intern, Henkel Consumer Brands 
[University of Connecticut]

“The most engaging intern events I participated in were the meet & greets that we had set up with people from across the organization. We got to hear a lot of awesome stories and great career advice from people who had dynamic experiences across the company.”

Nathan Mahar, Commercial Intern, Walmart Retailer Team 
[University of Arkansas]

“The accomplishment I’m most proud of this summer is the skills I have acquired, such as knowing how to utilize SalesBi, data modeling, and networking.”

Monica Uribe, Finance Intern, Beauty Professional Controlling 
[University of Denver, INROADS]

“My advice to a future Henkel intern is to be friendly! Everyone who works at Henkel is so outgoing, kind, and knowledgeable. Henkel is a large and global company, so there are employees who could teach you about any job in any location in the world. Use this to your advantage and form relationships.”

Sammie Godwin, Employer Branding Intern, Henkel Talent Acquisition 
[Washington University in St. Louis]

“One thing I learned this summer is that intentional networking is vital to success in any business. The people I met and have worked with at Henkel have given me the most valuable mentorship and advice to accelerate me into my professional career as well as the rest of my higher education.”

Sydney Sandefur, Sales Intern, Beauty Hair Professional 
[University of Tennessee]

It isn’t just the interns who benefit from this robust program – each team that employed a student gained valuable insight from the technical skills, fresh perspective, and enthusiasm that interns bring to the table. At Henkel, we believe that the teaching and learning that occurs between interns and mentors goes both ways.

“Assisting young talent in shaping their careers is very rewarding,” said Lori Baylock-Tomkiewicz, head of the Henkel Internship Program in the United States, “It has been such a pleasure working with our interns this summer and witnessing their important contributions to our organization. Our weekly workshops and other programming consistently left me inspired by the energy they brought to the table. From the softball field to mentorship meetings and organizational events, the opportunity to learn alongside them and help guide their passions will certainly leave a lasting impact on everyone they encountered.”

From the first day of onboarding through final project presentations, our internship program is structured to provide the skills, knowledge, and network that students need to succeed in a full-time role at Henkel. Through dedicated programming, substantial assignments, and ongoing feedback discussions, our interns have impressed us all with their growth and accomplishments.

We are already looking forward to next summer – if you are interested in applying to be a 2024 Henkel intern, applications open on September 1. Check out Henkel Careers for more information.

“Empower Innovation Challenge (EIC), Inspire and Design the Future” is the slogan of a series of competitions that are awarding more than one million dollars to benefit micro, small and medium-sized enterprises owned by women in Latin America. The application period to participate on the second challenge for entries begins on September 1, 2023.

Click here for Spanish version

September. 2023. From September 1st to October 6th of this year, non-profit organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean that are focused on empowering micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women will have the opportunity to apply for access to funding that will allow them to expand the scope of their initiatives.

The Empower Innovation Challenge (EIC) is an unique competition that offers opportunities for specific projects that enable the amplification of business through small grants, training, access to networks and partnership opportunities with local and international companies. In this second edition, the organizers are opening the call for proposals with a gender focus specializing in green and blue economies in Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The invitation to apply is open to 10 Latin American countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. Participating projects will be implemented by private non-profit organizations and non-governmental non-profit organizations (foundations, civil society organizations, associations, cleaner production centers, among others), universities and private non-profit institutions of higher education.

The targeted sectors range from agriculture, fisheries, sustainable tourism, creative service technologies, light and small manufacturing, and textiles, among others. This series of competitions aims to award more than US$1 million to 24 winners over a two-year implementation period and is funded by the U.S. Department of State (DoS) through the Office of the Secretary of State for Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) together with Global Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) and the Office of Policy Planning Coordination for Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA/PPC).

Interested organizations can learn about the requirements of participation and the required documentation on the official challenge’s website.

During the first edition of the challenge, 8 organizations from the region were awarded:

Bancalimentos SAS BIC for its project “Creation of green businesses run by rural women” from Colombia;Ecotarcoles with “Pacific Plastic Wood” from Costa Rica;PAQOCHA for its initiative ” Connecting knowledge with the Culebrillas community in the province of Bolívar and scaling up the alpaca fiber value chain for Paqocha as part of the Green/Blue economy from Ecuador;Fundación Centro Nacional de Producción Más Limpia with the “MSME WOMEN Program” from El Salvador;The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) received funds for the ” Project to Strengthen the Local Institutional Framework for Women and Individual and Collective Microenterprises” from Guatemala;ALLPA Association for Sustainable Development with its proposal ” Women of Santa Cruz and Andean Grains” from Peru;Sector3 Social Venture Group’s “Escala” project from Peru;Foro Ambiental de Samaná with “Samana Destino del Futuro, Women Entrepreneurs Leading Sustainable Tourism” from the Dominican Republic.

“The objective of carrying out these types of challenges aimed at organizations that benefit MSMEs managed by women is to generate more inclusive growth in each of the participating countries,” said Ernesto Samayoa, WEC’s Director of Operations for Latin America.

For additional information on how to apply, please visit: https://www.eiclared.org/

Ernesto Samayoa, Director of Operations – WEC: press@wec.org

About La RED de Innovación e Impacto (La RED) 

La RED is an initiative that brings together non-profit and for-profit organizations to support micro, small and medium-sized institutions (MSMEs) in order to promote sustainable economic growth and prosperity in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). La RED was born in 2014 through a selection process of organizations that have been accelerating the development of sustainable business and promoting economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of State (DoS) and implemented by the World Environment Center (WEC) and its partners Le Groupe-conseil Baastel ltée (Baastel) and RioSlum Studio until June 2021. As of July 2021, La RED is supported through the leadership of its own member organizations and coordinated by the Nucleo Biotecnología Curauma (NBC) of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile.  

https://www.laredinnovacionimpacto.com 

About World Environment Center (WEC) 

WEC is an independent, global non-profit, non-advocacy organization that promotes sustainable development through the business practices and operations of its member companies and in partnership with governments, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations, universities and other stakeholders. WEC’s mission is to promote business and its social value by advancing solutions to sustainable development related problems.

https://www.wec.org 

About Núcleo de Biotecnología de Curauma (NBC) 

NBC of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso is an R+D+i Center integrated by academics and professionals of excellence, with more than 10 years of experience in technological development, innovation and technology transfer in the area of science and technology. NBC seeks to make companies more productive, sustainable and competitive, visualizing itself in three years as a reference center to support Small and Mid-size Enterprises (SMEs) so they can increase their competitiveness. NBC develops innovative trends to face new economic, social and environmental challenges so we will live in a more sustainable world tomorrow. 

http://nbcpucv.cl 

About Le Groupe-conseil baastel ltée (Baastel) 

Baastel is recognized for its quality services in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Results Based Management (RBM), strategic planning, project and program management, and individual and institutional capacity building in these areas. Baastel’s outstanding reputation in the industry is built on a track record of international and national successes and expertise that is backed by attention to detail, quality, transparency and neutrality. 

https://baastel.com

“Empower Innovation Challenge” (EIC), Inspira y diseña el futuro” es el lema de una serie de concursos que están otorgando más de un millón de dólares en beneficio de micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas lideradas por mujeres en Latinoamérica. El período de aplicación para participar del segundo llamado inicia este 1 de septiembre de 2023.

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Septiembre. 2023. Desde este próximo 1 de septiembre hasta el 6 de octubre del presente año, aquellas organizaciones sin fines de lucro en Latinoamérica y El Caribe, que estén enfocadas en empoderar a micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas (MIPYMES) lideradas por mujeres tendrán la oportunidad de concursar para tener acceso a financiamiento que les permita ampliar el alcance de sus iniciativas.

El Empower Innovation Challenge (EIC), es un concurso único que ofrece oportunidades para proyectos específicos que posibiliten la amplificación de negocios a través de pequeñas subvenciones, capacitación, acceso a redes de contactos y oportunidades de asociación con empresas locales e internacionales. En esta segunda edición, los organizadores están abriendo la convocatoria para favorecer proyectos con un enfoque de género especializados en economías verdes y azules en países de Latinoamérica y el Caribe.

La invitación a postular está abierta a 10 países de Latinoamérica: Belice, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panamá, República Dominicana, Colombia, Perú y Ecuador. Los proyectos que participen serán ejecutados por Organizaciones privadas sin fines de lucro y Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Sin Fines de Lucro (fundaciones, organizaciones de la sociedad civil, asociaciones, centros de producción más limpia, entre otros), Universidades e instituciones de educación superior privadas sin fines de lucro. 

Los sectores hacia los cuales va dirigida la convocatoria varían desde la agricultura, pesca, turismo sostenible, tecnologías de servicios creativos, manufactura ligera y pequeña, así como textiles, entre otros. Esta serie de concursos aspira a entregar más de un millón de dólares a 24 ganadores en un espacio de dos años de implementación y son financiados por el Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos (DOS por sus siglas en inglés) a través de la Oficina de la Secretaría de Asuntos Globales de la Mujer (S/GWI) en conjunto con Global Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) y la Oficina de Coordinación de Planificación de Políticas de Asuntos del Hemisferio Occidental (WHA/PPC).

Las organizaciones interesadas pueden conocer los requisitos para participar, y la documentación requerida en la página oficial del challenge: https://www.eiclared.org/

Durante la primera edición del concurso resultaron ganadoras 8 organizaciones de la región:

Bancalimentos SAS BIC por su proyecto “Creación de empresas ecológicas dirigidas por mujeres rurales” de Colombia.Ecotarcoles con “Pacific Plastic Wood” de Costa Rica.PAQOCHA por su iniciativa “Conexión de saberes con la comunidad Culebrillas de la provincia de Bolívar y escalamiento en la cadena de valor de la fibra de alpaca para la empresa Paqocha de Ecuador.Fundación Centro Nacional de Producción Más Limpia de El Salvador con el “Programa MUJER MIPYME” de El Salvador.El Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) se agenció los fondos con el “Proyecto de Refuerzo del Marco Institucional Local de las Mujeres y de las Microempresas Individuales y Colectivas” de Guatemala.Asociación ALLPA para el Desarrollo Sostenible con su propuesta “Mujeres de Santa Cruz y Granos Andinos” de Perú.Sector3 Social Venture Group por su proyecto “Escala”Foro Ambiental de Samaná con “Samaná Destino del Futuro, Mujeres Emprendedoras Liderando el Turismo Sostenible” de República Dominicana.

“El objetivo de llevar a cabo este tipo de concursos dirigidos a las organizaciones, que benefician a MiPYMEs administradas por mujeres, es generar un crecimiento más inclusivo en cada uno de los países participantes”, señaló Ernesto Samayoa, Director de Operaciones de WEC para Latinoamérica.

Para información adicional sobre cómo participar puede visitar: https://www.eiclared.org/ 

Ernesto Samayoa, Director de operaciones de WEC: esamayoa@wec.org

Acerca de La Red de Innovación e Impacto (La Red)

La Red es una iniciativa que reúne a organizaciones, sin fines de lucro y con fines de lucro, para apoyar a las micro, pequeñas y medianas organizaciones instituciones (MIPYMES) con el fin de promover el crecimiento económico sostenible y la prosperidad en Latinoamérica y el Caribe (ALC). La Red nació en 2014 a través de un proceso de selección de organizaciones que han venido acelerando el desarrollo de negocios sostenibles y promoviendo el crecimiento económico en Latinoamérica y el Caribe. El proyecto fue financiado por el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos y ejecutado por el Centro Mundial del Medio Ambiente (WEC) y sus socios Le Groupe-conseil baastel ltée (Baastel) y RioSlum Studio hasta junio de 2021. A partir de julio 2021, La Red se sustenta a través del liderazgo de sus propias organizaciones miembros y coordinada por el Núcleo de Biotecnología de Curauma (NBC) de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso en Chile.

https://www.laredinnovacionimpacto.com

Acerca de WEC

WEC es una organización sin fines de lucro neutral, independiente, global, que fomenta el desarrollo sostenible a través de las operaciones de sus empresas miembros y en alianza con gobiernos, organizaciones multilaterales, organizaciones no gubernamentales, universidades y otras partes interesadas. La misión de WEC es promover los negocios y su valor social fomentando soluciones a problemas relacionados con el desarrollo sostenible.

https://www.wec.org

Acerca de Núcleo de Biotecnología de Curauma (NBC)

NBC de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, es un Centro de I+D+i integrado por académicos y profesionales de excelencia, con más de 10 años de experiencia en desarrollo tecnológico, innovación y transferencia tecnológica en el área de ciencia y tecnología. El NBC busca hacer que las empresas sean más productivas, sostenibles y competitivas, visualizándose en tres años como un centro de referencia para apoyar a las pymes para que puedan aumentar su competitividad. NBCWe desarrolla tendencias innovadoras para afrontar los nuevos retos económicos, sociales y medioambientales para que mañana vivamos en un mundo más sostenible.

http://nbcpucv.cl

Acerca de Le Groupe-conseil baastel ltée (Baastel)

Baastel está reconocido por sus servicios de calidad en Monitoreo y Evaluación (M&E), Gestión Basada en Resultados (GBR), planificación estratégica, gestión de proyectos y programas y construcción de capacidad individual e institucional en estas áreas. La reputación sobresaliente de Baastel en la industria se ha estado construyendo sobre un historial de éxitos nacionales e internacionales y experiencia respaldada por la atención al detalle, calidad, transparencia y neutralidad.

https://baastel.com