Huntsman empowers employees to make a difference

Empowering employee-led teams to organise activities in their neighborhood, Huntsman Textile Effects is helping make local communities more sustainable. The company, which has operations around the world, seeks to make a difference through social, environmental and economic sustainability projects.

“I am proud that associates across Huntsman work closely together with their local communities to make a vibrant world possible today and for future generations,” said Rohit Aggarwal, President, Huntsman Textile Effects. "From community programmes promoting education and local enterprise to environmental initiatives such as recycling waste, beach cleaning and tree planting, we’re making positive and lasting contributions to the communities in which we operate.”

Huntsman projects are designed by local employees to meet the needs of the communities in which we operate, in line with the core pillars of sustainability: people, planet, profit.  

In Fraijanes, Guatemala, the 37-stong Huntsman team has supported Hogar Niños de Fatima, a local children’s home, and AYUVI, a charity that provides free treatment to children with cancer. For example, the team and local contractors contributed a significant number of hours supporting these two worthy organisations in 2016. This included collecting more than 290 kg of paper, 10 kg of packaging and 40 kg of plastic bottle caps in recycling-based fundraisers.

In Gandaria, Indonesia, the Huntsman Textile Effects team donated air-conditioners to local mosques, which are important centers of community life in the area.

Huntsman Textile Effects runs the award-winning Anandi programme in Baroda, Gujarat. The programme mobilises staff volunteers and company funding in support of community projects focused on education, health, water and sanitation and animal husbandry. Recent education-sector activities have included a sports day for 500 children, a 10-day summer camp, and the distribution of 6,000 notebooks, 2,000 schoolbags and other school supplies. The team also supports village-based computer education and life-skills training for teens.

Since the textiles sector is a major global user of fresh water, water conservation is a key focus area for Huntsman Textile Effects. The Baroda team recently installed a 500 KL underground water tank to store water and meet the needs of more than 3,500 people in Luna, a village near to the Textile Effects plant. The project was operated on a Public-Private-Partnership model, in close cooperation with villagers and local administrators, and took close to two years to complete.

In Atotonilquillo, Mexico, the Huntsman team continues to focus on recycling. It recently donated 150 recycling containers to local schools to encourage sorting and recycling of waste. It is also working with three schools in the Miraflores and Atotonilquillo villages to collect used batteries for recycling and safe disposal. More than 180 kg of used batteries were collected from the schools over a 12-week period and will be sent to a certified external provider for proper disposal. Battery recycling has been an ongoing program by the Huntsman team in Atotonilquillo.