Thailand concern Indorama Ventures PCL (IVL), Trevira’s parent company, has pledged to provide financial support to selected charities during the Covid-19 pandemic through a special appeal fund. The money is to be allocated to local projects helping people and organisations facing especial hardship due to the coronavirus crisis. During this challenging time, Indorama wants to increase its support for social initiatives, especially in those regions and communities where its companies are based. This includes projects in Guben (Brandenburg) and Bobingen (Bavaria), the homes of two Trevira sites. Indorama has already allocated a sum of money to these two areas, while additionally, all Indorama employees – including Trevira staff – have been invited to contribute to the fund on a voluntary basis. To be selected for funding, eligible projects must first be put forward by the staff of Indorama and subsidiaries such as Trevira. This ensures that the projects have a local connection to the areas where the companies are based. An internal, international jury evaluates the submissions and selects the projects it thinks will benefit most from support.

A total of five charities were chosen for the Guben and Bobingen regions, and on Tuesday, 19 May, funds totalling €11,556 were distributed among three charities in Guben. Guben plant manager Thomas Rademacher visited each of the three charities in person to present them with the cheques. This gave the Trevira representative a chance to find out more about the fantastic work carried out by the charities, and to learn more about how they have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ‘Gubener Tafel’, a food bank run by the national Association for the Unemployed (State of Brandenburg branch) received €3,000. The food bank redistributes food that would otherwise be thrown away to people in need, relying entirely on donations to carry out its work. At the beginning of the pandemic, it had to close down its operation temporarily as hygiene requirements made it impossible to deliver food to clients. However, thanks to the creativity and commitment of the food bank’s directors, it was only a short while before 300 people could once again receive support.

A further beneficiary of the fund was the Comet Youth Club, which is organised by the Friends of Alternative Youth Work and Youth Culture in Guben. The Friends’ society, which has charitable status, supports youth work in the region by helping to fund a number of different leisure activities, especially for low-income families. The coronavirus crisis meant that it had to cancel or postpone various projects and the youth club had to be shut. When lockdown started, the club – where around 30-40 young people and children used to meet up on any given day – closed down literally overnight. The donation of € 4,056 will help the club to get back on its feet.

The final organisation in Guben selected by the jury was the cultural centre ‘Volkshaus Guben der Fabrik’, which received €4,500. The centre organises up to 150 cultural events for all ages every year. Its closure during the coronavirus lockdown has meant that no events have been able to take place for weeks, threatening the centre’s survival. Now, thanks to donations, the centre now hopes it can continue its work. It’s already planning its first live concert, which it is hoped will take place in the centre’s beer garden at the beginning of June.

Guben plant manager Thomas Rademacher said, ‘I could see for myself that the funding donated by our parent company is going to three very good causes. I wish the charities every success in delivering these important projects’. The mayor of Guben, Fred Mahro, also expressed his gratitude to Trevira for the financial support.

IVL also selected two charitable projects in the Bobingen region to benefit from the appeal fund, each of which received a donation of €5,000. Andreas Borchert, manager of the Trevira Bobingen plant, presented the cheques on Friday, 22 May 2020. One of the organisations to receive help was the charitable foundation, ‘Kartei der Not’ in Augsburg. The organisation supports people who, through no fault of their own, are experiencing especial financial or other hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The ‘Bobinger Tisch’, a food bank in Bobingen, was also selected to receive a donation from IVL. The food bank was set up jointly by the City of Bobingen, the welfare association Caritas, the Catholic Church and ‘Treffpunkt’, an association of community groups in Bobingen. It collects surplus food along with food items which are nearing their expiry date or are not 100% perfect. These are then distributed to people in need in return for a small donation to cover costs. Because of the coronavirus situation, volunteers at the food bank have found it much more difficult to collect foodstuffs.

The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting all of our lives. As a global concern, IVL is showing its solidarity with those who have been hit hardest while ‘doing its bit’ for local projects.