CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts focus on four strategic priority areas: Science & Technology Education, Environmental Protection, Health & Wellness, and Water & Sustainable Agriculture – areas which contribute to 10 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – along with a commitment to community giving, providing assistance to people who need it most.

Wherever we operate, we look to develop long-term mutually beneficial partnerships with local communities, with a sustainable approach that delivers lasting value, and innovative programs to meet community needs.

In 2019, SABIC invested in several impactful CSR programs, totalling US$ 15.6 million, which have enhanced our brand and turned our principles into action. We delivered seven global initiatives including 185 global programs in 103 cities and 22 countries. These programs engaged 2,531 SABIC volunteers who dedicated 10,874 volunteer hours for over 340,000 beneficiaries worldwide.

SABIC won three awards in 2019 in recognition of its effective CSR strategy. Ecovadis ranked us in the top 1% of best CSR and Sustainability performers. We were also the only chemical company to win the Public Welfare Practice Contribution Award from Yicai Group in China. In addition, SABIC won the Communities & Reputation award at the 2019 NEPIC Industry Awards in the UK.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

Ensuring quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning is a prime focus for SABIC. Our goal is to foster innovation, particularly through quality science and technical education, as evident through our 45 educational programs and three educational initiatives.

SABIC launched the Global Initiative for Education & Innovation in partnership with Junior Achievement and INJAZ (a part of JA Worldwide) which reached 94,442 students and 1,678 schools in 10 countries. Among the initiative’s programs are Connected with Tomorrow which prepares students for professional life, and Lights of Our Future which exposes students to urban sustainable development from an economic perspective, and encourages students to use critical thinking by applying the knowledge they acquired to create innovative solutions.

SABIC continued its Global Back-To-School Initiative in 2019, reaching 136,983 beneficiaries across 12 countries. It was tailor-made to suit each location: backpack programs in Argentina, educational programs in science technology in the USA, school renovation programs in India, and the Chemical Innovation Challenge in China. Our support for Mawhiba helped the Saudi team prepare for the coming International Chemistry Olympiad and the International Science and Engineering Fair.

SABIC Global Science Caravan toured the United Arab Emirates benefitting more than 2,000 students, continuing our previous years’ efforts in Saudi Arabia that benefitted over 70,000 students, offering programs in technology, chemistry, space science, and mathematics.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

As the circular economy accelerates its progress from visionary rallying cry to mainstream economic driver, SABIC maintains and redoubles its efforts to help safeguard the planet for future generations.

SABIC launched its Global Waste-Free Environment Initiative comprising 44 programs across 16 countries that aimed to sustain our oceans and marine life, besides tackling climate change and its impact.

Environmental awareness is a key component of our strategy. In China, SABIC held an environmental protection themed fair with waste-sorting workshops. In the UK, SABIC volunteers visited schools to emphasize the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.

World Clean-Up Day was observed in several countries. In Mexico, our employees focused on cleaning a waterway that supplies water to the Altamira and Tampico populations. Over 150 children were engaged in clean-up activities in the Netherlands. In Brazil, 77 SABIC volunteers collected 200kg of garbage from streets near the Campinas site. Beach clean-up activities were also held in various locations.

Planting trees was another popular activity around the world. SABIC marked Arbor Day in Argentina where 18 employees participated in a tree-planting drive, and in South Korea with 22 employees planting four trees each.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Our Global Health Initiative, including 23 programs across eight countries benefitting 110,016 people this year, testified to SABIC’s concern for the health and wellbeing of people in the communities in which we work, and society at large.

SABIC aims to motivate enterprises to initiate services that improve mental health and quality of life. In pursuit of this goal, SABIC signed a construction agreement for a specialist hospital in Riyadh for mental health and drug addiction treatment. In addition, SABIC honored winners of its National Mental Health Promotion Award where companies were recognized for helping change public perception towards mental health.

Meanwhile in the US, we organized a Race Against Violence fundraising event to assist those who have been impacted by domestic violence through counseling and shelter.

Other health-related programs include Ajwad Underprivileged Home Care to rehabilitate patients and help them become self-sufficient, and a medical insurance program for orphans in Saudi Arabia.

In India, SABIC’s They See, They Learn program is in its fifth year working together with local government and NGO partners to raise awareness of eye-care, bringing screening, detection and correction services to those who need them, with over 100,000 children being screened.

We also supported the SABIC Eston Nab Challenge in the UK, with SABIC employees joining over 200 runners for the challenging 10km hill race.

WATER & SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

SABIC believes that managing water sources and sanitation goes hand in hand with ensuring better food and energy production. We are working to help end hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition by promoting and supporting sustainable agriculture.

As part of an initiative to help disseminate knowledge in effective farming practices – beginning with two earlier phases of technical training and agricultural caravans – 2019 marked the next phase of this goal through three SABIC Agricultural Field Schools covering Al-Madinah and Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia. The collaborative program provides a forum for sharing experience between farmers and scientific research bodies.

SABIC has also been supporting Saudi Arabia’s dates industry by participating in the Buraidah and Unaizah dates festivals, and Ajwah Forum, highlighting our recognition of the importance of dates as a strategic national crop that also brings health benefits.

COMMUNITY GIVING

SABIC generates assistance for communities through economic stimulation resulting from our business activities, volunteerism and community programs. This year our Global Social Initiative totaled 65 engagements, and covered 17 countries.

Our Social Initiative targets the most vulnerable members of society. For example, volunteers from Argentina distributed 1,000 blankets to homeless people during the cold season. Impoverished children were provided warm school uniforms in South Africa.

SABIC Korea employees came together to give back to the less fortunate with a Sharing Love Bread event in Seoul. While in Singapore, employees volunteered to “grant” the wishes of 63 beneficiaries from the Children’s Wishing Well.

We designed a play engaging adolescents in Brazil, stressing on the importance of empathy and human feelings. In Germany, employees demonstrated the importance of our arms and hands in an interactive presentation, serving as a reminder to be grateful for what we have.