SOCIAL IMPACTS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS

In 2022, we used our global CSR strategic tool, RAISE – Reputation, Audience, Innovation, Strategy, and Endurance – to invest in programs that promote our values and direct our priorities into four strategic focus areas – Science & Technology Education, Environmental Protection, Health & Wellness, and Water & Sustainable Agriculture. These pillars are aligned with SABIC’s 2025 strategy and contribute to 3 Saudi Vision 2030 pillars and 10 UN SDGs. RAISE assesses whether our initiatives have the desired positive impact by asking whether it raises SABIC’s overall visibility and reflects positively on its identity; whether it addresses community needs and engages key stakeholders; whether it uses new technology or takes a new approach that singles out SABIC’s leadership; whether it complements business interests and aligns with our values; and whether it promotes a socially responsible culture and generates a positive, lasting impact.

Through NUSANED™, our pioneering local-content initiative to strengthen the local manufacturing base, SABIC continues to commit to meeting the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030, bridging the public and private sector to foster small and medium enterprise (SME) start-ups and help scale established SMEs, thereby reducing our dependency on foreign imports.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

With the growing public consciousness about mental health, employees are increasingly turning to their employers for support on their mental and social well-being. SABIC promotes a holistic concept of wellbeing through its Global Health Initiative and Global Social Initiative, tacitly recognizing that health and wellness require both social and medical interventions. Our programs in Health & Wellness reached 10 countries – USA, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, the UK, the Netherlands and Spain – in 2022.

GLOBAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

We participated as a strategic partner at the first Tabuk Mental Health Conference 2022, organized by the Qadir Association for the Promotion of Mental Health in the region, on the urgent need to promote mental health in educational and practical environments and its importance. The two-day conference covered a variety of topics and held a number of workshops such as analyzing the concept of mental health, focusing on health promotion skills from treatment to recovery, dealing with life traumas, and developing techniques to cope with life stresses and changes.

At the global level, we created a new SABIC benefits website, “Benefits that Matter for the Moments that Matter,” a freely-available resource portal accessible to all employees as well as their families providing access to all the available benefits in relation to health, wealth, wellness and work/life balance. We also initiated the Benefits Tour 2022 to promote the benefits offered at SABIC to provide an all-round support of employee wellbeing.

We established the Madinah Autism Center in Saudi Arabia, capable of handling 500 cases of diagnosing autistic children early, offering vocational rehabilitation and treatment plans, expanding research, training Saudis specialized in this field, and spreading autism awareness in society. SABIC also invested SAR 3 million into Jazan Autism Center for detecting autism early as cases have risen in recent years; this initiative will help over 570 beneficiaries in the region.

On World Blood Donor Day, we organized blood donation programs in Jubail, Yanbu, and our Riyadh headquarters, where 207 staff members generously donated blood for the cause. For the second year in Houston, SABIC continued its relationship with the Gulf Coast Regional Center to allow SABIC employees, family members, friends, and tenants in CityWest to donate blood.

At the community level, we encourage the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle in the digital age. Given that health is one of the main pillars of our social responsibility strategy, we sponsored the Riyadh Marathon 2022 to motivate members of society to participate. Around 10,000 contestants participated in the 42-kilometer run, and 200 runners were from SABIC. Over in America, 50 SABIC employees participated in the Houston Marathon weekend and ran in the three races. In the UK, 40 SABIC Teesside employees partook in the Headlight Charity Walk to raise funds for the Russ Devereux Foundation, a local mental health charity.

We believe that a key element in promoting healthy behaviors is by raising awareness and making available the necessary facilities for tackling the situation. To this effect, we opened Breast Cancer Screening Clinics in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with Zahara Association and the Ministry of Health, to expand the field of early breast cancer detection. We also partnered with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to create awareness about breast cancer, providing a mobile mammogram unit that offered mammograms to SABIC employees, their families, and other tenants at CityWest, Houston.

As shortages of resources and supplies affected communities during COVID-19-related lockdowns in Shanghai in 2022, SABIC worked with the Shanghai Charity Federation to donate quarantine relief to support people quarantined in cabin hospitals and other people in need.

In Saudi Arabia, SABIC started a Medical Insurance program in a two-year partnership with Kanaf to provide for families in need.

Outside Saudi Arabia, SABIC worked with Vietnam Red Cross and donated US$ 20,000 in the form of family food parcels to help disadvantaged families adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting SABIC’s long-term commitment to Vietnam.

As part of our Global Health Initiative, SABIC concluded its participation in the 5th Saudi International Conference on Occupational Safety and Health 2022 held in Riyadh. At the conference, SABIC showcased numerous activities pertaining to Occupational Safety, including virtual simulations of working in high-risk environments, identifying and managing workplace and home safety hazards, and emphasizing the importance of home and workplace safety. We also participated in panel discussions that included recommending companies on how to implement the latest technologies and use the IoT to maintain high OSH standards, create a safe work environment, and get employees working for other contractual partners and companies to identify and control workplace hazards.

GLOBAL SOCIAL INITIATIVE

In 2022, SABIC’s Global Social Initiative included several programs around the world as part of our CSR strategy to help the communities in which we operate.

SABIC employees in Spain contributed nonperishable food baskets and blankets and made a monetary donation to a Murcia-based charitable foundation that supports people in need. The food campaign ran for over four weeks.

Our CSR focus also aims to improve the lives of underprivileged individuals and communities. Under the slogan, “Together for a Positive Impact”, we held an Entertainment Day for orphans in Abha in collaboration with the Orphans’ Welfare Society, organizing various activities and awarding many prizes to over 100 children.

Inflation and rising food costs have made it difficult for many families to have nutritious meals. In cooperation with the SABIC Employees Charity Fund (BRR), 148 male and female volunteers prepared 250 food baskets at our Riyadh headquarters for families in need. Throughout the year, our Food Basket initiative ensures that 1,500 families per month and 18,000 families annually in the Kingdom receive our food baskets. In the US, SHE SABIC volunteers sorted and packed 11,772 pounds of food, amounting to 9,810 meals, for children and families in the Houston area.

SABIC Employees Charity Fund (BRR) worked under the “Volunteer for Them” community campaign to provide 4,000 winter clothes for beneficiaries of charitable associations in Saudi Arabia, offering company leaders and employees the opportunity to take part in charitable work. SABIC employees also worked with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Argentina to donate clothes and blankets for the homeless to keep warm during the winter season.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

By taking part in clean-up activities, SABIC employees learn to connect with each other and the wider communities, providing a model for complementing our CSR activities with the sustainability concepts inherent in our core business. It takes a combination of coordinated international and inter/intra industry efforts with small-scale, localized public activities to propel changes. This year, our Global Environmental Protection Initiative reached seven countries – India, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Spain, and USA.

In 2022, we signed the SABIC National Afforestation Initiatives for Saudi Green Initiative to reduce the effects of desertification, restore biodiversity in natural environments, rehabilitate degraded vegetation cover sites, and promote positive behaviors to preserve our environment. This initiative is in cooperation with the National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification.

We conducted a Circular Economy ("PALS") Program in Spain in collaboration with the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena on cleaning marine litter, during which we held different activities related to beach cleaning, a Circular Economy Workshop, and getting involved with high schools to raise awareness among the student population.

As part of our efforts to help minimize air pollution and control erosion, SABIC partnered with Houston Wilderness Tree Planting (NGO) for the second consecutive year for a large-scale native tree-planting project to increase water absorption and erosion control to help with the area’s flooding problems. SABIC will be mentioned as a sponsor on the Houston Wilderness website.

In commemoration of World Environment Day 2022 and in support of the Alliance to End Plastics Waste's (AEPW) #Clean4Change initiative, SABIC organized a half-day community cleanup activity program in Nansha of Guangzhou and Chongqing for the second year. The coastal cleanup was held to emphasize to our employees the responsibility we have as a company toward conserving and keeping the water areas clean for the communities to enjoy. Our efforts resulted in collecting 108.6 kg of trash including plastics waste. SABIC also held World Environment Day Clean Up Activities in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and India, highlighting our environmental awareness and cultivating a culture of responsible waste management as part of our commitment in the community. In Houston, SABIC supported Trash Bash, the largest, single-day waterway cleanup in Texas for the second year to pick up trash and clear debris that will assist in avoiding flooding situations after heavy rains.

WATER AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Water and sustainable agriculture are increasingly vital due to their collective impact on our daily lives, from ending hunger to achieving food security and improving nutrition. At SABIC, we support farmers through sharing ideas and experiences on effective farming practices, crop productivity, quality and variety. This year, SABIC sponsored the Coffee Bean Al Dayer Festival and the annual Olive Festival in Al Jouf that enabled agri-nutrients business growth in Saudi Arabia, and was a Diamond Sponsor of the Al-Hariq Citrus Festival.

SABIC also leveraged its technological centers and expertise to unlock growth opportunities and jobs via localizing advanced unmanned aircraft systems with applications in agriculture. To this effect, we signed an MoU with the Autonomous Technology & National Center for Vegetation Cover Development & Combating Desertification and involving the Ministry of Human Resource Social Development to study how this technology could replace 500 non-Saudi low-skilled jobs with 80 jobs fit for Saudi citizens. In tandem, the joint team finalized its technology validation protocol, assessment criteria and work plan activities needed for the Al Jouf field trial.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

For its four decade-plus history, SABIC has always been at the intersection of new technologies and innovation, making it uniquely positioned to train and provide educational and career opportunities for future generations to make early valuable contributions. Through our partnerships with charities, NGOs, schools, communities and other stakeholders, we have undertaken different initiatives to help youth interested in STEM fields enter the environment.

This year, we partnered with Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, one of the world’s largest and most impactful youth-serving NGOs to deliver hands-on, immersive learning in work readiness, financial health, entrepreneurship, sustainability, STEM, economics, citizenship, and ethics. As part of SABIC’s Global Initiative for Education and Innovation, JA brings together like-minded young people to develop the employment and entrepreneurial tools they need to start sustainable companies and find meaningful work. This initiative benefitted 63,434 students in 12 countries - Argentina, Egypt, India, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, the UAE, USA and Vietnam.

SABIC also believes that it is crucial to encourage and inspire children at an early age to dream big. SABIC was honored this year by the Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Takaful Charity Foundation, for its strategic partnership and national leadership in supporting Saudi male and female school students through its specialized initiatives and programs, such as creative classes, electronic remedial teaching, robot laboratories, science support, schoolbag distribution, and more. Under our Global Back-to-School Initiative, our efforts this year included:

– The SABIC World Robot Olympiad 2022 (Saudi Arabia) to benefit over one million students between the ages of 8 and 19 to improve their STEM skills in an effort to groom the next generation of inventors, scientists, and engineers.

– The Children Inspired by Science program in the UK, where SABIC employees at Chemicals T&I volunteered to talk to children at a local Teesside primary school during British Science Week about SABIC and inspire them to consider a future in studying chemistry given the potential career opportunities in the chemical industry.

– The SABIC Summer Innovation Program Exhibition, with the non-profit organization Takaful, creating the opportunity for 250 students to display their work and creative efforts under the theme of sustainability.

– SABIC’s support to underdeveloped primary schools in China, where employees and their families provided school children in remote areas with pairs of personalized shoes, school bags, sports equipment, and other school supplies to support their learning and growth.

– Four SABIC volunteers providing 200 backpacks and other needed school supplies to students in two Argentinian elementary schools, Tortuguitas.

– SABIC sponsoring the Technical Camp for Orphans in Saudi Arabia for over 120 students.

– The inauguration of the SABIC Life Gallery project at King Salman Science Oasis in Riyadh to provide an exceptional educational experience to visitors.

– Signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Regional Center of Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE), under the auspices of the UNESCO, to collaborate on developing human capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

– The signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with the High Commission for Industrial Security (HCIS) to provide a framework for the exchange of experiences and developing a mechanism for collaboration in areas pertaining to industrial security.

CREATING VALUE THROUGH LOCAL CONTENT

We are committed to supporting Saudi Vision 2030 through NUSANED™ with the ultimate aim of strengthening the local manufacturing base and encouraging local businesses to grow and thrive while gradually reducing dependency on imports. Since its inception in 2018, the NUSANED™ program has created several job opportunities across national industrial sectors such as metals, renewables, medical supplies, and more.

MADE IN SAUDI EXHIBITION

SABIC was the exclusive sponsor for the Made in Saudi Exhibition that showcased Saudi-made products by various individuals and organizations, pushing to increase the competitiveness of local industries.

FUTURE MINERALS SUMMIT

The Future Minerals Summit, an international initiative convened by Saudi Arabia to highlight advanced mining opportunities to unlock opportunities across the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa, was sponsored by SABIC to symbolize the unrivaled future opportunities and investments in the global mining community.

EASTERN REGION HACKATHON

Organized by the Eastern Region Municipality, SABIC was a Platinum Sponsor in the Eastern Region Hackathon held this year under the slogan "Cooperation and competition for innovation in the municipal sector.” The eight-week competition brought together innovators and businessmen from diverse sectors to deliver creative solutions to advance municipal services and raise urban life quality, and sought to bolster community cooperation and participation.

LOOKING FORWARD

SABIC has numerous projects in the pipeline for the years ahead that aim to tackle health, environment, and drug addiction. The SABIC Mental Health Hospital will open in 2023 to address the critical issues of behavioral health and addictions facing the Saudi community. In collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Health, our goal is to provide community awareness sessions and programs; medical and non-medical forms of biological, social and psychological therapy; opportunities for education and research; and develop a world-class model of care that offers every patient personalized treatment.

Another initiative set to launch in 2023 is the MADAC Academy, a project that aims to build a world-class educational complex, balancing the best educational theories and practices with a supportive environment for education and cultural values. SABIC has invested SAR 20 million into the Saudi Arabia center to provide an all-round education for children and young people to encourage studying across a breadth of subjects and skills.

SABIC also signed three research, technology and training agreements with the Minister of Interior's Research Chair’s Project for Crime Prevention, providing financial support of SAR 15 million over five years to develop crime prevention methods in three universities in Saudi Arabia for many vital security areas, including drug control and industrial security promotion. The initiative reflects SABIC’s commitment to enabling Saudi Vision 2030, providing its acumen to fulfill its national and social obligations.