DISCLOSURE 413-1: OPERATIONS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, IMPACT ASSESSMENTS, AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
Sika is committed to promoting on-the-ground self-help. When supporting social projects, local Sika companies are required to put forward specific aid applications and, together with local partners, to supervise the projects on site until completion.
In 2020, Sika sponsored 183 projects (previous year: 149 projects). This equates to a year-on-year increase of 22.8%. In total, Sika employees spent 1,119 man-days of volunteering work (2019: 401 man-days, +178%). 268’581 individuals were benefitting of the community engagement projects directly (previous year: 35,539).
In 2020, fewer social projects could be carried out in many countries due to Covid-19 restrictions, especially in combination with volunteering schemes. At the same time, Sika companies carried out projects all over the world to support social institutions in coping with the pandemic, through the production and distribution of disinfectants and masks as well as in the construction of infrastructure. The strong increase of the number of direct beneficiaries derives from project which supported neighbourhoods to cope with Covid-19. A high number of individuals benefitted from these activities.
HELPING PEOPLE HELP THEMSELVES
The world population in 2020 was growing at a rate of around 1.05% per year (down from 1.08% in 2019, 1.10% in 2018, and 1.12% in 2017). And the current average population increase is estimated at 81 million people per year (https://www.worldometers.info). Young people are the foundation for the future. In the countries in which Sika is active, its strategic focus is on helping people help themselves. Projects aimed at increasing the scope for autonomy and self-determination in the lives of individuals or communities are a key element in Sika's strategy. For Sika, there are three focus areas of project funding:
EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING: Investment in good education gives young people the most important tool they need to lead an independent life. Sika works to ensure that disadvantaged children and young people get a genuine chance in life.
BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE: The health and dynamism of communities also depends on the infrastructure in place for people and the environment.
WATER AND CLIMATE: Sika employees support projects which link social causes with ecological interest. Sika also seeks to promote on-the-ground self-help.
Community Engagement - Examples
UPSV, Romania
Since 2014, Sika Romania has been supporting the integration center UPSV which provides young adults accommodation for one year and helps them to integrate in society. In 2020, Sika Romania has offered 21 children and young adults necessary support for their medical problems, professional specialization and helped them to follow their dreams. 4 employees of the technical team of Sika Romania provided their expertise in order to find and implement the best solution for renovating the UPSV facilities in Brasov.
LIbrary Project, China
Between 2015 and 2020 the Sika team helped to create reading rooms and corners in 99 schools, donating more than 94,000 books and providing comfortable and safer learning environments for 24,000 children. Alone in 2020, direct beneficiaries of this project amounted to 4,082 children and 233 teachers. 27 Sika employees participated at the volunteering scheme with 568 hours of volunteering days total spent.
Kovive, Switzerland
Sika Switzerland supports the children’s charity Kovive, which helps to find a suitable living environment for children and young people who find themselves in challenging life situations. Thanks to Sika’s contribution, a total of 235 children and their families received assistance in 2020.
REBUILDING TOGETHER, USA
For more than 10 years, Sika USA has acted as the main sponsor of the Community Service Day that takes place each year during the International Roofing Exposition (IRE), a specialized exhibition for building waterproofing. Each year, the IRE has partnered with the non-profit organization Rebuilding Together to identify people in need in the show’s local community and oversee improvement projects. In 2020, Sika supported the IRE Community Service Day in Texas.