Caring for communities

Caring for eachother

Our culture of care informs everything we do at Knauf Insulation inspiring community leadership inside and outside of the company.

Peter Vilina from our Nová Bana plant volunteered to support COVID-19 patients in his local hospital in Slovakia.

After answering a call for volunteers at the hospital he was assigned the COVID-19 department on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Wearing heavy duty protective clothing, Peter supported the admission of COVID-19 positive patients and was involved in transferring samples to laboratories, taking patients for X-rays and scans. He also helped to assist patients in wheelchairs refill oxygen bottles and clean rooms to support nurses. “I really wanted to help,” says Peter.

Peter’s experience epitomises a year of community leadership both inside and outside of Knauf Insulation that underlines our For A Better World ambition to create a global community of volunteers.

Peter Vilina

Refugee support

Knauf Insulation has partnered with Live In Colour, a non-profit organisation that works with more than 750 young refugees in Belgium. Our aim is to find ways to support the refugee community through integration initiatives such as sponsorship, ‘activity days’ and possible job opportunities.

 

Work out

Work out after work

Our colleagues have set up a new gym at our St Helens plant in the UK featuring an extensive range of cardio equipment and weights. It is maintained and run by colleagues at the plant providing real ownership of the initiative. Previously a gym had been housed in an old meeting room at the site, but as it grew in popularity, a bigger fitness centre was required. As a result, an unused building by the site’s car park was converted into the new gym. Membership to the gym costs a token monthly amount while the physical and mental benefits are, of course, priceless.

Online boost for fitness

At our Russia & CIS sites we took an innovative approach to well-being by developing a series of online ‘Body Boost’ videos with a blogger who specialises in fitness. A total of 25 films were created to offer colleagues daily online routines to boost their health.

 

New trees planted at Surdulica

More than 300 trees and 500 metres of hedging were planted at our Serbian site at Surdulica in 2021 to demonstrate our commitment to our sustainability strategy For A Better World and our campaign ‘A tree for Surdulica’. An agreement was made with Surdulica municipality to invest in the remodelling.

New trees planted at Surdulica
Canteen at Škofja Loka plant

Better acoustics

The canteen at our Škofja Loka plant in Slovenia has been given a facelift to make it an ideal place to enjoy a peaceful lunch. The dining area had been too echoic, and it was decided to install TOPIQ® Sonic elements from Knauf Ceiling Solutions which look great and offer outstanding acoustic performance.

We have also carried out planting and remodelling work between our Škofja Loka site and the neighbouring village to create more green spaces for our neighbours and colleagues to enjoy including a green park and playground for local children.

Support for flood victims in Belgium

Towns and villages across Belgium were devastated by extreme rainfall and flooding during the summer of 2021.

In the Liège region, the River Vesdre broke its banks to sweep away cars, flood streets and completely destroyed entire districts including Verviers, Pepinster, Spa and Trooz, while the River Meuse overflowed to cause chaos in villages in the commune of Visé.

Our Visé plant was unaffected by the floods, but several team members were forced to evacuate their homes as water flooded their buildings. Many saw their cars swept away and some lost all their possessions.

At our Visé site a donation centre was set up and volunteers mobilised to help, while our CEO at the time, Jean-Claude Carlin, personally contacted workers who were most impacted by the floods.

Company vehicles were loaned to those who had lost their cars, accommodation was rented for those who could not return home and clothing collections were established.

In addition, our Visé site organised meals to be distributed to flood victims in Verviers as well as a collection of toys for children in the city. Following the disaster, our Visé engineering department donated computer screens to a school in Verviers.

A collection of supplies and clothing was also sent to our affected workers and donations made to local support organisations and the Red Cross.

One Visé colleague, Vincent Caltot, even took in a couple who could not return home and our Visé canteen provided them with hot meals for two weeks as well as chocolates to cheer them up and fleece jackets to keep them warm.

Earthquake aid mobilized

Our Croatian team responded quickly to help victims of 2020’s earthquake in the Banija area of Croatia last year. The earthquake was the strongest to ever hit the area. Seven people were killed and 30,000 buildings destroyed. “At the initiative of our Knauf Insulation Ambassadors, our team collected and delivered financial support as well as other supplies,” says Krešimir Benjak, Knauf Insulation’s Marketing and Communications Manager in Croatia.

Earthquake aid