September 2023: Equipped with safety vests, gloves and bin bags, around 500 Leadec colleagues from the USA, Brazil, UK, Austria, Germany, Poland and Hungary to India and China go litter-picking in their local environment. Waste that has been carelessly or deliberately dumped in the environment. In the end, around 350 bags are collected, plus all kinds of large finds, bottles and the like. The occasion is the first “World Cleanup Week” at Leadec, initiated by the communications and marketing departments.
Plant an idea
Looking back to March 2023: “How can we make employees more aware of sustainability – that was the original guiding idea behind the project,” recalls Corina Hummel, who works in Global Communications at Leadec. “And it became clear quite quickly: you have to see and experience for yourself what environmental pollution means.” The idea for “World Cleanup Week” was born. It was to take place in the week before World Cleanup Day, which falls on the third Saturday in September every year. But it was more than just an idea – it was a wake-up call.
Across time zones and country borders
“In the weeks and months that followed, we planned and discussed with an international project team of six how such a project could be implemented at Leadec sites around the world,” says Theresa Küster, who is responsible for marketing in Europe. The challenge also lay in the geographical scope. “We had limited possibilities from Germany to organize on-site activities,” says Theresa Küster, “so we approached our colleagues in the countries directly and made them ambassadors.” For example, colleagues from Marketing, Sales and Human Resources. Corina Hummel: “Without their contribution and support, the campaign would not have been possible on this scale.”
What also happened
The project team supported the local managers, for example, with information on safety rules and equipment, specially created posters and a channel on the employee app. And the closer the deadline came, the more momentum the project developed. After modest team registrations, intensive discussions and a great deal of persuasion at the beginning, the spark was finally ignited. In the third week of September, pictures of the activities were diligently posted on the app channel, quizzes were solved and knowledge articles on the topic of the environment were published.
And what did it bring?
For Theresa Küster, the success can be indirectly measured by the amount of positive feedback they received from the participants and the wish to repeat the event. Although prizes were offered for different categories, for example concerning the amount of trash collected or particularly bizarre finds, they played a secondary role: “The focus was clearly on team spirit and experiencing sustainability together.” And Corina Hummel adds: “It was nice to see that in China, for example, families were involved and thus the original idea was spread further. This initiative has shown that each and every individual can make a difference. If we all work together, we can make the world a cleaner and more sustainable place.”
Facts
- 7 days
- Around 500 participants throughout the Leadec world
- 350 full bin bags and all kinds of additional finds
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