Valmet Expands its Global Social Responsibility Program With New Local Projects

Valmet’s social responsibility program is part of the company’s sustainability agenda implementation. The program is based on three themes promoting science, nature and equal opportunities: ‘​Towards the future with science’, ‘Protecting the planet for next generations’​ and ‘Equal opportunities for wellbeing’​.

Based on these themes, several local projects in Valmet’s operating areas around the world have been selected to the program. Valmet’s local personnel has participated in the planning and preparation of the projects, and the final selection has been made by employee voting.

• In Asia-Pacific, Valmet collaborates with The Mirror Foundation to support three rural schools with more than 900 pupils. The program focuses on improving the school conditions such as toilet facilities and availability of clean drinking water and renovating a library to enhance learning.
• In the EMEA area, Valmet supports an orphanage in Jelenia Góra, Poland. The program aims at enhancing the orphanage children´s wellbeing and possibilities for education.
• In South America, Valmet’s support is channeled to two organizations in Brazil and Chile which promote social inclusion of disadvantaged people and the homeless in South America.
• In China, Valmet continues its over 12 years’ tradition to grant scholarships to undergraduate students in three industry universities and sets up new scholarships to postgraduate students in five industry universities in collaboration with a local foundation. Through the scholarships, Valmet wants to support industrial talent development and promote innovation in the pulp and paper industry.
• In North America, Valmet supports a foundation that helps children with critical illnesses have their life-changing wish granted.

“Valmet operates in over 40 countries and has 17,500 employees which is why our operations have an impact on numerous communities around the world. The social responsibility program focuses on projects that make a positive local contribution to the areas where Valmet operates. For this reason, our people have been actively engaged in finding and selecting the projects locally. I want to warmly thank all Valmet people who have given their input in the selection process and in establishing the needed partnerships locally,” says Anu Salonsaari-Posti, SVP, Marketing, Communications, Sustainability and Corporate Relations, Valmet.

Valmet has a long background with supporting local projects around the world. In 2020-2021 Valmet’s social responsibility program focused on supporting Save the Children organization´s work in Dungarpur, India. Additionally, Valmet has supported ​SOS Children´s Village in Chennai since 2008 and has since 2016 made an annual seasonal donation to a selected non-profit organization such as the Ocean Cleanup, Plan International, Save the Children, WWF, UN Women and Doctors Without Borders.