Giving back to society

UMICORE SEEKS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE WELL-BEING OF THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH IT OPERATES
AND TO BE A RESPONSIBLE CORPORATION AND GOOD CORPORATE NEIGHBOR

Umicore supports several causes both financially and by making time and talent available. Umicore channels resources to sponsorships and donations with each business unit expected to allocate an annual donations budget based on an internal framework that promotes stable and longer-term commitments, irrespective of the wider economic environment.

Umicore believes that by empowering Umicore sites for local sponsorship and donation initiatives, it will make a positive difference in the communities in which it operates, beyond the direct benefits generated by employment and local taxes. Umicore’s support may include contributions in kind and releasing staff to work on community-related projects.

While sites determine the specific focus of their own initiatives, the general focus is on supporting and promoting a strong social fabric in the community around the site, with priority given to educational initiatives.

At corporate level, the emphasis is on projects with an international scope. Priority is given to initiatives with a clear educational component and that link with sustainable development (social, environmental and/or technological).

Educational initiatives are particularly relevant for Umicore as a technology-oriented business and provide an excellent way of engaging with young people in the community and reinforcing links between Umicore and its neighborhood.

PARTNERING FOR IMPACT

Quality education for all is one of the main objectives of UNICEF, with which Umicore has had a long-term partnership since 2011, committing to 2 specific child-education projects in India and Madagascar. Despite impressive achievements and tireless work, big efforts are still needed to ensure that every child has access to quality education in both countries. UNICEF is doing a remarkable job by acting in the field, hand in hand with local authorities. Our partnership translates into very concrete actions such as the construction of four school classrooms per year in Madagascar, benefiting more than thousand boys and girls, and the development of an action plan to empower young girls in India and to end child marriage.

In addition, Umicore is a founding member of Entrepreneurs pour Entrepreneurs/ Ondernemers voor Ondernemers which pairs corporate donors with development charities that focus on promoting entrepreneurship in the developing world. Over the years, Umicore and Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs have supported work in Bolivia, Cambodia, Congo, Ecuador, Haiti, Mali, Togo and more.

Umicore also aims to contribute to disaster relief wherever it may be needed, contributing in 2020 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the bushfires in Australia and to the Doctors without Borders fund to help people fleeing violence in Ethiopia.

In 2020, Umicore also co-initiated and was the first contributor to the Fund for the Prevention of Child Labour in Mining Communities – A Global Battery Alliance Collaboration. This Fund seeks to address the issue of child labour in DRC’s cobalt mines by strengthening communities and addressing the root causes of the problem. Through a multi-sectoral package of interventions, the Fund -supported projects will contribute towards alleviating poverty, strengthening social services for children, supporting responsible production and consumption and getting children out of mines.

In 2020, Umicore also donated ventilator machines to hospitals and supported hospitals, care homes and home nurses with surgical masks and cleaning supplies in their fight against COVID-19.

These combined efforts around the globe support us in our ambition to be a responsible company and to give back to society.