Litvínov, July 30, 2019 – Refinery and petrochemical group Unipetrol has this year made financial contributions to 16 towns and municipalities located in the vicinity of its production plants in Záluží u Litvínova and Kralupy nad Vltavou. Unipetrol has given CZK 2.45 million not only to support the development of social, cultural and sports life, but also to the modernisation and development of local communities. For instance, the contributions will be allocated to road and cycle path repairs, public lighting modernisation, nursing home furnishings or to build a school annex.
“It is highly important for us to be a socially responsible firm. We give not only work to the people living around us, but we also make regular contributions to the projects improving living standards in our vicinity. This year, too, we will support activities which could be difficult for the local municipalities to be funded from their budgets,” says Katarzyna Woś, Vice Chair of the Unipetrol Group’s Board of Directors who is in charge of CSR activities and the Unipetrol Foundation.
The towns and municipalities will use the contributions from Unipetrol mostly for social and cultural activities, sports activities for children or for their modernisation and development. The town of Veltrusy will purchase furniture for the local primary school and kindergarten, ensure preventive medical care and project documentation for a school annex. The town of Litvínov will use the funds to organise a special Christmas event, Krušnohorské Vánoce. The town of Most will buy special staircase seats for the local nursing home and expand and repair cycle paths. The municipality of Brandov will modernise public lighting and Hora Svaté Kateřiny will repair the unsatisfactory road condition in Dolní Street.
The cooperation between the Unipetrol Group and the neighbouring municipalities goes also far beyond the financial donations. For instance, the Unipetrol Foundation has been supporting talented students, schools and researchers already for three years. “In October, we will organise a ‘Wonderful Day with Chemistry’ together with the Unipetrol Foundation in Kralupy. Due to huge interest, two October afternoons will be devoted to this three-hour programme for children aged between 13 and 15 years. We want to show them that chemistry can also be a lot of fun. Students actively join the programme and we will also announce a knowledge-based competition at the end of it,” adds Katarzyna Woś.
“At present, the inhabitants of Most and Litvínov can also propose community non-profit projects. In cooperation with the cities of Most and Litvínov, the most suitable ones will be selected. Of these, people will vote for those that will eventually be implemented. We called the campaign Unipetrol for people and inhabitants can throw their ideas into boxes placed in public places and in a special tram,” Katarzyna Woś explains.
Not only the Unipetrol Group, but also 4,800 of its employees are actively involved in welfare projects. An annual fundraising project named Fulfilled Wishes has been held since 2011 to support non-profit organisations in the vicinity of the production plants. A total of CZK 464,000 has been raised this year.
Unipetrol is also committed to the implementation of environmental projects. Together with the ALKA Wildlife association, it takes care of peregrine falcons nesting on its production sites in Litvínov, Kralupy and Neratovice. There are even two couples nesting on the chimneys in Záluží now. A total of 23 chicks have been born in Litvínov since 2011. Unipetrol also cooperates with local fishermen and finances regular fish releases into the rivers Bílina and Elbe. More than 7,000 kg of original fish species worth a total of CZK 650,000 have been released into the River Bílina since 2010.
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