Neighbors

WACKER sees itself as a corporate citizen, and corporate citizenship is based on good relations with municipalities and neighbors. We assess the effects of our business activities on our surroundings both on an ongoing basis and prior to making investment decisions. The assessment process includes analyzing parameters such as anticipated emissions, the regional infrastructure and the impact on the local job market.

We speak openly about what happens behind our factory gates. Our sites throughout the world are responsive to questions from the public and to the concerns of our neighbors. We have central contact persons on hand and operate local hotlines – usually around the clock – in order to provide prompt, clear information for local residents who turn to us. In our environmental reports and brochures, we publish information about our sites and invite the public to open houses. One of these was held in 2018 as part of a national chemical industry initiative. Over 25,000 interested persons accepted the invitation to the event, visiting our sites in Burghausen, Nünchritz and Stetten, as well as the “Consortium für elektrochemische Industrie” – our central R&D. Additional events include the WACKER KNOWLEDGE FORUM (webpage available in German only), and the Environment Information Days held at the Burghausen site.

In 2018, WACKER also joined “Businesses for a Cosmopolitan Saxony,” an initiative with a total of 70 members advocating a cosmopolitan, tolerant Saxony. The association supports and promotes economic integration of newcomers from around the country and around the world and, in so doing, is contributing to an international, economically strong Saxony.

The Stetten Salt Mine, which supplies our Burghausen site with salt, began offering its neighbors a digital communication option in 2017: nearby residents can now document anything unusual that they notice, such as unpleasant odors, in a 24-hour, online odor logbook for the city of Haigerloch – an important foundation for finding solutions together should the need arise.

At many sites, we offer free services to surrounding communities. The following are a few examples from the period under review:

• Wacker Metroark Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (WMC) is a joint venture between WACKER and Metroark, a silicone manufacturer in Kolkata, India. In 2017, WMC held a health camp in the north Indian city of Ludhiana, at which some 350 people from neighboring communities had their eyes tested and underwent a health check free of charge. Following the examination, 106 participants received free glasses and 19 patients underwent cataract surgery. Blood tests and ECGs were offered alongside the eye tests. Additional health camps were held in East and West India. In 2018, WMC organized five additional health camps in India, providing a total of roughly 2,000 medical exams and treatments.
• WACKER held its 21st annual “Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day” for neighbors of its Adrian site in Michigan (USA) in 2018. The event provides an opportunity for nearby residents to bring in household products that are not allowed in trash receptacles, such as paints, finishes, waste oil, antifreeze, pesticides and herbicides, spray cans and batteries. Held in Adrian continuously since 1997, this campaign has resulted in the collection and proper disposal or recycling of some 264 metric tons of household hazardous waste.
• At its Allentown site in the US, WACKER has been involved with Habitat for Humanity. In addition to collecting monetary donations, WACKER employees have also participated in renovating homes for underprivileged families – 27 percent of WACKER’s Allentown employees took part in the volunteer program in 2018.

In 2018, Paul Lindblad, president of WACKER Greater China, received the “Magnolia Gold Award” from the city of Shanghai. He was one of ten award winners. Shanghai uses this award – named after the city’s flower – to honor foreigners living there who have made significant contributions to economic performance, international relations and the development of the community.

Procuring goods and services from local suppliers is another important way in which WACKER supports neighboring communities. We purchase about 90 percent of our technical goods and services in the country for which they are intended. Our two biggest sites are good examples of this regional supply-chain system:

• Burghausen, Bavaria

  In 2018, the site procured 21 percent (€210 million) of its technical goods and services from local suppliers (2017: 20 percent = €186 million). Another 28 percent came from suppliers in other parts of Bavaria.

• Nünchritz, Saxony

  Located in the state of Saxony in eastern Germany, this plant sourced 12 percent of its supplies and services from the surrounding region in 2018 (16 percent in 2017). An additional 4 percent of its suppliers were from other eastern German states (3 percent in 2017). In total, these services from Saxony were valued at roughly €61 million (€74 million in 2017).