- Food for Taught is Borouge’s latest corporate social responsibility initiative curated to drive awareness of sustainability and food security
- Educating future generations with pilot agriculture programme introduced in Singapore school
- This programme complements the series of community-centric initiatives under Borouge’s sustainability activities
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - 20 June 2023: Borouge Plc (ADX symbol: BOROUGE / ISIN: AEE01072B225), a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions, announces the launch of Food for Taught, its latest initiative to promote sustainable farming and awareness on food security.
Food for Taught is the company’s latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme that aims to engage communities, educate the younger generation and highlight the importance of sustainability through good agriculture practices.
Borouge introduced the Food for Taught programme at Canossian School, a special education school in Singapore for hearing-impaired students aged 7 – 14 years old. The inauguration was marked with an opening ceremony to unveil two greenhouses, which are coverings specially built to shelter plants, for the school.
Maitha Al Marashi, Acting Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Borouge said, “Food for Taught is an exciting programme that allows Borouge to give back to the community with our agriculture solutions. Food security is one of the global challenges that Borouge aims to address, and we are proud to be able to launch this initiative. Educating the next generation is key, and we hope to inspire responsible behaviours and influence the young on the importance of sustainability and safeguarding the environment.”
The innovation behind the greenhouses leverages Borouge’s Borstar® FB1200 solution to produce diffused light agriculture film that improves the crop quality and yield, and shortens crop cycles, making it a favourable option for sustainable farming.
Value chain partners who supported the project included film manufacturer Vis and Son Company (Thailand), local farming social enterprise Edible Garden City, and Yili Farm in Singapore. The construction of the greenhouses commenced three months prior on the school’s premises, with employees from Borouge volunteering their time to build the greenhouses and prepare the soil before planting the vegetable seedlings. The school successfully harvested the first batch of vegetables five weeks after the first planting.
Ms Christina Michael, Principal, Canossian School said, “From this initiative, we hope the children will internalise the knowledge and be able to make the connection with what they have learned from everyday lives so that they will understand more about food production, and polymers – how they are derived and how much value it adds to their daily lives.”
“What we would like the children to do is to share the knowledge with their family and friends so they can spread the importance of looking after our environment,” she added.
In conjunction with the Food for Taught initiative, Borouge also conducted its Polymers on the Move programme, a bespoke curriculum for school-going children focusing on the benefits of polymers and the importance of recycling and a circular economy. As part of the yearlong partnership with the school, Borouge will also curate an agriculture course that includes circular farming practices for the students.
Over the past 25 years since its inception, Borouge has forged a proud history of supporting our local communities and fostering partnerships and social initiatives, with focus on CSR engagement in areas of the Environment, Science Education, sanitation, and volunteerism programmes. With this latest programme, Borouge continues to invest in local communities by engaging future generations to understand the principles of sustainability, and the benefits and value of polymers.
With growing concerns on global food insecurity, Borouge remains committed to engaging local communities with its solutions to contribute towards food sustainability. Aside from its CSR programmes, the company is actively working with local farmers and value chain partners in various regions to enhance agriculture practices with innovative and circular solutions to enable sustainable farming and improve livelihoods.
With the successful implementation of the inaugural Food for Taught initiative, Borouge will explore further opportunities to expand this programme in the future.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Rehab Omar Ateeq
Vice President, Global Communications
media@borouge.com
About Borouge Plc
Borouge Plc, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX symbol “BOROUGE” / ISIN “AEE01072B225”), is a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions for the energy, infrastructure, mobility, advanced packaging, healthcare and agriculture industries. ADNOC owns a majority 54% stake, and Borealis holds a 36% stake in Borouge. To find out more, visit www.borouge.com.
