Community Service & Engagement
Community Service
Giving back to the communities where we work and live is an integral part of our culture. In addition to the 16 hours of paid volunteering time we provide all associates every year, numerous leaders in our company serve on non-profit boards of trustees, helping other organizations advance sustainability in their operations and missions to serve.
In 2021, as the world faced the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic and some regions experienced severe weather conditions, our associates identified a wide range of engagement opportunities to give back to their local communities. Some of these initiatives leveraged virtual platforms to enable participation during lock-downs.
Hundreds of Avient associates joined in volunteering efforts last year, whether organized by our Community Service Team or site leaders worldwide, in partnership with non-profit partner organizations, or driven by our people taking the initiative to serve their communities. The events included humanitarian aid collection, food and PC drives, holiday activities for children, and support for local shelters and community centers.
Charitable Contributions
United Way remains our most significant philanthropic endeavor, and our associates continue to give generously every year. Since 2007, we have raised more than $17.5 million for United Way chapters throughout North America. In addition, we contributed to many non-profit organizations where we have associates who serve on Boards, or have specific needs in the local communities around the world where we operate.
Political Contributions
Avient does not fund political parties or members of government. In the United States, employees at Avient have made use of their right to establish a Political Action Committee (PAC), which is a voluntary, federally registered employee association that collects donations for political purposes and decides how these are used, in accordance with U.S. law. The Avient PAC Committee, comprised of Avient PAC Members, meets, discusses key topics and decides the annual budget. Avient PAC aligns with candidates who support laws and regulations consistent with sustainable business practices and Avient’s interests, represent a state or district where an Avient facility is located and/or are active members or leadership of key committees/positions. Our discussions with legislators provide awareness on Avient’s role and contributions to the science that enables sustainability and a circular economy, as well as the importance of maintaining a cost and regulatory environment that allows companies to best operate, invest and grow. In 2021, Avient PAC contributed $3,000 to federal candidates in the U.S. and $7,500 to state candidates in Ohio. No political contributions are made outside the U.S. Avient PAC’s Federal Election Commission filings, including listings of contributions, are publicly available at www.fec.gov. State of Ohio filings and contributions are publicly available at www.ohiosos.gov.
Community Engagement
Stepping Up to Meet Local Needs
Our teams in Bangkok and Phan Thong, Thailand, organized an event to support the local Lorenzo Child Center. There was an outpouring of support for this activity among the teams as dozens of associates rushed to participate, performing various tasks to help refurbish the community center, such as planting, cutting grass, and painting the children’s playground.
Making Rania Greener
Avient associates from our site in Rania, India, put their passion for sustainability to work, by restoring natural resources, planting more than 100 trees and herbal shrubs during our Tree Plantation Drive. Participating associates were motivated to lead by example, inspiring their colleagues and neighbors to be environmentally conscious.
Upcycling Plastic for Children with Cancer
Associates in Santo Amaro, Itupeva, and Suzano, Brazil, launched a sustainability challenge for the collection of PET bottles and plastic caps. The recovered bottles were donated to the non-profit organization Fios Encantados to turn the PET material into wigs for children with cancer. Also, the caps benefitted 40 elderly dogs sheltered by Humanimal, a non-profit that sells recycled items to save canines.
Preserving Valued Community Resources
In partnership with United Way, Avient associates organized a cleanup event to remove trash from Turkey Creek in Birmingham, Alabama. During the activity, the team collected over 200 pounds of rubbish from the creek banks and donated new parking signs to improve this valued community resource. In addition, they again supported the Birmingham Zoo cleanup efforts, removing three tons of natural vegetation and structural materials from the Komodo exhibit.
Brightening up the Holidays for Our Neighbors
For the 18th consecutive year, our Community Service Team at the Avient Headquarters collected donations to support our neighbors in need during the holidays. Once again, our associates contributed generously, donating countless items for families, seniors, and children in distress and making financial contributions for the local infant home and homeless shelter. This generosity was replicated in other countries, like Brazil, where Avient “Santas” delivered gifts for children in underserved communities, and the Netherlands, where associates brought holiday meals to a shelter for young mothers.
