Covestro launches new U.S.-based corporate social responsibility initiative

Covestro LLC, a leading polymer materials supplier, today unveiled i³ (ignite, imagine, innovate), its U.S.-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative that aims to spark curiosity, to envision what could be and to help create it.

Formerly known as Bayer MaterialScience, Covestro has a rich history of corporate citizenship across the United States and in the communities where it operates. The i³ initiative will build on that tradition through its three pillars:  

i³ STEM, which ignites young minds to become the innovators of tomorrow through support of hands-on, inquiry-based STEM education, workforce experience and employee volunteerism; i³ Engage, which re-imagines the way employees from for-profits and nonprofits engage with one another for more effective outcomes; and, i³ Give, designed to innovate corporate philanthropy strategies that combine both human and financial resources to build stronger communities.

"Covestro is an innovation company that is using the three pillars of i³ to fuel our commitment to STEM education, employee volunteerism and philanthropy -- all to create sustainable and lasting impacts," said Jerry MacCleary, president of Covestro LLC.

i³ Engage and i³ Give

To celebrate the launch of I³ in Pittsburgh, Pa., where its North American headquarters are located, Covestro has established the Covestro Employee Engagement Institute (CEEI) through a $300,000 grant to Robert Morris University at its Center for Nonprofit Management. CEEI seeks to build significant bonds between corporations and nonprofit service organizations by providing innovative training and education. It aims to increase capacity for nonprofits by engaging employees from both sectors in new and novel ways, including through Skills-based Volunteerism (SBV) and training for effective board service.

"Retaining our talent is a top priority," said Rebecca Lucore, chief of staff at Covestro LLC. "CEEI will help us do that by providing myriad opportunities where our talent can engage together outside our company walls in the greater community and connect their passions, skills and ideas to the causes they care about most."

CEEI's programs are available not only to Covestro employees, but to employees of other corporations, as well.

i³ STEM

With i³ STEM, Covestro will continue contributing resources and ideas to the national conversation about how best to improve STEM education and diversity.  

Covestro's manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas, recently rededicated its commitment to the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District by unveiling the Covestro i³ STEM Center at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center. There, volunteers will conduct the inquiry-based Microscope Lab program for all 1,700 Goose Creek fifth graders throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

"On behalf of all our Covestro i³ STEM volunteers, we are proud and excited to deepen our long-standing commitment to improving STEM education in the U.S.," said MacCleary. "We understand firsthand how important it is that all students have access to these kinds of hands-on experiences, as well as to real-world working scientists and engineers to illustrate the science in everyday life and the job opportunities that exist in their backyards." 

SOURCE Covestro LLC