Güntner Colleagues are makeing a difference
But as well as taking positive steps as an organisation, we are also keen to encourage sustainable actions among our colleagues. For this reason, we partnered with Count Us In, which has worked with some of the world’s most respected climate scientists to identify high-impact steps that individuals can take to help reduce carbon emissions and to become more responsible consumers.
At the beginning of 2024, Güntner launched its global Count Us In program, allowing colleagues around the world to make individual sustainability pledges. They could choose from nine categories of ‘steps’: Fly Less, Dial It Down (turn down the heating at home), Speak Up At Work (come together with colleagues to make change on a bigger scale), Cut Food Waste, Repair & Re-Use, Eat More Plants, Wear Clothes To Last, Eat Seasonal, and Walk & Cycle More. Those participating joined together in teams, and a prize was offered to the team completing the largest average number of steps per person: a significant donation to a charity of the team’s choice. Colleagues could also involve their family and friends.
In total, 12 teams numbering 370 colleagues took part in the program, which lasted for three months. All the participants threw themselves wholeheartedly into their steps. In Tata, Hungary, Lidia Blaskovics, Communication Specialist at Güntner, organised a clothing exchange for the Wear Clothes To Last category. Around 40 people participated, with each donating up to four items, and in total four large sacks of clothes found a new home. Marco Baumann, Head of Service and After Sales for Güntner Group Europe, started riding a bike to work. “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that’s pretty close,” he says.
Erika Carvajal, Brands Strategy Manager at Güntner, completed six steps. In the Avoiding Food Waste category, she had an idea for some fruit that was about to expire. “Making sure we only buy and eat what we need is a big challenge, especially having two kids who suddenly decide they don’t like bananas any more or only want dessert,” she says. “So as parents we need to be creative. We had some raspberries and blueberries, and nobody wanted to eat them, so I turned them into lollipops.”
Eduardo Varela, Operations Manager at Güntner in Mexico, had been planning to fly from Monterrey to San Antonio with his family to watch the NBA Spurs vs Warriors game. Instead, they used an alternative and more carbon-efficient means of transport, even though it took considerably longer. “It was worth the effort,” he says. “It was a really good game and the Warriors (our team!) won. We avoided some emissions and had fun. Mission accomplished!”
At the end of the three months, all participants were given a personal certificate to recognise their efforts. The Europe – Planet Protectors team based at Güntner’s factory in Sibiu, Romania, took first prize, with an average of 4.37 confirmed steps per person. They chose to donate the prize to Baby Care Sibiu, a not-for-profit organisation that supports neonatal care for premature and sick babies.
“The involvement of this organisation in equipping the neonatology department of the public hospital in Sibiu with modern equipment made a huge difference for my children, who both had difficulties when they were born,” says Bogdan Citescu, Segment Leader GMM in Sibiu. “I hope that through this donation we can help to create better conditions and new chances to life for other newborns.”
The combined steps of all Güntner participants resulted in a saving of 140 tonnes of CO₂ – the equivalent of 40 car journeys around the world. In addition, more than eight million litres of water and four tonnes of waste were also saved. Although the program has now finished, the journey towards sustainability certainly hasn’t ended, as all those who took part will continue to incorporate sustainable activities into their daily lives.