SIBUR’s volunteers planted some 1,800 plus saplings in Krasnoyarsk

12 september 2022

On September 10, Krasnoyarsk hosted a tree-sapling planting campaign as part of the Forest Formula project, a component of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program. The campaign marking the 70th anniversary of the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant was organized in partnership with Krasnoyarsk Forests of the Future. Volunteer Silviculturists, a non-profit eco-movement.

Overall, the eco-initiative brought together more than 80 employees of SIBUR along with members of their families, activists of the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant’s Veterans’ Council, and the plant's partners. Thanks to the volunteers' hard work, the Academician Vaganov Grove in Akademgorodok became home to more than 1,800 young trees of English oak, Manchurian walnut, Manchurian ash, Mongolian oak, Amur linden, Siberian linden, bearded maple, and painted maple. Second- and third-generation locally bred seedlings were selected for planting.

Respect for nature is one of the priorities of SIBUR's Sustainable Development Strategy, with the company planning to plant at least 5 million trees by 2025. 

Many thanks to the company's volunteers for supporting this corporate initiative! We were particularly pleased to see that many of our employees brought their children to the event, illustrating the value of respect for the environment by personal example. On a separate note, I would like to mention the veterans of the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant who also took part in the campaign. I am sure that such projects should be arranged more often, as they are definitely needed, Sergey Novikov, General Director of the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant, commented.

Caring for the environment is one of the key focus areas of our Formula for Good Deeds social investment program. Tree-planting campaigns have already taken place in Tobolsk and Tomsk as part of our Forest Formula project. By helping expand the area covered by greenery we produce a positive effect on the ecosystem as this helps make the air cleaner, maintain the water balance, and preserve biodiversity, while also playing an important role in people's lives. We are glad to note that the project's geography is expanding and that we always get an enthusiastic response from SIBUR’s employees at all SIBUR facilities, Elena Snezhko, Chief Expert and Head of the Formula for Good Deeds Social Investment Program, noted.

Prior to the start of the planting volunteers got to attend a master class where they were taught proper planting techniques and instructed how not to damage the seedlings' root system to ensure that they do take root. The tools that had been purchased for the campaign will be donated to a local young environmentalists' center. 

Thanks to the sheer size of SIBUR's team of volunteers, in just one day we managed to cover a sizeable patch of the old Akademgorodok Forest, making a major headway for the reforestation of this area. For eleven years now, we have been planting trees in this part of the city, using seedlings of the species that are known to take root well here. Late next spring, if necessary, we intend to carry out all the necessary maintenance work on the planted area, Elmo Karkotsky, a partner of the campaign and the leader of the Krasnoyarsk Forests of the Future. Volunteer Silviculturists, a non-profit eco-movement, explained. 

The campaign really resonated not just with me personally, but also with my colleagues, and attracted quite a following. These kinds of campaigns represent a very practical way to foster a responsible attitude to the environment through exposure to nature. For me, it was the first time I had taken part in an environmental campaign, and as a result, I was overcome with the most vivid emotions, and admired the cohesiveness of the work done by our company’s employees. I would like to especially mention the excellent organization of the event as everything was at the top-notch level, Anastasia Lemberg, lead technician at the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant and a campaign participant, commented.

Today's campaign was run on a truly grand scale. It brought together several generations including veterans of the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant, plant employees, and their children. Even the weather in Krasnoyarsk favored us on this day: the whole week before it had been cold and raining in the city, but at the time of the campaign the sun came out and it got warm. Participation in events such as these always gives one a boost of positive emotions. It was clear what the campaign’s goal was. Since the forest in Akademgorodok is old, there is a lot of dead wood, and it is in need of restoration. I'm sure that many participants will be coming back to this place with their families now, Vera Mishina, a participant of the campaign, head of department of materials and equipment procurement and sales at the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant, noted. 

I really enjoyed taking part in this campaign, as I was able to contribute to the preservation of the environment in my home city. Our school makes sure that we take part in such environmental initiatives on a regular basis. In Akademgorodok, we have participated in cleaning and tidying up the territory, landscaping the spring, planting trees on the banks of the Yenisei River. We will be happy to get invited to the subsequent campaigns within the Formula for Good Deeds, Olga Maltseva, a biology teacher at Krasnoyarsk Gymnasium No. 13, shared.