Social involvement pillars

Local communities of the areas neighbouring with our plants are at the centre of our social responsibility activities. We actively support those around us by ensuring high quality of production processes, caring for the environment and providing jobs. In the reporting period, our companies were not engaged in any activities that could have a negative impact on local communities, which is validated by our record free of any complaints. FFIL ŚNIEŻKA SA conducted a stakeholder mapping exercise. The plans of engaging the stakeholders into joint actions have been included in the Employer Branding strategy developed in 2017. The strategy involves actions addressed not only to employees, but also to local communities. The implementation of those plans will take place in 2018-2019. For over ten years now we have actively created signature social initiatives, in the form of programs and projects, both on a local and nationwide scale. The directions of actions defined in the social responsibility policy set the framework for the design and implementation of those activities.

We define the main pillars of the Śnieżka Group social commitment as follows:

Key social activities performed by the Śnieżka Group companies in the reported period:

Original programs

„Children’s world in colours”

Thanks to the "Children's world in colours" program carried out by the Company since 2005, paediatric wards throughout the country are transformed into colourful and friendly premises. Till the end od 2018 we renovated artistically 29 paediatric wards located in hospital throughout the country. Decorating the walls with fabulous motifs is always preceded by proper preparation and painting of all surfaces. In the reported period, the following facilities underwent a comprehensive renovation:

• Independent Public Health Care Centre in Maków Mazowiecki
  The Children's ward at the hospital in Maków is the 28th point on the map of the Śnieżka’s original program. Its rooms and corridors were decorated with colourful drawings, including motifs of a colourful meadow with an emphasis of red poppies, referring to the name of the city. On 16 October 2018, an official opening of the ward was held, which was accompanied by representatives of the hospital, Śnieżka, local government authorities and regional and local media. The renovation works lasted two months, and the interior restoration covered an area of about 890 m².
• Blessed Virgin Mary Provincial Specialist Hospital in Częstochowa
  Impressive castles and fortresses located in the midst of picturesque hills covered with forests and characteristic limestone outliers are the landscape of the Krakow-Częstochowa Upland, where the famous Trail of the Eagles's Nests was made. It was the motifs that decorated the walls of the renovated paediatric ward with Children's Hematology and Nephrology Sub-ward of the hospital in Częstochowa. The drawings were designed and made by the artist Joanna Jeleniewska who has been collaborating with Śnieżka for years. The renovation works, lasting a month, began in November 2018 and covered an area of 1440 m².

„The colourful world of childhood”

„The colourful world of childhood” is the equivalent of the "Children's world in colours" program, implemented by the subsidiary Śnieżka-Ukraina since 2012. Similarly to the Polish edition of the program, the actions in Ukraine are also intended to restore and decorate hospital interiors. In 2018 the Ukrainian program covered one facility:

• Lviv Regional Infectious Diseases Hospital
  On 30 October 2018 a ceremonial opening of the restored children’s ward in Lviv was held. This time Śnieżka-Ukraine engaged a couple of Ukrainian artists, Oresta and Natalia Mańko, who with the help of a brush conjured up charming fairy-tale characters on the walls. During the presentation of the ward there were lots of attractions, children's smiles and good fun.

„Koloratorium”

„Koloratorium” is a new social program of FFiL Śnieżka SA, whose original edition was held from May 18 to June 22, 2018 in the Podkarpackie Province. The program is a combination of Śnieżka's many years of experience in creating social campaigns with knowledge in the field of chemistry, which is the basis for the production of our company's products. The idea of the program is to provide young people with the best conditions to acquire knowledge in the field of biology and chemistry. Its assumptions are based on the belief that in every child lies a potential of a small discoverer, and doing experiments is a great fun, which with a pinch of some creativity can have a practical dimension. The program is addressed to primary schools from towns up to 20,000 residents. Thanks to the competition formula, students and teachers are fighting for professional equipment of biological and chemical laboratories and products for their restoration. The rivalry takes place through a web platform designed for the needs of the program, which is also a spot for exchanging knowledge, and the educational materials posted on it is an inspiration for both teachers and students.

During the original edition, three educational institutions from Podkarpacie province , which engaged the largest number of students and performed the most interesting competition entries, won the prizes.

• The winner of the program in 2018 was Primary School in Kosienice. Competition entry called: "Śnieżka - colourful classroom" won the main prize, i.e. professional equipment of the biological and chemical classroom, whose value amounted to PLN 30 thousand, and Śnieżka's products for its restoration.
• The next place was taken by Primary School in Manasterz. The prize for the second place on the podium was equipment for the classroom in the total value of PLN 15 thousand and whose value amounted to PLN 15 thousand, and Śnieżka's products for its restoration. The students called its entry: “....From a kid Sue to engineer Susan”.
• Primary School no.1 in Rudnika was placed 3rd for the film titled: “Our colourful classroom”. The prize for the “ bronze” medal was equipment for the classroom in the total value of PLN 10 thousand and Śnieżka's products for its restoration.

Participants could also win other prizes in individual competitions for students, such as: tablets or Company’s gadgets.

The nationwide edition of the "Koloratorium" was initiated in November 2018. The results will be announced in May 2019. 105 schools from small towns and villages are competing for professional equipment for mini laboratories and over 4000 pupils for individual prizes all over the country. The total value of all prizes in the program accounts for PLN 250 thousand gross.

Initiatives co-organized and supported by FFIL ŚNIEŻKA SA

„Śnieżka Cup”

The Śnieżka Cup is a tournament for young children interested in football organized by FFIL ŚNIEŻKA SA jointly with the Igloopol football club from Dębica The summer edition of the competition took place on June 16-17, 2018, at the LKS Igloopol stadium in Dębica. Over 1000 players born between 2007 and 2012 from the following provinces: Małopolska, Podkarpacie, Lublin, Świętokrzyskie and Silesia participated in the football competitions. In turn, in winter competitions (held in December 2018) teams from the following towns and cities took part: Krosno, Radomyśl, Tarnów, Mielec, Jasło, Pustków, Dębica, Ropczyce, Pilzno or Przecław. This time, the tournament held at 3 December weekends gathered over 500 contestants. Not only do the “Śnieżka Cup" tournaments promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle among the youngest, but also teach them rules of fair play and are a great opportunity to test children's skills.

“Safe road to school”

On September 7, 2018, the seventh edition of the "Safe Road to School" campaign took place, whose aim is to promote the principles of safe road behaviour among the first years from Dębica. A special educational program was developed for the first years, showing in an understandable way, how to consciously and responsibly avoid hazards on the road. Śnieżka also arranged attractions for the youngest - creative boards, covered with Magnat magnetic blackboard paint, which could become a space for children's creativity. On 26 boards, road signs appeared painted with chalk and laid out by children from magnetic jigsaw puzzles. Additionally, our company sponsored backpacks with reflective elements for 542 school beginners.

„Summer Cinema”

For the third year in a row, the Municipal Cultural Centre in Dębica, with the support of our company, organized free summer screenings “under a cloud”. Friday's showings gathered hundreds of moviegoers, who could not only watch interesting films, but also take part in contests with prizes organized by Śnieżka. The participants, in response to "colourful" questions, fought for holiday renovation products. Warm evenings, comfortable deckchairs and interesting movies in a unique atmosphere - this is how the film screenings organized in July and August at the band shell in ul. Brzegowa in Dębica with the support of FFiL Śnieżka SA looked like.

“Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity” (WOŚP)

Śnieżka has supported the WOŚP for many years. On 14 January 2018 under the slogan: On 14 January 2018 under the slogan: “Equal opportunities in the treatment of new-borns”, the 26th final of WOŚP was held. Our company donated the charity in total PLN 60 thousand.

Practical and Training Centre Śnieżka-Ukraina

Śnieżka-Ukraine for four years, in cooperation with vocational education centres, opens practical and training centres in the field of construction (CSP). CSP, through their educational programs, teach practical application of modern materials produced by the Śnieżka Group. Cooperation is continued within the framework of public-private partnership and enables entrepreneurs to share their experience with students. This in turn ensures a high level of training of qualified employees on the Ukrainian market. They can acquire knowledge and skills in the areas like: painter, carpenter, fitter of thermal insulation systems. In 2018, a professional CSP was opened at Higher Vocational School No. 2 in Kherson.

“Your Opportunity” Śnieżka Foundation

The objectives in the area of social involvement are also performed by the “Your Opportunity” Śnieżka Foundation, which is a public benefit organization. The pillars supporting the Foundation appointed by the Parent Company in 2005 are the areas of education, healthcare and social aid. The Foundation supports the achievement of Śnieżka’s social involvement objectives, being simultaneously an independent entity acting pursuant to its own articles of association.

In the reporting period, due to the support from the Founder, which amounted to PLN 543 thousand as well as due to payments coming from natural persons and cash from 1% of tax, the Foundation was able to actively pursue its goals in the following areas:

The Foundation supports comprehensive development of children and youth through performing its own educational initiatives and through supporting projects performed by units conducting teaching, cultural, educational and sports activity. Among the institutions which received donations in 2018, there were, among others, schools, kindergartens, sports clubs and cultural units.

For 14 years of the Foundation’s operation, it has provided such support to over 300 institutions and organizations.

“Small world of big money” project

This is an original educational program performed by the Foundation in partnership with FFiL Śnieżka SA since 2016. The aim of the program is to familiarize fourth graders with secrets of economics. Lessons are conducted in an interesting way to get the children involved and the thematic areas of the cycle of six meetings was selected so that practical application of the discussed issues is shown. The original program prepared by experts is adjusted to small children and is made up of practical actions, at the same time filling the gap in the area of the foundations of economic education for primary school pupils. The final stage of the project is a trip to Warsaw, which includes a visit to the Money Centre at the National Bank of Poland. In the edition of the program in the 2018-2019 school year, 650 pupils from 22 schools from Dębica and neighbouring areas took part.

Grant program

In 2018, the Foundation continued its grant program for the beneficiaries accepted for the program in the previous years. The fact that no new applications were collected in the reporting period was caused by the planned change to the grant program’s assumptions for the next years and concept work in this area. The announcement of a new grant program for gifted youth is scheduled for 2019.