At the end of last year, in the project competition implemented by SCHWENK Latvija, we supported the initiative of the Saldus county society “AKVA VITAMĪNS” to purchase safety buoys and SUP boards in order to ensure safe swimming competitions with safety buoys and SUP boards.

The project was implemented with the financial support of SCHWENK Latvija.

Photo by society “AKVA VITAMĪNS”

Annual emergency response team training, as well as fire safety training for the employees of SCHWENK Latvija working at the Brocēni Office have been successfully conducted at the Brocēni cement plant.

At the end of July, the SCHWENK Summer Festival took place in an atmosphere of sporting excitement and positive emotions. It was attended by almost 350 participants – company employees and their families.

The participants of the festival took part in various activities: team sports competitions, individual sports disciplines, BINGO game in which the task was to answer catchy questions about the company, there were opportunities to learn interesting skills and knowledge in master classes of macrame and cement souvenir making, and scientific experiments. Taking care of health and safety, everyone had the opportunity to be practically involved in the activities of the FN Serviss safety station and receive a consultation at the VIVENDI quick health check. The delicious SCHWENK 175th anniversary pretzel cakes made everyone happy.

On July 19, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Latvia, Seong-Jin Han, visited the Brocēni cement plant.

We explained the Ambassador the production process of cement and our other products and talked about the importance of alternative materials in reducing CO₂ to get closer to achieving the goals of the EU Green Deal.

The project EZIS – Exact sciences is the power of engineers!, financially supported by SCHWENK Latvija, has come to an end, the main goal of which was to create interest in the exact sciences among young people.

The project was launched in 2019, implementing various events, including the school of young scientists, workshops and classes for teachers of exact subjects. At the end of the project, a week-long camp was held, among which the project participants visited the Brocēni cement plant.

In Cēsis the stage APGAISMO (LIGHT UP) hosted a discussion “Guarding the subterranean depths – #NenorocNākotni!” initiated by SCHWENK Latvija. The main objective of the discussion was to raise the issue of mineral resources’ extraction and problems with the reuse and illegal disposal of construction debris, to achieve practical action in the arrangement of supervision and control and in the improvement of the regulatory framework of the industry.

The discussion was moderated by Dace Helmane, Head of the Institute of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, and discussions were provided by Evita Goša, Member of Management Board, Environmental and Legal Director of SCHWENK Latvija, Artūrs Jansons, Member of the CSR Latvia, Elita Baklāne-Ansberga, Director General of the State Environmental Service, and Dace Cīrule, Head of the Green Economy Development Working Group of the Council of Foreign Investors in Latvia (FICIL).

At the end of the discussion, E. Goša pointed out that “cheap in the short term will be expensive in the long term”, because the depths of our earth are not inexhaustible, thus the issue of reusing recycled construction debris in construction is essential. The disposal of unsorted construction debris in excavated quarries is not allowed, as they cause pollution, which results in irreversible consequences for the environment and people. Extraction of minerals without permits, non-payment of taxes, illegal disposal of unsorted construction debris contributes further flourishing of a series of other problems, including corruption and shadow economy.

The main conclusions: the legislators should immediately develop the national subterranean depths management policy, set strict requirements for municipalities, promote civil responsibility, regularly inform and educate the society to raise awareness about the recognition and reporting of violations, strengthen the capacity of responsible competent institutions, especially the resources and performance of the State Environmental Service.

On July 1, Minister of Welfare Gatis Eglītis visited the Brocēni cement plant.

We introduced the minister to the cement production process at the plant, our strategic goals and challenges in the field of employment, environmental protection and energy.

At the end of June, the Kuldīga Office of the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Support Service, organized an opportunity for farmers to visit the Brocēni cement plant, the clay quarry “Caunes” and SCHWENK Agro production and sales site in the limestone quarry “Kūmas”.

The participants gained an insight into the process of cement production and got acquainted with the work organization of clay and limestone quarries and the specifics of SCHWENK Agro production, as well as quarry re-cultivation methods.

Addressing representatives of Latvian employers at the Mission Zero event Linda Šedlere, Member of the Management Board of SCHWENK Latvija, the Director of HCM, Communication and H&S, emphasized that  the ambitious goal of Mission Zero is in the course of time to gather employers in Latvia that employ at least 50% of the working population, or 400,000 employees. L.Šedlere expressed that this would be a fantastic result in order to positively influence the overall change of society’s opinion, and it is also critically important, because we underestimate what we as an employer can provide to our employees in the field of culture change, awareness of values and work performance.

The existing 17 members and informative supporters of the initiative were joined by 14 employers who signed the Mission Zero Charter.

On 28 June the first Mission Zero Forum “A Healthy and Safe Work Culture towards Mission Zero – Utopia or Reality?” took place on the topic of building a safety culture, which has been identified as a major challenge by the employers involved in the initiative.

Linda Šedlere during the Summer Forum of the Mission Zero emphasized: “A public commitment to say “yes” to an increasingly safe work environment and a “no” to assumption that accidents are a matter of course is the next step in building a culture of safety and the opportunity to build a more cohesive society. Sometimes we underestimate the ability of employers to have a positive impact on both employees and partners, we are therefore proud of every company that is ready to acknowledge its challenges and commit itself to tackling them together with others to approach zero accidents at work and to ensure working conditions that are both mentally and physically healthy.”

You can read more about the initiative Mission Zero on the web site www.misijanulle.lv (www.missionzero.lv), as well as follow it on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

We wish everyone to celebrate safely and responsibly! Happy Midsummer Day!