The pictures capture key moments at this year‘s GF Sustainability Conference where the 17 winners of the Susty Fund were announced.

A Strong Team

Bringing ideas to life

Last year, GF launched the Susty Fund, an initiative that encourages employees to get involved in sustainability. You can read about it here.

At GF, sustainability is not just a buzzword, but an incentive to “become better every day” while caring about the impact of our business on society and the environment. With the Susty Fund, GF is breaking new ground by giving employees the means and opportunity to drive their own sustainability initiatives. The Susty Fund awards money to promising projects proposed by GF employees. The range of eligible projects is huge. Here we present a selection of the 17 projects that are currently receiving funding and introduce the teams behind them – true GF pioneers who now have the chance to put their ideas into action.

RESEARCH

Alginate packaging

Liane Jehle, sustainable packaging expert at GF Piping Systems in Schaffhausen ( Switzerland), is proposing an innovative and sustainable packaging material made of alginate film. This biodegradable plant-based material already has many applications in the medical and food industries. The goal is to use a polymer derived from algae, a renewable resource, for packaging to protect GF Piping Systems‘ fittings from dust and UV rays. “By actively involving employees and their creative ideas, the Susty Fund shows how much GF is interested in implementing sustainability in a holistic way,“ says Liane.

VOLUNTEERING

Trash pick-up event

As part of the project called “ Beautiful Chinaust: action taker,” employees can volunteer in an annual trash cleanup around the plant in Zhuozhou [China] on World Environment Day. All employees are welcome to take part. “The Susty Fund enables us to cultivate environmental concepts within Chinaust, so employees can be encouraged to take action and protect the planet,” says Shelley Huang, Executive Assistant at GF Piping Systems of the Business Unit Asia.

GF Susty Fund

Have a good idea for greater sustainability? Then be a pioneer and join in!

What it’s all about:

Your initiative contributes to the Sustainability Framework 2025, is innovative and transferable to other divisions? Can you develop an implementation schedule and quantify the costs to be covered? Then scan the QR code and submit your project proposal!

You can submit your project proposal for the Susty Fund directly. Just click here.

DIVERSITY

Metal turns colorful

Hasan Skopljak, a third-year apprentice at GF Casting Solutions in Altenmarkt (Austria) has put forward the idea of a summer festival to highlight the benefits of having diverse teams. The proposed festival would reflect the mix of cultures, languages and nationalities of the people Hasan works with. The village-like summer festival will have market stalls offering a variety of dishes from different countries. At other booths, visitors can learn more about the countries and languages, popular destinations and sports – a benefit people can experience and share. “The Susty Fund is allowing me to implement the ‘ Metal turns colorful’ project and highlight the issues of diversity and inclusion in the metal industry to create a more equitable and diverse future,“ Hasan says.

PROPERTY UPGRADES

Reusing wood pallets

Wood waste accounts for most of the waste landfilled at GF Central Plastics in Shawnee, OK (US). The proposal for a repair service was born in the spirit of the circular economy: A team of two could repair damaged wooden pallets and keep them in service as long as possible. Lewis Chambers, Safety and Environmental Manager at GF Central Plastics, estimates that the site could reduce the amount of waste going to landfills by 70% within two years. At the same time, it can save money on new pallets and reduce CO2e emissions from pallet deliveries. “When you work in sustainability, GF is a company you want to work for. You‘re constantly challenged to improve safety and the environment at the site,” says Lewis, who worked on the idea with John McMunn, his colleague in quality assurance. “For all employees, the Susty Fund is an opportunity to have their voices heard.”

GREEN BUILDING

Landscaping of factory site

GF Hakan Managing Director Betuhan Besler and Head of Quality and Sustainability Baran Bilgili propose the repurposing of previously untended areas around the Çerkezköy plant in Turkey. Their project involves planting trees and expanding green spaces to improve biodiversity and reduce the site‘s Scope 1 CO₂e emissions in line with the Sustainability Framework 2025. “The Susty Fund is a good example of how GF encourages us and gives us the opportunity to make our ideas a reality,” Baran says.