[Sponsored Report] GS Caltex aiming to fulfil its social responsibility

GS Caltex has formed a volunteering group with its executives and teenagers. The group have participated in activities with children in Cambodia.

GS Caltex is actively pursuing social contribution activities to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities under the slogan “Beautiful World through Energy Sharing.” Since 2005, the company has created a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team to promote more social contribution activities and in August 2006 founded the GS Caltex Foundation.

From 2006 to 2015 GS Caltex will contribute 10 billion won to the GS Caltex Foundation so it can carry out a 100 billion won public project.

The social contribution work of GS Caltex is divided into two sections which include promoting a green environment under the banner of ‘Green Sharing’ and ‘Community Involvement’ that involves social participation and development programs.

There are three programs under the ‘Green Sharing’ theme: ‘Green Edutainment,’ an environment education program for children combined with fun activities; ‘Green Donation,’ which helps children suffering from environmental diseases and environmental refugees; and ‘Green Recycling,’ which promotes recycling resources and environmental preservation. For the ‘Community Involvement’ section there are also three programs: ‘Community Philanthropy,’ which supports neighbors in need; ‘Community Education,’ which provides local scholarships and education programs; and ‘Community Mecenat,’ which promotes local arts and culture.

From Aug. 10 to 16, GS Caltex executives and a group of teenagers formed a Global Energy Plus volunteer group and visited Cambodia to help out people in need. It was the first overseas voluntary activity that GS Caltex employees had a chance to participate in. They had the chance to check on the progress of projects that are nearing completion.

The company also delivered 708 water purifiers that were purchased through company fund-raising. GS Caltex is also operating the ‘Hope Energy Class’ season 2. The company, together with the Christian Youth Association (CYA) in Jeonnam Province organized 10 volunteer groups with 400 Yeosu factory employees and matched them with 400 children from 10 local children’s centers for the class. The class is a combined volunteer program using the idea of strengthening the dreams and vision of children to resolve inequalities in local education. It is a program that hopes to provide more systematic activities and support when it comes to food distribution and cleaning up the social welfare institute.

Each of the volunteer groups took turns for two months helping out from the end of April, replacing old out-of-date facilities in the local children’s center, decorating the children’s library, making a gym and forming a garden. The 2011 ‘Hope Energy Class’ programs are not just one time financial or material support packages, they were designed and planned after discussions with company executives and social welfare experts to determine what the children will need to help them develop their dreams and vision.

Moreover together with the Ministry of Environment and the Korea National Park, GS Caltex signed a social contribution business agreement on December 21, 2010 to offer national park ecology experience programs for neglected children.

GS Caltex will support the project for two years and will contribute 400 million won. The Korea National Park will be operating these experience programs for low-income and multiethnic families and their children with the fund from GS Caltex.

One of the representative social contribution projects that GS Caltex is currently managing is the ‘Make a wish come true relay,’ that was created to help neglected people.

This volunteer activity, started in 2005 to give hope to neglected members of the community, is different from the company’s other social contribution projects. The company matches donations by employees and then families actually participate in making the wishes of these underprivileged people come true. In the six years of the project there have been 98 different programs involving 2,600 employees and their families.

For three weeks from Dec. 8 to 29 last year, GS Caltex conducted a volunteer activity with 400 of its employees and families, visiting neglected citizens in seven major cities including Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Daegu and Yeosu, making their wishes come true.

Along with this an English language class is conducted in Yeosu every year. The class has been conducted for four consecutive years since 2007 to help students in more remote regions of Yeosu to improve their English communication skills.

GS Caltex also have programs to send outstanding students overseas as well as holding summer English camps. Besides these programs, GS Caltex also has a native English class program for students on remote islands to help them as they live in areas that have inferior educational facilities compared to cities.

Through various social voluntary activities for neglected and disadvantaged people, the company is fulfilling its role as member of the regional community.

Since 1994 GS Caltex has been hosting the ‘Green Art Contest’ together with the Ministry of Environment to provide an opportunity for children to learn about the importance and the meaning of environment preservation. The contest is held every May. In May 2010, which was the 17th contest, around 20,000 people including 6,000 elementary students and their parents participated. So far about 87,000 children have participated at this art contest.