Cleaning the Sorgue River
June 4, 2022, was not the first time that Rousselot's employees, along with local residents and other companies, joined forces to rid the French river Sorgue of its waste. In 2021, our team already participated in this type of initiative with 200 volunteers, extracting over 2,5 tons of waste from the Sorgue. This year another 1,5 tons of waste were removed. The Sorgue runs through France’s Vaucluse Department. It flows over the Sorgue plain between L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue – where a Rousselot factory is located – and Avignon. It originates from the largest spring in France and the fifth biggest in the world.
I was impressed by the variety of objects taken out of the Sorgue River, from very recent waste, which included the usual aluminum tins and plastic bottles to smartphones, Bluetooth speakers and lighters – and even objects from the past century, such as old bottles, pots, ceramics, scrap iron, and fishing nets. Clearly, dumping waste in nature is nothing new. Let’s hope that the next generations will know how to reverse the trend.
Arnaud François, Electrical coordinator, Rousselot ISS
Helping schools educate children about the environment… with used containers!
Another example of how the Isle sur la Sorgue team is seeking to manage waste wisely is that the plant has decided to donate used chemical containers to the municipality. The containers will be put to good use at local schools to collect water from the roofs, which can then be used to water plants and trees in the playground.
This initiative is especially important for educating children and developing their environmental awareness. It also prevents waste, reduces our environmental impact and helps to preserve water.
Charging stations for electric vehicles
One of Rousselot's goals for 2025 is to develop green electricity. Since the end of March 2022, charging stations for electric vehicles have been in service at the site of Rousselot ISS. The aim is to support employees in the ecological transition by encouraging the shift to electric or hybrid cars
Supporting guide dog training
The Gaillane Foundation, located in Isle sur la Sorgue, is the only school in Europe to train guide dogs. The dogs are trained to help blind and/or visually impaired children. Since March 2022, Rousselot Isle sur la Sorgue has partnered with the foundation. One outcome is that we have begun to organize sessions at our plant site to inform people about the foundation’s objectives and activities. We have encouraged our staff members to make donations and our plant doubled each private donation made by a colleague.
Donating medical equipment to Ukrainians
In view of the war in Ukraine, our company has been looking for ways to support the Ukrainian population. Our colleagues at Isle sur la Sorgue have decided to donate medical equipment to the School House Ukraine Solidarity (SHUS) association, which provides people in Ukraine with this equipment. The donation includes surgical masks, nitrile gloves, disposable gowns, examination sheets and more.