Sustainability Challenge:
For the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to be successful and meaningful, they need to be translated into practical action that will advance growth and prosperity in a sustainable way.
Chemistry Solution:
Covestro LLC developed THINC30, a social responsibility event platform designed to convene community stakeholders to help drive implementation of the 17 UN SDGs in the local Pittsburgh community.
Sustainability Benefit:
By collaborating with local business, government, academic and nonprofit leaders, Covestro is working to inspire action that will advance the region’s growth and prosperity in a sustainable way.
While the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a blueprint to enhance sustainability solutions around the globe, companies like Covestro LLC recognized early on that the goals can be most effective if they’re implemented with a grassroots approach.
THINC30 is a social responsibility event platform designed by Covestro to bring community stakeholders together to help drive implementation of the UN SDGs in the Pittsburgh area in collaboration with engaged citizens, leaders from local business, academic, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit communities. THINC stands for Transforming, Harnessing, Innovating, Navigating, and Collaborating for a sustainable future by 2030.
Through THINC30, Covestro and community partners have addressed a range of sustainability challenges, including:
- 412 Food Rescue, which connects surplus food with volunteers who deliver food to people who need it, providing vital nutrients to underserved communities while reducing food waste.
- Juvenile Defender Clinic, providing free representation to young people in matters of delinquency offenses, school discipline, and special education, and disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately impacts African American youth.
- Breathe Collaborative, a coalition of citizens, environmental advocates, public health professionals, and academics working to improve air quality and eliminate climate pollution in the region.
- Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance partnership, which brought together dozens of international, national, and regional thought leaders on clean energy, green building, and sustainable development to share expertise.
For Covestro, the primary focus of THINC30 is SGD #17: “Partnership for the Goals.” Through THINC30, Covestro has successfully convened and connected individuals and groups who otherwise may not have the opportunity to meet, let alone work together.
Covestro measures success of the program primarily by community engagement—the number of individuals who have attended and types and diversity of organizations they represent, as well as the number of problem-solvers featured as speakers. Each THINC30 summit has a robust, multi-media communications plan to promote the program, including press releases, podcasts, social media, reports, blogs, and more.
By sharing the UN SGDs with local business, government, academic and nonprofit leaders, Covestro is working to inspire action that will advance the region’s growth and prosperity in a sustainable way.
