At the end of April, part of the team of Egis in Ukraine made an important trip to the Rivne Oblast, combining ESG training, practical contributions to nature conservation and team building.
The idea for the project came in August 2024, when Amy Dickinson, Director of ESG in Europe and Africa, approached our team with information about the possibility of obtaining funding from the Egis Foundation, a corporate foundation that supports the fight against climate change and sustainable development through support for local initiatives. At that time, we were discussing possible cooperation with the NGO Treepilya on tree planting, but we had a limited budget. The support of the Egis Foundation was crucial, and we started preparing the project, which was subsequently approved.
Our team decided not to limit ourselves to formally transferring funds for the planting of 9 hectares of forest, but to get personally involved in the process. We wanted to get to know better the NGO Treepilya and the local forestry enterprise, Agricultural Production and Service Cooperative Selianskyi Lis, which is implementing the project. This was also a good opportunity to conduct ESG training for the team, discuss environmental priorities of Egis, practical steps to reduce carbon footprint, and our contribution to achieving sustainable goals in Ukraine and the Europe and Africa region.
Day 1 – Training and ESG strategic context
After arriving in Kostopil and taking a short break, we began a 2.5-hour training session on “Sustainable Development and Carbon Footprint Reduction through Forest Restoration.”
The event was opened by Alex Gittelson, Managing Director of Egis in Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asia, who outlined the essence of the ESG approach, its key objectives and areas of implementation within the Egis Group. He also presented the ESG targets for 2025 for Europe and Africa, which focus on reducing carbon emissions, integrating ESG principles into project activities, transparently demonstrating progress and investing in team development.
The Head of the SL Environment & Climate, Project Manager Alla Krasnozhon, joined the presentation and provided detailed information on the carbon emissions situation in Ukraine by sector, possible ways to decarbonise, and shared examples of environmental initiatives the team is working on. She presented data on emissions from the Egis office in Kyiv, talked about the main sources of carbon footprint in daily activities and shared practical recommendations for reducing them. In addition, she focused on cooperation with communities and educational institutions, and talked about the activities of the Egis Foundation and implementation of a joint project with the NGO Treepilya.
The final, practical part of the training was conducted by Anastasia Feier, Environmental and Climate Expert, who focused on the topic of carbon footprints. Participants had the opportunity to calculate their own carbon footprint using a calculator and discuss ways to optimise it in their daily lives. An interesting fact from the presentation: if the internet were a separate country, it would rank third in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, after China and the United States!
Day 2 – Tree planting and meeting partners
The second day started with a visit to the local forestry enterprise APSC Selianskyi Lis and a meeting with the team of the non-governmental organisation Treepilya. The Head of the forestry enterprise, Viktor Moskvych, familiarised the participants with the main areas of their activities, approaches to forest restoration and the specifics of caring for plantations. During a trip to the planting sites, Egis team witnessed firsthand the peculiarities of the local soil and joined planting one-year-old pine seedlings.
We also visited a nursery where dozens of plant species, including ornamental ones, are grown. The forestry team shared their mission, experience in fighting fires, and methods of forest restoration.
Then we moved on to the presentation of the mission and activities of the NGO Treepilya. The organisation's leaders, Natalia Ulianova and Victoria Fialko, shared the history of its establishment, its working principles and plans for the preservation and restoration of ecosystems. They particularly noted that Egis was the first such large international company to support their initiative and expressed their gratitude for the trust and openness to partnership.
This project is an example of how ESG initiatives can contribute not only to environmental protection but also to strengthening corporate culture and team spirit. It has not only deepened our understanding of the importance of sustainable development but also allowed us to reflect on our personal contribution to environmental protection, in particular through measuring and reducing our carbon footprint. Planting trees is an investment in the future, caring for future generations and a real step towards mitigating climate change. This experience has shown that by working together we can achieve meaningful results and become a stronger, more responsible team.
Egis Foundation is an organisation within the company that supports the fight against climate change and sustainable development by funding initiatives of non-governmental organisations and running an innovation competition for students. The Foundation also actively involves Egis employees in environmental projects and themed events.
Non-governmental organisation Treepilya is actively working to reduce carbon emissions through sustainable forest restoration. They collaborate with various organisations and companies to create carbon credits that reduce emissions into the atmosphere. This is achieved by planting trees and restoring forest resources, which increases carbon absorption and improves the environmental situation in Ukraine.
Agricultural Production and Service Cooperative Selianskyi Lis specialises in forestry and carries out measures to restore forest areas, including tree planting and combating environmental problems such as fires, and preserving biodiversity in forests.