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Ceramic Industries’ integrated approach towards responsible corporate citizenship

Steered by effective leadership towards responsible corporate responsibility, Ceramic Industries is conscious of the collective challenges our nation faces and intentional in its approach to create meaningful and sustainable interventions which promotes the social and economic development of previously disadvantaged individuals. In addition to supporting and actively participating in community organizations, youth and women's groups, schools and higher institutions, municipalities, and SSMEs, Ceramic Industries has established strong partnerships with all of these groups. To achieve this, Ceramic Industries Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs supports several initiatives that are linked to the company's dedication to ESG and are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

As such the company has ensured an inclusive community development strategy. The company Socio Economic Development (SED) key focus areas are Education, Sports Development and Conservation. Our SED projects are a combination of structured projects and are also community needs focused. The common thread is the ability to maintain shared value for the company and the communities in which we operate. All SED projects have had a direct impact to 100% black beneficiaries from disadvantaged communities and drive our contribution towards the group’s history of environmental and social responsibility leadership.

Our Enterprise and Supplier Development programme is focused on assisting Small Medium Micro Enterprises that are majority black owned and with effort to increase women ownership to access the market leading to being financially viable companies and play an important role in an economy. We are intentional in our approach in running this programme as we believe these businesses have potential to be key drivers of economic growth, innovation, and job creation.

Impactful Socio-Economic Development - The Sustainable Way

Education

Through our building better futures programme Ceramic Industries strives to create meaningful and sustainable value, supporting programmes that improve the quality of education, empower the youth, and support inclusive development in communities. Our education programmes are aimed at the vision to produce well rounded learners. Literacy is an integral part of education and lifelong learning premised on humanism as defined by Sustainable Development Goal 4.

In response to the challenging situation, Ceramic Industries’ Building Better Futures programme focuses on eradicating illiteracy as well as assisting in restoring dignity among children in the ECD level from lower income backgrounds. This is executed through our READ for meaning programme in the form of provision of mini libraries, ECD teacher training on “learn through play”- an initiative aimed at addressing and developing logic and reasoning skills for ECD learners and providing the schools with educational and therapeutic products as well as provision of school uniform annually.

Coupled with the Building Better Futures programme at ECD’s and Primary Schools is our annual Ablution Dignity programme which assists our partner ECD centres and primary schools with new and refurbished ablution facilities because we believe lack of access to clean ablution facilities poses a barrier to learning and the health and safety risk at schools.

In high School our flagship Maths and Science TRAC programme aimed at encouraging young people to consider and prepare for careers in science, engineering and technology has had tremendous success for our 10 partner high schools. Through TRAC we assist the schools with highly experienced facilitators who are integrated into each school. The programme implements a hands-on Vernier approach to the teaching of Physical Sciences. Learners, through the support of the learning facilitator, work in groups conducting experiments, recording, and analysing results. The teaching of learners using Vernier equipment is key in the understanding of abstract concepts. The mathematics programme assists learners with key practical experiments to raise their abilities in understanding mathematics concepts. All Maths and Science learners in Grades 11 and 12 are additionally equipped with calculators and study guides to further aid learners towards ensuring they can study at home.

In support of the girl learners to curb the challenge posed by period poverty leading to some learners missing school, learners are equipped with reusable sanitary pads and underwear so that they have a peace of mind. The annual women’s month activation is coupled with creative, fun and empowering sessions aimed at addressing challenges faced by the girls pertaining menstrual hygiene and awareness.

The programme does not only cater for academics but also ensures each matric learner is assisted with applying to 3 high learning institutions and accessing bursaries and NFSAS. This has led to more than 1000 of our TRAC Maths and Science learners over the past 5 years being admitted at higher learning institutions throughout the country with some having been absorbed in our company apprenticeship programmes.

The company understands that to grow an economy we need young people with various skills beyond Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. We have recently partnered with Mogale City Municipality to sponsor the town’s Naga Lipudi Career Science and Resource centre. The resource centre is designed primarily to prepare the youth, from foundation to secondary school phase, to make informed career choices. At the centre, learners are individually assessed to assist them to identify their strengths and abilities. Bespoke Ceramic Industries’ careers awareness videos are being produced to assist all schools visiting the centre to improve their awareness of career options in our industry. Since inception, more than 300 grade 7 and grade 12 learners were hosted at our Betta Bath and Betta Sanitary factories with employees taking them through the plant and engaging them on their careers.

Sports Development

Our Sports development programme which involves equipping schools and local youth football and netball clubs with sports equipment, facilities and sport kits has been well received by our local communities as this ensures learners are kept active both at school and within their local communities which some ward councillors have echoed similar sentiments on how this is instrumental in keeping children out of trouble during school holidays and some teachers and principals stating it has a positive impact on learner mental wellness at school.

Our flagship partnership with RESA, an elite sports academy in Vereeniging, Gauteng, whose goal is to offer the best sports programmes to young, talented sportsmen and women, to help them reach their full potential has been realised. It also aims to develop sport in and around the Vaal region. RESA currently comprises two sporting codes, soccer, and netball, with prospects of adding more codes as the academy grows. RESA is based at the Ulusha Elite Sports Centre which is the home of the academy. The academy has more than 200 beneficiaries, with more than 100 resident sportsmen from disadvantaged backgrounds. The once delipidated facility is now a local pride and we are proud to have been instrumental in its revamp of various parts of the centre. We continue to assist revamp the athletes’ dormitories, with the aim of inspiring the boys to remain focused on their dreams of becoming professional athletes.

Our partnership with the academy, has led to the centre established as the Sedibeng District Academy by the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation; the department has contributed further to Sedibeng and RESA athletes by establishing a High-Performance Centre gym. As Ceramic industries we aim to continue with the much needed revamp work at the centre so that the centre can reach as many young people as possible and introduce many more sporting codes.

Conservation

The company’s passion on environmental consciousness and drive towards operating with minimal impact on the environment and rather contributing to our planet and people’s sustainability is applied through initiatives with schools and creches where we establish food gardens, recycling centres, environmental awareness campaigns and planting of trees.

Enterprise and Supplier Development – A well oiled machine towards growing South Africa’s economy.

Ceramic’s ESD community development programme aims to create a difference in people's lives now and for future generations by starting from the ground up. Ceramic’ hopes to continue realize this objective in collaboration with our communities, partners, and suppliers. Due to our enormous impact on broader socio-economic development and its potential to facilitate value sharing inside the company's operational ecosystem, enterprise, and supplier development (ESD) is increasingly becoming a major topic for transformation.

Supplier Development

Internally every 18 months in engagement with factory managers deserving black owned companies that are part of our supplier data base are identified to be part of an 18-month development programme that is custom made to the needs of the businesses with the aim to assist the business grow both internally and outside Ceramic Industries. This custom fit programme ensures that suppliers run their businesses efficiently and are complaint with SARS, CIPC, UIF amongst others and are each assisted with their financials to ensure their sustainability is realised. All beneficiaries receive preferential procurement benefits such as early payment of their invoices in less than 14 days to assist them with their cashflow and were there is an identified growth potential limited by funding, grants and interest free loans are granted. This has seen our supplier development grow their businesses immensely.

It has been testament to the well thought growth plan for these businesses for that have been patient in their strides with some have moved from being truck drivers to owning fleet that offers transport services beyond Ceramic Industries and giving access to women in an industry that has been in the past been known to be male dominant.

Enterprise Development

The company recently ran an entrepreneurial development programme for the tilers and transporters who seat next to our factory shops and currently has 42 active beneficiaries. The programme equips the beneficiaries with technical skills such as tile training and business management and in turn assist to develop the beneficiaries into businesses. The 12-month programme is designed to unlock the full potential of both the tilers and transporters to access various markets and be technologically and financially savvy. This includes assisting them to market themselves, be bankable and compliant. To date the programme has developed 42 beneficiaries who are now formally registered companies and continue to receive development coaching and mentoring.

As Ceramic Industries, we have positioned both our Socio- Economic Development and Enterprise Supplier Development programmes to assist with both the current challenges faced by our country as well as the future opportunities presented to our youth. Through our TRAC schools programmes, we’re promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics learning to help prepare young people, along with efforts to encourage them to venture into entrepreneurship.