Vibrant Communities

DOWNLOAD THE 2022 REPORT

Making a Difference Beyond Our Walls

WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES STRONGER AND MORE VIBRANT

We commit to being good corporate citizens, upstanding stewards of our local environmental resources, and good neighbors with Unshakable Integrity, one of our values. This is the driving force behind our Vibrant Communities goal to invest $50 million in our communities by 2030. We aim to enhance the communities where we live and operate by increasing access to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education; engaging in safety initiatives; and expanding sustainable environment programs.

Our 2022 Vibrant Communities Highlights

Completed an environmental justice evaluation of manufacturing sites in the United States.
Broke ground on the Chemours STEM Hub at East Side Charter School, Wilmington, Delaware, funded by a $4 million investment in 2021.
Partnered with West Virginia State University and North Carolina A&T to advance chemistry and chemical engineering education at the school.
Won two awards at China Philanthropy Festival for Public Welfare Program of the Year, recognizing the Magical Science Camp Program, and the Responsible Brand of the Year.

$50 Million investment in our communities to improve lives by increasing access to STEM skills, safety initiatives, and sustainable environment programs

Expanding our STEM Education Programs

We have committed over $4 million to launch the Chemours Future of Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology School Partnership Program (ChemFEST), a global school partnership program aimed at building a diverse STEM talent pipeline. In 2022, Chemours celebrated its first anniversary of ChemFEST by hosting students at our state-of-the-art research facility, Chemours Discovery Hub, in Newark, Delaware, for an engaging day of science. The EastSide Charter School and Serviam Girls Academy students participated in exciting demos that explored the science of cooling to better understand the clean energy transition and learn about hydrogen fuel cells.

Rendering of STEM Hub at Eastside charter school

Consistent Engagement with Our Communities

All Chemours manufacturing locations have active community feedback mechanisms or Community Advisory Panels (CAPs)—a diverse group of community members representing the voice of those living near the sites. During 2022, Chemours continued an initiative to assess and advance our CAPs that involves three steps:

Ensure that CAP membership is truly representative of the local community in terms of socioeconomic status, age, gender, race, and geographic location
Evaluate meeting agendas to ensure relevant content is being provided and that CAP members have ample opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback
Identify a meeting cadence that provides the best opportunity for engagement with the CAP and any communications opportunities that may be available between meetings

We completed the pilot of this new CAP process at our Washington Works site and made plans to expand it to more sites in 2023.

Case Studies

Group of employees doing community service

CRC Day Continues to Grow

We hosted our fourth-annual Global Corporate Responsibility Commitment (CRC) Day in November. To mark the event, we asked employees around the globe to take one action to advance our 2030 CRC goals. The result was more than 1,800 hours of service by hundreds of employees who participated from 15 countries, representing a 20% year-over-year increase in volunteer hours.

Convention center floor staff talking with an event goer

FOSSI—An Industry-Wide Scholarship Program

Chemours is a founding member of the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI), which provides scholarships to students pursuing STEM degrees at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and connects them to internships, leadership development, and mentoring opportunities at participating companies. In mid-2022, the program welcomed its second class of students, awarding $40,000 scholarships to 144 scholars, bringing the program’s total to 294 scholarships to date. In October 2022, FOSSI raised funds for 550 scholarships, an investment approaching $30 million.

Two employees on a work site in hardhats and high-visibility vests

Engaging Local Communities

We’ve recently added social and environmental justice into our EHS & CR policy. We engage with local communities through our own programs and channels, as well as those that exist in each community. In addition to adding environmental justice to these policies, we also completed an environmental justice evaluation of manufacturing sites in the United States, utilizing the EPA tool, EJScreen, to gain an understanding of the communities around our sites. Based upon this information, we identified seven sites to develop site engagement and communications plans with our neighbors.

Chemours staff in China performing an experiment

Inspiring STEM Scholars in China

Magical Science Camp has become a model for inspiring a love of STEM, among students in Shanghai, China as well as build brand credibility, boost employee morale, and strengthen our communities. Returning for its sixth year in 2022, the event gathered over 800 teenage students for a virtual class. This year’s event included two experiments: variable renewable energy of hydrogen fuel cells, and the adventures of a water droplet, which explored the surface tension of water. As the flagship event continues to prosper, the program also hosted a Magical Science Camp in Changshu, China, which hosted its second event for 32 local teens.

Alexandra Pierre-Charles

Philanthropy and Community Relations Leader

Touring EastSide Charter School through Chemours Discovery Hub was one of my favorite volunteer experiences in 2022. I'm excited they get their own state-of-the-art STEM space through our investment in the Chemours STEM Hub at EastSide Charter.