Greiner CEO Kühner on International Day of Education: “Education is key to a sustainable future”

Greiner AG

Greiner focuses on internal training programs and supports external educational projects for children and young people

“For Greiner, education is the key to a fairer and more sustainable future,” says Axel Kühner, CEO of Greiner AG, marking the International Day of Education on January 24. “Education is a fundamental right and also a vital element of Greiner’s sustainability strategy As a global plastics and foam producer, we need highly trained employees now and in the future to make our transformation into a sustainable company a success,” says Kühner.

Internal training program for climate ambassadors

Greiner takes on at least 30 apprentices at its Austrian locations each year and gives a lot of attention to training and education within the company as part of its global sustainability strategy. The apprentices also have access to the “Moonshot Pirates” community, where they can help work on ideas and projects for a sustainable future. In 2022, Greiner also launched a global internal training offer entitled “Climate Ambassador Program” for the first time. The goal is for employees to develop extensive knowledge that they can then pass on as climate ambassadors. “Our employees’ knowledge and skills enable us to move forward into a sustainable future,” believes Kühner.

Teach For Austria, MINTality, and more – Greiner promotes several educational initiatives

Greiner also supports many educational projects focusing on children and young people. “As a family business, supporting young people is something that is particularly close to our hearts. We see investments in education and science not only as part of our social responsibility, but also as crucial to the continuation of our society,” says Kühner.

For example, Greiner has been a partner of “Teach For Austria” since the school year 2016/2017 already, and actively supported the expansion of the program to Upper Austria. The educational initiative “Teach For Austria” particularly aims to develop the potential of children from low-income families. In addition, Greiner is a founding member of the MINTality foundation, whose goal is to inspire even more girls to choose educational paths and careers in technical and scientific fields. This is aimed firstly at countering the shortage of specialist staff and secondly at improving women’s earnings prospects.

Numerous projects for schoolchildren in Austria and abroad

Since September 2022, Greiner has also been supporting the “Roots & Shoots” initiative by the Jane Goodall Institute Austria. In the Roots & Shoots project “Wunder.Welt.Wald: Forschen im Wood.Wide.Web,” children and young people are shown the importance of the forest as a place to live and relax. Another relatively new activity is support for the “One Class For All” project, implemented by the non-profit organization “Light for the World.” This project enables children from the sub-Saharan region to take part in lessons despite disabilities. Thanks to Greiner’s support, schools can be supplied with inclusive teaching materials, children equipped with tablets, and various other resources obtained.

“In addition to these prominent educational initiatives, we also support many other regional projects all around the world. Our primary goal is always to improve access to education and contribute to more equal opportunities and fairness in education,” concludes Kühner.

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