#RhineCleanupChallenge

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, more than 20,000 volunteers came together to achieve something big: 170 tons of trash was collected by 187 groups in 108 municipalities along the Rhine, from source to mouth. Without these efforts, all of this trash would otherwise have flowed straight into the North Sea. In Düsseldorf, 53 Uniper employees, along with their friends and family, took part in the campaign, with almost three times as many volunteers as last year turning out to help clean up the areas around the harbor. It is becoming ever-more important to set a personal example.

"The event was a great opportunity to do our part for the planet while also improving our team spirit. The idea came from some of our colleagues who are committed to making a change. It is impressive how quickly this project has engaged others from all over the company. We were only able to achieve such a great result thanks to so many amazing volunteers," says Giangiacomo Dandrea, Environment & Sustainability Adviser at Uniper, summarizing the success of this year's #RhineCleanupChallenge. Once the clean-up was complete, we all celebrated the feeling of being part of something meaningful with food and drinks. Uniper will use some of the collected trash to make a bench before sending it to be recycled. The company wants to provide even more inspiration on ways to help our planet.

"Today I went out with my son to collect trash. We filled the first trash bag so quickly that he asked me, 'Mommy, how are we going to be able to clean everything? There's so much trash around.' I think he realized for the first time how dirty his environment is and just how much trash is around. The campaign has really opened his eyes. My answer was: 'If everyone were as aware of this as you are, then perhaps everyone would pay more attention to our planet and throw their trash in the garbage,'" says our colleague Harshita Pankhania, describing the valuable experience the campaign has given her.

As an international energy company, we want to practice what we preach when it comes to sustainability, diversity and social acceptance: As part of the "#GeneratingChange" campaign, Uniper is challenging its employees and motivating them to make sustainable choices in their everyday life. We help them actively do something positive for the world, make a change and strengthen our team spirit — regardless of professional position or social background.

Our partnership with the River Cleanup initiative comes as a result of our common goals and ideas about sustainability. The impressive results prompted Uniper to extend the campaign to other locations. In addition to the event held at our headquarters in Düsseldorf, another event took place in Rotterdam on September 21 — "World Cleanup Day." The Uniper Sustainability team welcomes any feedback and discussions on relevant topics, as well as ideas for improvements and future initiatives. Further campaigns are already being planned.

See you next year!