Responsibility during the Global Coronavirus Crisis
ICL is harnessing its capabilities and resources to find various solutions for the repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis for the Company’s employees, the communities in which it operates, its customers and its suppliers. The company is undertaking these efforts as part of the Company’s strategy to exhibit responsibility and solidarity towards the countries in which it operates. ICL has provided medical equipment to healthcare systems in many of its regions of activity across the globe. It also utilized its capabilities and global reach in order to provide significant assistance to the Israeli government in a challenging, wide-reaching campaign for the procurement of medical equipment.
Maintaining the Company’s operations and supporting its employees during the crisis
ICL is a global company employing approx. 11,000 employees in dozens of countries around the world, which have been differently affected, and at different times over the last few months, by COVID-19. The Company’s main challenge during this crisis is to maintain the organization’s business continuity as much as possible, while safeguarding employees’ health and through massive employee quarantines. The Company instructs its employees, frequently and through different means, regarding optimal conduct in the work environment, methods to prevent infection and required actions in case employees experience mild or severe symptoms of COVID-19. All of ICL’s managerial and operational arrays have been adapted to safeguard employees’ health, while minimizing disruption to essential production. Transportation and catering services have been reinforced and adapted for special operation regimes. Furthermore, ICL’s IT department is working to enable optimal remote work for employees who routinely operate in an office environment.
ICL has launched a special information-sharing website for the COVID-19 crisis period, allowing all its employees worldwide to stay in touch with the organization, to receive available information and to share local initiatives. The Company also helps its employees to cope with the stress and anxiety accompanying the crisis in general and quarantine periods in particular. ICL employees have at their disposal the active support of the Company’s HR representatives, and the company also subsidizes external physiological support for interested ICL employees and family members. In addition, ICL initiated a new volunteer project for employees, “Lend an Ear”, designed to maintain contact and relationships with the Company’s retirees.
ICL is challenging its employees to find innovative solutions for this crisis period, based on the knowledge, imagination, creativity and infrastructures available in ICL. The Company established a platform for the publication and examination of solutions providing a response to the needs of humanity during the crisis, as well as business and operational aspects of ICL and ICL employees. As of early April, proposals and initiatives were suggested by ICL employees from across the globe – Brazil, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the UK and the US. One example for a successful project comes from the ICL Terneuzen site in the Netherlands, where employees achieved self-production of a hand-sanitizing product for use in the plant itself, and even as a newly-marketed product of the Company.
Assisting with the needs of healthcare systems in the countries where ICL operates
In Israel, ICL recently donated over ILS 1 million to the struggle against Coronavirus: ILS 350 thousand were donated for purchasing food parcels and vouchers for needy populations, ILS 750 thousand were donated to the Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, and ILS 150 thousand were donated for a new respiratory facility for the Sheba – Tel Hashomer Medical Center near Tel Aviv. Furthermore, thanks to ICL’s know-how and expertise in procurement from China, a donation of about ILS 250 thousand was made for the purchase of COVID-19 test swabs from China, in coordination with the Israeli Ministry of Health. The Company also donated medical protective gear to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon and to Maccabi Healthcare Services (Israel’s second-largest HMO). The Company maintains constant contact with the Israeli Government to assist in the procurement of masks, PPE for medical staff, test swabs and other essential medical equipment. In addition, the Company maintains constant contact with Israeli fire-fighters and prepared to supply hypochlorite for the disinfection of large areas.
In the early stages of the crisis (January-February), ICL donated protective gear to hospitals in China (in its areas of operation) in a total amount of $50 thousand. The Company also donated protective gear to healthcare services in its other regions of operation, including in Spain, Germany and Brazil.
In April 2020 ICL played a central part in a joint operation with the Israeli government and El Al Airlines, to procure and airlift to Israel a significant number of items of essential medical equipment – including masks and PPE. The procured equipment was airlifted to Israel by 11 aircrafts. ICL provided significant assistance to the Israeli government in this effort, thanks to its activities and business connections in China and leveraging its procurement capabilities, highly experienced in operating in the various provinces of China. The Company was commended by the Israeli Government, for the efficient and speedy assistance it provided the country during the crisis.
Maintaining food security during the crisis
One of the risks accompanying the COVID-19 crisis, on top of the immediate health risk, is the risk to food security worldwide, due to the major disruption to the global economy in general and to the global food supply chain in particular. ICL is one of the world’s largest fertilizer suppliers and a global leader in specialty phosphate solutions for the food industry. Without fertilizers and such specialty solutions, the required quantities of food could not be produced. ICL works with its suppliers, customers and authorities across the world in order to maintain a stable supply of fertilizers to farmers, even during these challenging times.
Assistance with additional community needs during the crisis
ICL views itself as an integral part of the communities in which it operates. The Company continuously aspires to improve the quality of life and provide solutions for the various needs of the communities in which it operates. The COVID-19 crisis created new and immediate needs in the various communities in which ICL operates, and required the Company to act swiftly and in a flexible manner to assist with these various needs.
In Israel, the Company adapted to promoting social initiatives aimed at enhancing quality of life and community resilience. For this purpose, ICL relied on existing social infrastructures, which it has been developing and investing in for many years, in order to establish a broad support network. The Thinking Doing program is a joint community project of ICL, municipal authorities and residents of the Negev. Activity in the Thinking Doing program drives social-environmental processes, while developing and strengthening a regional network of local entrepreneurs, aiming to empower local communities in the Negev. Thinking Doing has created a stable infrastructure of partners, with mutual trust and a wide array of collaborations. This network of partners aided in the swift launch of new initiatives for speedy response to needs arising following the COVID crisis. ICL has issued a call for proposals through its partners, inviting the general public, municipal authorities and social organizations operating in the Negev to propose initiatives encouraging solidarity between populations, in times of social distancing. The Company plans to invest about ILS 100 thousand in executing the chosen initiatives. Read more about the Company’s initiatives in Israel here.
ICL also continued its support of the communities wherein it operates in Europe. The Company’s HQ in Amsterdam initiated food donations for populations hurt by the quarantines, through the Amsterdam food bank, as well as direct donations to local organizations assisting the elderly, with which ICL maintains ongoing contact in volunteering activities throughout the year. Read more about the Company’s initiatives in Europe here.
In addition, in St. Louis in the United States, ICL made a donation to the local Red Cross, to assist with local needs arising during the crisis.
Assistance to ICL’s customers and suppliers in Israel
As a leading fertilizer producer, ICL is in close contact with its farmer customers. Due to the restrictions imposed on exports from Israel due to the crisis, many farmers were left with unsellable produce, with flower growers being among those most affected by this situation. As a means to support its customers during the crisis, ICL resolved to purchase flowers from several of its customers, which it then delivered to Company employees, as well as to contractor-employees and suppliers who have been regularly working with the Company.
The Coronavirus crisis led to extensive economic hardships, and even more so for small businesses. During the crisis, ICL accepted the request of several dozens of suppliers – mostly small businesses in the Negev region of Israel – and made early payments to them. In this manner, ICL hopes to make its contribution in aiding its business partners and the economy in southern Israel as a whole, to prevail through this crisis.
