Abingdon based chemicals company makes huge global charity donations

By Nicky Godding

15 June 2020

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Abingdon-headquartered Infineum, a specialty chemicals company, has donated more than half a million pounds to charities all over the world, thanks to its employees alongside the organisation.

In response to the negative impact of Covid-19, Infineum, whose global HQ is at Milton Hill near Abingdon, launched an initiative to match the amount of employee donations and give the equivalent figure to three global charities; Doctors Without Borders, Direct Relief, Action Against Hunger.

Infineum Trevor Russell “This altruism reflects the generosity and thoughtfulness of Infineum employees all around the world. Despite some difficult personal circumstances, employees gave an incredible $345,000 (£275,000) to charities during this pandemic to support those who have been severely impacted. This sustainable giving makes me feel incredibly proud and humbled and I am delighted that Infineum is matching this figure and supporting global charities through a very difficult time,” said Trevor Russell, Infineum CEO.

Colleagues donated to a huge variety of charities ranging from hospitals and direct workers, through to vulnerable people or animals.

“I donated to a charity that supports Syrian refugees in a camp in Lebanon. These people live under very difficult circumstances and during Covid-19 they have been unable to work and provide food for their families. We wanted to support this particularly vulnerable community.” Rebecca, Infineum UK

In addition to this, Infineum, which is a global business, has supported the countries in which it operates in many other ways. In Germany this included providing hundreds of litres of isopropanol to the local fire department, to help them to blend their own disinfectants for hands and surfaces, as well as masks and goggles to local care institutions and meals for homeless in Cologne. In China hundreds of masks were given to Original Equipment Manufacturers in Wuhan and hygiene care packs were bought for children as they returned to school. In Italy two ventilators were purchased for the local hospital and hand sanitizers, masks and protective suits were donated. In addition, hundreds of masks and thousands of pairs of gloves were given to care homes in the UK.

Charities all over the world have been impacted by Covid-19. Many are having to deliver additional services, to those who really need help, with fewer volunteers and staff members, at a time when fundraising activities have been cancelled. By working together with employees, Infineum is proud to supported 556 charities in many different countries to help them through this crisis.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.