Working Together for a Good Couse: A Look Into Pipelife Austria's Heart Projects Initiative

Drawing inspiration from the words 'sharing is caring,' Pipelife Austria started its Heart Projects initiative at the outset of 2023. Over the past 12 months, Pipelife Austria's employees have collaborated on various projects dedicated to local communities, animal welfare and environmental causes. This story explores these impactful narratives, showcasing how companies can create meaningful experiences and foster positive change in their communities.

_{Empowering Employees: Choosing the Project of One's Heart}

As one of the country's leading suppliers of piping solutions, Pipelife Austria has been actively supporting environmental and climate protection causes. Social responsibility is another area integral to the company's ESG objectives. This dedication was once again highlighted last year by starting the Heart Projects initiative.

To each department, the company allocated a budget that could be used to undertake a social project of their choice — or, in other words, a project close to their heart. The employees were free to support local communities, animal welfare institutions or environmental initiatives.

Among many others, these are some of the Heart Projects fulfilled by Pipelife Austria's teams in 2023.

_{Joining Efforts for the Well-Being of Young People}

A group of 24 dedicated employees from the Business Development, Product Management and Marketing departments chose to support werkRaum — a social rehabilitation center in Tulln for young people with mental health problems. 

The center supports young people, currently unable to study or work due to their condition, with meaningful activities. For example, they can care for the facility's garden, look after the plants, harvest the yields, and prepare and sell handmade items. Such activities are empowering and create a sense of achievement.

Apart from making a donation to support werkRaum's mission, Pipelife's employees also spent a day with the center's residents. Everyone present was divided into two teams, labeled 'kitchen' and 'fieldwork.' Together, Pipelife's employees and the young participants took care of cooking, gardening and planting. The assigned tasks in Tulln offered a stark contrast to the everyday office life, but everyone showed genuine enthusiasm, camaraderie and commitment to their tasks despite the challenging weather.

Spending time with these young people was a significant experience for the team, offering a fresh perspective.

"The opportunity to support the young people at werkRaum was of great value not only to me but to our entire team," says Benedikt Feuchtmüller, Head of Business Development and Marketing at Pipelife Austria. "This experience enabled us not only to do good but also to grow closer and clearly shows that social responsibility and harmonious cooperation are firm values within our team."

_{Empathy in Action: Supporting Equine Therapy}

The Customer Services team, consisting of nine employees, chose to devote their collective support to Pferde Stärken — an equine-assisted therapy center. 

Located in Gramatneusiedl, this nonprofit association accompanies, supports and encourages children with special needs through therapy involving horses. The organization places particular emphasis on providing therapies for individuals on the autism spectrum, as well as those dealing with perceptual and speech disorders. Additionally, the association supports people in grief or facing challenging life situations. All staff members at Pferde Stärken work on a voluntary basis.

The Customer Services team donated their entire Heart Projects amount to the nonprofit and visited the center for a day. They took a guided tour of the center and learned about the many services it offers. There was also a unique opportunity to see and stroke the horses.

_{Gifts to Four-Legged Friends in Need} 

Nine colleagues working at Pipelife Austria's Sales office in Thaur chose to support 4 Beiner in Not as their project. This small nonprofit organization collaborates with an animal shelter in Perk, Hungary, and helps find abandoned pets loving forever homes in Austria. Located in Zirl, the refuge relies entirely on donations and can take care of the rehabilitation and rehoming of three pets at a time. 

Pipelife's team put together an assortment of food, treats and accessories for the well-being of the shelter's furry residents. The donation was then handed over to the representative from 4 Beiner in Not.

_{Leaving a Mark}

Pipelife Austria's Heart Projects initiative showcases the diverse ways in which companies can make a positive impact in their local communities. The projects envisioned and carried out by the employees went beyond financial contributions, creating meaningful experiences, forging connections and effecting a positive change in the lives of others. 

The Heart Projects were initiated by Frank Schneider, General Manager at Pipelife Austria:

"Being aware of our social responsibility and giving something back to society — that is the background to the projects close to our hearts launched at Pipelife last year. I am delighted to see how passionately our employees have worked for good causes and supported a wide range of projects over the past 12 months."