We allocate 1% of after tax profits per annum to social development initiatives that focus on education, HIV/Aids and health and welfare.

PPG believes that one of the most powerful forms of empowerment is education.  Therefore we support various education initiatives for our staff and their children as well as external institutions.

PPG offers the Polyoak Educational Bursary Scheme and Educational Loan scheme to assist employees and their children financially with payment of secondary and tertiary level studies. �

We have developed comprehensive in-house training programmes

• Polyoak Way Induction programme
• Competency Based Training
• Skills Training Programme – aligned with the South African National Qualifactions Framework
• Technical learnerships
• Apprenticeships

To maximise the benefit of these programmes PPG has also obtained the following accreditations:

• South African National Qualifations Framework accreditation for the Skills Training Programme
• MERSETA learnership provider for technical training
• MERSETA apprenticeship trainer
• SAICA Accredited Trainer for accounting graduates to serve internships as audit clerks to become Chartered Accountants

Polyoak recognises that HIV/AIDS is a serious issue and strives to be fair and equitable in all its actions relating to this epidemic.

We run a voluntary testing “Know Your Status” campaign.  We enjoyed an initial uptake of 65% in Cape Town, 100% in Durban and 75% in Johannesburg.

Treatment is either via co-subsidise anti-retroviral treatment or a partnership programme with regional Chamber of Commerce and hospitals where they provide free medication and lifestyle counselling and family support.

We continue to promote awareness and offer support in the following ways:

• The Informer distributed monthly
• Trained peer counsellors and storytellers on all sites to deal with AIDS issues
• We provide free condoms
• Awareness posters on site
• Annual World Aids Day awareness campaign

We strive to provide our people with access to as many health programmes as possible.

Our Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban branches (covering approximately 70% of our people) have a Wellness Sister on site.   Our on-site clinics provide the following services:

• General health risk assessment and monitoring (e.g. hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, flu vaccinations)
• Monitoring of general ailments related to working in a manufacturing environment e.g. back ache
• Stress management
• Planning and co-ordination of our HIV/AIDS programme
• Testing:  fitness, cholesterol, glucose and HIV
• Management and monitoring of certain chronic conditions
• Chemical dependency (alcohol and drugs counselling and testing)
• One on one counselling

Wellness Programmes that have been run at Polyoak over the last year include:

• “Look after you body” (reaching, lifting, carrying)
• General wellness
• Drugs (focus on TIK)
• Tuberculosis
• HIV/AIDS
• Smoking
• Breast cancer

The various divisions of PPG contribute to welfare organisations in their regions via monetary and product donations.  The focus of this is to give back to the communities in which Polyoak people life.

“We are helping our own neighbours and the people in our streets.  It is not like the company is just putting money into someone’s bank account – we can actually see changes in our own communities.”  Wayne Groenmeyer

Some of the charities and organisations supported in 2007 include:

• Lourier Primary School in Cafda, Retreat - computers
• St Anthony’s Village for financially disadvantages pensioners
• Little Angels – home for orphaned and abandoned Aids babies