Sustainability

Giving Back

Our neighbors depend on us, just as we depend on them, so we are committed to improving the quality of life in the communities in which we work. At Southwire, this goes beyond providing jobs and paying taxes; it means supporting those in need with time, talent and financial resources.

Southwire’s Giving Back goal is to enable and engage our workforce in building more sustainable communities. Specifically, we are seeking to launch electronics recycling programs in 100% of the communities in which we operate by 2023.

Creating Shared Value

Creating shared value is at the heart of Giving Back. To create shared community value, we focus our efforts on understanding the needs of our communities and engaging them with supportive efforts that:

Educate and develop long-term skills
Inspire and build health through volunteering
Revive and rebuild through disaster relief
Brighten and support lives through charitable giving
Protect and sustain the environment

By focusing on the needs of our 24 identified communities, we create value for Southwire by helping to develop thriving communities with engaged residents and talented future employees.

12 for Life^®

In 2007, Southwire kicked off the 12 for Life® educational recruitment initiative which provides students at risk of dropping out of high school with jobs inside a modified Southwire manufacturing environment while supporting them in earning their diploma. The program increases students’ familiarity with a work environment while affording Southwire opportunities to train and develop potential employees with limited on-the-job training after graduation.

In 2022, 12 for Life® hosted its annual commencement ceremonies in Carrollton, Ga., and Florence, Ala., celebrating 15 years since the program’s inception. Nearly 3,900 students have graduated from the program to date.

Project GIFT®

Southwire’s volunteer program, Project GIFT®, leads all service-related initiatives and volunteering, partnering with organizations including Feeding America, Toys for Tots, Water Mission, Keep America Beautiful, Habitat for
Humanity, and the American Cancer Society. In 2021, Southwire hosted its annual Back to School supply giveaway for the 17th year, distributing more than 30,000 bags of free school supplies to children in need across all of Southwire’s Giving Back communities.

In addition to volunteerism efforts, Southwire donated to over 20 sustainability-related organizations and causes in 2021. Supported initiatives include the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance education project, four e-recycling events, and a matching donation to The Ray to support renewable energy and electrification.

Virtual Volunteering

Southwire is committed to giving back. In 2021, despite in-person activities being limited by the ongoing pandemic, our employees found creative ways to give back safely through more than 5,000 hours of combined virtual and socially-distanced volunteering.

Disaster Relief

Project GIFT® teams hosted donation events in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to support disaster relief efforts for tornadoes in Kentucky and surrounding states. These events collected seven tractor-trailers filled with much-needed relief items and Christmas gifts, and nearly $30,000 in monetary contributions to further the relief effort. The generosity of Southwire employees, community members, volunteers, and local partners helped make our disaster relief effort a success.

The POWER Fund

The POWER Fund is a nonprofit organization created in 2005 under the umbrella of Southwire CARES, Inc. to provide short-term emergency assistance to Southwire employees and their immediate families who encounter unavoidable hardships. The Fund currently provides US-based employees with two types of grant relief options: catastrophic grants and employee matching grants.

Catastrophic Grants- can be applied for in cases where an employee is unable to pay for their basic living expenses as a result of a natural disaster, fire, serious or life-threatening illness, injury or death.
Matching Grants- co-workers make one-time donations on behalf of their fellow employees facing difficult situations. The POWER Fund matches amounts donated based on a $1 per $1 match with a maximum of $5,000 (USD) distributed from the Fund.

Since its inception nearly 17 years ago, the POWER Fund has distributed more than $11 MILLION in grant relief to employees and their families.

POWER Fund dark-01_stefanie anderson An.png

Related Resources

Charitable Giving

Donations

Shared Value Partnerships

Project Gift Annual Snapshot

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Sustainability News

Southwire’s El Paso Plant Reapproved as a VPP Star Site

January 17, 2023

Southwire’s plant located in El Paso, Texas, has been reapproved as a Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Star site from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

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Southwire Partners with Spring Health to Provide Mental Health Benefits

December 07, 2022

As the company seeks to sustain a culture that acknowledges the importance of mental health and wellness, Southwire has announced a partnership with Spring Health, a new Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

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Southwire Nears Completion of State-of-the-Art Copper Rod Plant in Carrollton, Ga.

November 29, 2022

As part of more than a billion-dollar modernization commitment across its footprint, Southwire is nearing the completion of construction on a new, state-of-the art rod plant in Carrollton, Ga

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Southwire Announces Investment with Sinclair Digital Services

November 22, 2022

Supporting the company's growth strategy and building toward its goal to remain generationally-sustainable, Southwire is pleased to announce a new commercial investment with Sinclair Digital Services, Inc.

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Southwire’s Starkville Plant Receives VPP Recertification

October 19, 2022

Southwire’s plant located in Starkville, Miss., has received a three-year Occupational Health and Safety $OSHA$ Voluntary Protection Program $VPP$ recertification.

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