On April 19th 2023, Zhanjiang Mayor Mr. Zeng Jinze (曾进泽) and a delegation visited SGD Pharma's China plant and met with CEO Olivier Rousseau, COO Christophe Muguet, and the local team at SGD Pharma China led by General Manager Frederic Barbier (法得利) and Deputy General Manager Mrs. Zheng Chunyan (郑春燕). The visit was followed by a productive exchange on April 20th 2023 with Zhanjiang Vice Mayor Mr. Zhang Renjian (张仁建) and his team.
Zhanjiang is a vibrant city located in southern China with a bustling port, a population of 7 million people, and a thriving economy. SGD Pharma has had a longstanding partnership with Zhanjiang city for over 25 years, and its manufacturing site specializing in Type II & III molded glass for Pharma and Beauty, is located here.
During the meetings, CEO Olivier Rousseau presented SGD Pharma's plan to make a significant investment in 2024 to rebuild the plant furnace, thus creating more jobs and providing room for further growth for the next 15 years. Mayor Zeng Jinze and Vice Mayor Zhang Renjian both showed particular interest in SGD Pharma's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint through better energy management and the use of green energy as Zhanjiang uses wind and solar power.
Mayor Zeng Jinze and CEO Olivier Rousseau also discussed SGD Pharma's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Mayor Zeng Jinze encouraged SGD Pharma to continue being an exemplary member of the Zhanjiang community, providing its employees with working conditions that respect all related laws in China. CEO Olivier Rousseau reaffirmed SGD Pharma's commitment to maintain its SA8000 certification, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to best practices in terms of both working environment and regulatory compliance.
Finally, both Mayor Zeng Jinze and Vice Mayor Zhang Renjian stressed the importance of mangrove preservation for Zhanjiang and the many benefits it brings to society in terms of biodiversity, carbon sync and protection of the coast. CEO Olivier Rousseau explained that SGD Pharma is fully aligned with this vision and has already started planting mangrove trees, with 1000 planted in 2022 by the company. On this trip alone, CEO Olivier Rousseau and COO Christophe Muguet led a team of SGD Pharma employees to plant a further 200 trees and committed to planting many more in the future.
Overall, the meetings showcased the strong relationship between SGD Pharma and Zhanjiang city and their joint commitment to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.