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Ecolab Volunteers

Volunteerism

Through our Community Relations Department, Ecolab associates, past and present, are encouraged to become involved in programs that focus on:

  • Youth & Education
  • Civic & Community Development (basic needs and job development)
  • Arts & Culture
  • Environment & Conservation

Employees can volunteer in a number of ways such as packing and sorting items at food shelves, team onsite kit builds assembling supplies for individuals in need, mentoring youth on STEM-related topics and volunteering with global partners such as Project WET and Habitat for Humanity. 

Volunteering Around the Globe

In 2019, Ecolab employees volunteered more than 62,000 hours. This includes employees who volunteered in their communities who qualified for matching funds through our Dollars for Doers and Board Leadership volunteer grant programs, as well as teams of Ecolab employees in 26 countries around the globe who participated in the Ecolab Foundation's Global Team Volunteer Programme. This programme encourages employees to contribute their time and talent with select partners, encouraging volunteerism in the community, in addition to financial support to non-profit organizations. 

Examples of Ecolab team’s giving back: 

  • Science Education Leadership Team (SELT) volunteers increase science, technology, engineering, and math awareness for more than 2,000 students annually in Minnesota through the “Kids & Chemistry” programme, Bring Your Child to Work Day, city and state-level science fairs, Science Fusion outreach at the Science Museum of Minnesota and STARBASE Minnesota. 
  • One of Ecolab’s key initiatives is the Solutions for Life programme whose mission is to conserve water and improve hygiene around the world through nonprofit organizations.  Our Ecolab employees are able to support this initiative by volunteering with two leading global nonprofits:  the Project WET Foundation and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).  Project WET volunteering allowed employees to give back to their communities by teaching youth about water conservation and healthy hygiene practices in 98 countries.  The partnership with The Nature Conservancy helped facilitate hundreds of our employees in helping to protect critical land and water resources through various volunteer preservation and restoration projects.
  • Through the Ecolab Foundation’s Dollars for Doers and Board Leadership programs, employees and retirees can apply for a grant in support of their volunteer hours with qualifying U.S. non-profits as well as their board leadership positions. To date, 4,740 grants, totaling $1.6 million have been awarded through these programs supporting employees and retirees as they give of their time and talent in their own communities on their own time.
  • Ecolab is proud that our volunteer programs stretch from our headquarters in St. Paul, MN to areas all over the world, including employees from 29 different countries who are part of a Global Volunteerism Council that meets quarterly to connect and share best practices around volunteering in their communities.