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Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility

Zoltek, as a part of Toray Group, strategically practices social responsibility throughout the year. Activities are designed to improve social welfare and the environment of the communities in which we operate. A variety of organizations benefit each year with the overall goal of positively affecting the world in which we live. Check back regularly to see what new philanthropic and sustainable activities are happening at Zoltek.

Zoltek Corporate Philosophy

Contributing to society through the creation of new value by innovative ideas, technologies, and products.

Current Social Programs

Earth Day Clothing Drive

Now – April 21, 2022

Missouri Research Park Location

We will be collecting donations of

  • Gently Worn Clothes
  • Books
  • Toys
  • Small Household Items

Every year, the U.S. alone creates over 292.4 million tons of waste per year. In other words, that equals roughly….4.9 pounds per person, per day! Help us do our part to reduce waste and make a positive impact on our planet by recycling gently used clothing and household items.

Your donations will be recycled for sale and 100% of the collection proceeds enable Family Forward to continue providing innovative programming to build safer, healthier relationships for children and families in the St. Louis area.

St. Louis Crisis Nursery Collection

Staff at St. Peters and MRP are purchasing reduced price memory foam insoles and all the money is being donated to Saint Louis Crisis Nursery. If you are interested in participating, please contact your HR rep.

The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and provides emergency intervention, respite care, and support to families in crisis.

Environmental Initiatives

Waste Reduction & Recycling

We recently set a new goal for ourselves: recycle at least 80% of the non-hazardous waste at our production facilities. We have achieved that goal!

The team at our St. Peters facility has worked to refine their production processes resulting in 20% less waste being produced by pultrusion production.

Renewable Energy to Produce Carbon Fiber

The Zoltek facility located in Nyergesújfalu, Hungary, has begun using electricity produced from renewable resources. At 15,000 MT of annual capacity, this Zoltek location is the largest fully integrated carbon fiber plant in the world, with production of PAN precursor, carbon fiber, and downstream value added products like fabrics and pultrusion all produced at one site. By switching to electricity from renewable resources throughout the entire process chain, 5000 metric tons of CO2 is saved annually. Click here to learn more.

Water Recycling

Our Guadalajara site recycles over 95% of the water used in the production and services process and our Nyergesújfalu location reduced water consumption by optimizing its process. The facility now treats not only the water consumed by the plant but also the wastewater generated by the city of Nyergesújfalu.

Energy Savings

Zoltek facilities in the St. Louis area have been making upgrades to save energy. Parking lot lights and office lights were replaced with high efficiency LEDs. Additionally, both the compressed air system and the air conditioning systems were upgraded to newer more efficient models. In total, this resulted in 832 metric tons of CO2 emissions saved. 

Spring Blood Drive

In March, Zoltek hosted it’s bi-annual blood drive at our corporate headquarters in Bridgeton, Missouri. Employees from all departments participated. We collected 14 units of blood!

Holiday Collection

The team at our Headquarters location collected wishlist items for Lydia’s House in St. Louis. Lydia’s House is the only transitional housing program in Eastern Missouri that is specifically for battered and abused women and their children. Lydia’s House offers secure housing and an advocate to help guide each family through the recovery process. Items collected were distributed to families utilizing the services of Lydia’s House during the Christmas Holiday.

For more information visit www.lydiashouse.org.

Food Drive

The team at our St. Peters location collected food for the St. Louis Area Foodbank in December. The shifts competed against each other to collect the most food and ended up collecting over 3,600 pounds in total! Great work to all!

For more information about the St. Louis Area Foodbank, visit: www.stlfoodbank.org.

Food Drive

Employees at Zoltek’s Missouri Research Park location hosted a food drive to benefit the St. Louis Area Foodbank in November. In total they collected 617 pounds and will provide 504 meals to those in need!

Fall Blood Drive

In September, Zoltek hosted it’s bi-annual blood drive at our corporate headquarters in Bridgeton, Missouri. Employees from all departments participated. We exceeded our goal and collected 18 units of blood!

Ranken Jordan Collection

Employees in St. Louis came together to collect items for the Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital during the month of June. Books, toys, games, and craft kits, as well as, over $600 were collected to help entertain the children staying at Ranken Jordan as they transition from hospital to home.

Holiday Food Drive

Employees at our St. Peters location came together to collect non perishable food items for STL Foodbank. Over 1,600 pounds were collected during this drive! Additional donations of $450 each for St. Louis Crisis Nursery and Five Acres Animal Shelter were collected as well!

Pattonville Community Toy Drive

In December, employees at Zoltek Headquarters collected new, unwrapped toys for the annual Pattonville Fire Protection District Toy Drive. All toys benefitted families in the Pattonville Community that were in need of extra help during the Holiday Season.

Needy Pet Supply Drive

Food, blankets, beds, cleaning products and toys were gathered during the first two weeks of August by employees at Zoltek HQ. All items collected were donated to Stray Rescue of St. Louis, an organization that rescues animals who have been abused and neglected.

Virtual Food Drive

Employees at Zoltek HQ hosted a virtual food drive to support the St. Louis Area Foodbank. In total, $860 was raised to assist those in our community effected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Banana Bread Bake-off

Zoltek HQ hosted its first ever Banana Bread Bake-Off to coincide with National Banana Bread Day and raise money for Meals on Wheels America. Employees baked their own versions of the sweet treat to enter into the competition. Entries were tasted and judged by fellow employees who donated to the worthy cause.

Holiday Drive at St. Peters Location

Employees at our St. Peters location collected non-perishable food items, gifts and monetary donations for local non-profits during the month of December.

Teams collected food for the St. Louis Area Foodbank, as well as, an array of gifts for Crisis Nursery!

Saint Nicholas Day

In December, Zoltek’s Nyergesújfalu location gave back to local school children with their celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day. In Hungary, St. Nicholas is called “Mikulás” and he is known to gives presents to those children who behaved well during the year. Mikulás visited the Kernstock Károly elementary school and the kindergarten of Nyergesújfalu. Mikulás brought red Zoltek bags that were packed with sweets and fruits.

Zoltek's Summer Swim Camp

Each summer, Zoltek’s Nyergesújfalu location hosts a swim camp. Young campers are invited to attend the camp free of charge to learn to swim safely. This past August, 21 children, as young as age 4 attended the camp.  Children participated in structured swim lessons, and played guided games to further enhance their skills.

Ronald McDonald House

In August 2019, Zoltek employees and their families cooked dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House as a part of the Meals from the Heart program. This program invites volunteers to come into the Ronald McDonald House facility and cook meals for the families staying in the facility while their children receive care from the neighboring hospital.

Used Shoe Drive

During the month of April, Zoltek employees collected several dozen pairs of shoes. These were donated to ShoeCrew Water Project, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in developing nations worldwide.

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