World’s finest spirits and wines beverage company, Pernod Ricard, has organised the 8th edition of Responsib’ALL Day. The event, which took place on 7th June, 2018, started with an exciting adventure: “Bringing the Osu Klottey Lagoon back to life”.
Pernod Ricard believes that companies have a responsibility and must be leaders in environmental protection. As such, the company signed a partnership with Impact 2030 to bring together actors from the private sector, civil society and academia to encourage employees to help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To commemorate the day, Pernod Ricard Ghana, in partnership with Accra Metropolitan Assembly and Pronet (an NGO), dredged the Klottey Lagoon to allow the free flow of the sea into the lagoon, cleaned the community’s beach by removing over 12 cubic meters of plastic waste and committed to support the Klottey Ena community and the Osu Klottey Sub metro on the long-term.
The exercise which brought together all 26 employees of Pernod Ricard Ghana, had the objective of supporting and contributing to SDG 6- Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG15- Life on Land. The employees sought to drum home the importance of keeping the environment clean and healthy.
Speaking on the project, Managing Director for Pernod Ricard Ghana and West Africa, Gregory Leymarie, affirms that “Because we believe that picking up plastic waste during one day a year will not change the face of this part of their community, we have decided to fight this sanitation issue at its root; what is not thrown away will not end up on the beach nor in the ocean”.
He revealed that “We are currently, working on a plan to subsidise an entrepreneurial venture to be managed by inhabitants of the Klottey Ena community and pay for collected plastics that would be brought to a recycling plant”.
Mr. Leymarie explained that the partnership with the Osu Klottey Sub-Metro of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly was not new, adding that “In the 2016 and 2017 editions of Responsib’All Day, we renovated the Osu Social Centre which was subsequently used as a venue for providing skill training for the Community”.
He, therefore, called on all to shun any activity which could disturb the measures put in place to address the problem of sanitation in the country.
For his part, Group’s Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, Alexandre Ricard, said “there can be no conviviality without responsibility, and being ‘créateurs de convivialité’ means above all considering that sustainable value can only truly exist when it is created for the benefit of all. I am proud of all Pernod Ricard employees who act as passionate hosts and respectful guests during their daily business.”
The 8th edition of Responsib’ALL Day which focused on the SDG 15 “Life on Land” and on the SDG 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation” was marked globally by all workers of Pernod Ricard; this years’ event saw about 18,500 employees bring “good times from a good place”. Employees from more than 85 affiliates around the world engaged in over 100 local community projects to show their commitment and contribution to society.
