Employee initiatives strengthen community in Poland
Across the globe, several DeLaval sites implement social sustainability strategies adapted to their unique local needs and conditions. Our sites in Wroclaw and Dobre Miasto in Poland have made a strong social impact in their community. The initiatives led by the employees have changed lives, both inside and outside the walls of DeLaval.
As a worldwide company, we have global policies on social sustainability that support our people, strengthen engagement, and promote their well-being. At the same time, our local operations framework gives each site the freedom to act on this commitment in its own way.
Through the local management team, focus has been placed on three pillars of its social sustainability efforts: taking care of employees, supporting the local community, and caring for the environment.
“Our aim has been to encourage people to share their ideas and create change naturally from the bottom up,” says Aleksandra Pietroń, Senior Communication Specialist.
The committed employees have made full use of this opportunity and have submitted 67 different initiatives since 2023. Of these, 45 have already been implemented and helped improve life for employees, the local community, and the environment in Wroclaw and Dobre Miasto in Poland.
“Our aim has been to encourage people to share their ideas and create change naturally from the bottom up,”
says Aleksandra Pietroń, Senior Communication Specialist.
Employee well-being through engagement
A key focus for improving employee well-being has been enhancing the workday through corporate programmes supported by our employee-driven initiatives.
One initiative to improve employee wellness led to the annual Health Day, where everyone could participate in activities such as yoga classes, self-defence courses, football matches, and dermatology consultations.
Another way our initiatives have made a difference is through team activities that bring co-workers together around good causes and shared experiences.
One place our employees showed their engagement was at the Corporate Run in Wroclaw 2025, where 58 DeLaval employees participated in the race. 18 of the employees' children also took part in the Kid’s Run, which also created an opportunity for family bonding.
The charity event supported the Everest Foundation, an organisation that helps children with mobility impairments and gain access to treatment and rehabilitation. This is one of the ways we link employee well-being with local community support.
Yoga class during Health Days.
Serving the local community with DeLaval passion
At the heart of our sustainability goals is our commitment to improve the lives of others outside DeLaval. That’s why engagement with our local community is so important to us, and in Poland, it plays a major role in our social sustainability efforts.
Since the next generation will be crucial to every sustainability effort, several employees have visited schools and kindergartens to educate children about dairy farming, cows, milking, and working at DeLaval.
Anna Proszczuk, Software Engineer, is one of our employees who has visited schools in the Wroclaw area. She held an educational session at a primary school where the children learned fun facts about cows, asked questions, and interacted with a child-friendly milking model.
Another of our committed employees is Maciej Matys, Quality Process and Data Coordinator, who has spent the last two years coordinating our volunteer work for the To the Rescue for Children with Cancer Foundation.
Our volunteers have participated in numerous initiatives, such as setting up sensory rooms for children who can’t go outside to play, transporting stuffed animals between hospitals, and preparing the stadium for the Children and Youth Oncology Games.
Another project that Maciej Matys remembers dearly is when they repainted and refurbished a run-down apartment so that a girl recovering from serious illness could move home from the hospital.
“It took us three months to restore the apartment so the girl could live there without it affecting her health, but it really gave us the opportunity to meet and connect with the people we are helping,” says Maciej Matys.
“It took us three months to restore the apartment so the girl could live there without it affecting her health, but it really gave us the opportunity to meet and connect with the people we are helping,”
- Maciej Matys
DeLaval volunteers during refurbishing the apartment.
Environmental care is part of our daily life
In 2025, many initiatives have also supported the environment. Our employees have contributed to everything from our global greenhouse gas emission goals to improving the local environment for our employees.
The clothing swap is one of our many recurring initiatives that supports both global goals and local social improvements. Started by three employees, the initiative gives us the opportunity to exchange clothes, reducing the need to buy new ones.
“The fashion industry accounts for a high amount of CO₂e emissions and hazardous chemicals, and has a negative impact on the environment. This way we give our clothes a second life, and everything that doesn't find a new owner is donated to charity,” says Katarzyna Dzusajew, Sourcing Excellence Manager and part of the Global Sustainability Group.
We also organise Bike-to-Work days during the year, inspiring all employees to leave their car at home and choose an eco-friendly transportation to work. As part of the initiative, employees have also created a DeLaval bike route map, showing the best ways to bike to work from all directions.
In support of the local wildlife and to create better work environments, we have planted a flower meadow right outside one of our factories, giving insects a haven and ourselves more relaxing surroundings.
From circularity to eco-friendly transport and biodiversity, environmental thinking at DeLaval always begins with our people, benefits our planet, and flows back into our everyday lives. True people-driven change.
From circularity to eco-friendly transport and biodiversity, environmental thinking at DeLaval always begins with our people, benefits our planet, and flows back into our everyday lives. True people-driven change.
Clothing swap initiative
Our framework keeps encouraging new initiatives
While we are grateful for all the initiatives that have come organically from our employees, we also recognise the strength of our social sustainability strategy, which provided the platform that made these initiatives possible.
Our local management team previously laid down a strategy roadmap for 2023-2025. They appointed a committee, which evaluates all submitted initiatives and gives necessary support.
And as we at DeLaval continually follow up with employee feedback, we are also developing the framework for the coming years to ensure that current and future initiatives keep improving and that our community grows stronger.
