The Arkema
Castor
Scholarship Program
The goal of the scholarship explained by Suresh Ramachandran
The primary goal of the scholarship is to educate the community on downstream sustainability topics while rewarding them for their creativity and passion.
Watch this video interview with Suresh Ramachandran, Country Head, Arkema India, for a brief overview of the program.
Several hundred high school students from the castor region participate in 4 separate art, model-making, and essay-writing competitions every year.
Castor Scholarship 2023
In February 2023 Arkema organized the second annual Castor Scholarship in Gujarat. The ceremony was attended by almost 200 guests – including 18 prize-winning students, their families, teachers and principals – as well as, of course, Arkema and our customers. Digital learning devices such as laptops and iPads were awarded to the winning students in the fields of track and field (physical fitness) and art (paintings and models based on the sustainable castor theme). This event was preceded 4 months ago by a series of lectures given by Arkema employees to the students explaining the detailed concepts of sustainability and the critical role played by the crop grown by their families.
Arkema's customers with students in castor farming communities
Arkema invited over twenty invited guests representing thirteen of Arkema’s global customers who came from Korea, Japan, India, Europe and the USA to Gujarat, India. During the 3-days event, customers who use Arkema's Advanced Bio-Circular materials enjoyed a truly immersive interaction with the farming communities where the castor plant originates. Invited customers to attend the scholarship award ceremony with high-school students, their families, and teachers. We thank invited guests for sharing Arkema's sustainability values and the valuable experience of connecting to castor farming communities.
Castor Scholarship 2022
In 2022 Arkema launched its first Castor Scholarship program in castor farming communities in Gujarat, India. Arkema employees visited high schools in the Palanpur district and presented to students about sustainability, climate change impact reduction, and the vital role played by renewable crops like castor in the production of advanced bio-circular materials. Several hundred students participated in the competition to demonstrate their creative abilities in line with the theme of “a more sustainable future”.
We want to congratulate the winners for their outstanding work and thank the parents and teachers for welcoming us.
Students, teachers and parents all involved
Before launching the competition, Arkema leaders held some informal lectures on the topic of sustainability.
The kids participated with energy and enthusiasm – supported strongly by parents, guardians, and teachers. A cash award was given to the high schools of the winning students. The students themselves received laptops and tablets as prizes.