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.
Four-Year Impact of the Sustainability Scholarship Program
Since its launch in 2022, Arkema’s Sustainability Scholarship Program has made a meaningful difference in castor farming communities across Gujarat. Over the past four years, 4,594 students aged 16 to 18 from 16 local schools have taken part in educational sessions led by Arkema’s dedicated team.
Each year, students have participated in a competition —including sports, essay writing, and artwork competitions—centered around the theme of sustainability. To date, 69 students have been awarded scholarships and prizes in recognition of their outstanding contributions and creativity.
The program aims to empower castor-farming communities by fostering awareness and encouraging the next generation to take an active role in building a more sustainable future. Arkema remains committed to continuing this initiative in the years to come.
2025 Scholarship Ceremony
The Scholarship Ceremony has become a cherished tradition, bringing together students, parents, and teachers to celebrate the achievements of our competition winners. In 2024-2025, more than 1300 students participated in sustainability awareness lectures. Among the participants of the competition in sports and art, 24 winners were awarded scholarships and prizes. This year’s event was especially meaningful, featuring a heartfelt speech from one of the original scholarship recipients, who shared how the program has positively shaped her life. The ceremony also offers the Arkema team a valuable opportunity to connect with students and families from castor farming communities, where the journey of our bio-based materials begins.
2024 Scholarship Ceremony
In 2024, more than one thousand students from 4 schools in castor farming villages participated in Arkema's Sustainability awareness lectures. The Arkema team worked closely with the teachers, students and parents and raised awareness about high-performance materials made from castor oil and their impact on the final product. As a result of the competitions in art, elocution and model making, nine students were awarded scholarships and prizes.
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.
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.
