DS Smith engages with students on sustainability and career opportunities

The representatives of DS Smith, the leading sustainable packaging company, participated in the event “Career Introduction – Planning and Motivation” organized, in physical format, within the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection “Cristofor Simionescu”, from “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași, which took place on May 9.

During the event, the representatives of DS Smith Paper Zărnești, Marius Juncanariu, General Director, and Diana Ciuraru, Director of Human Resources, spoke to the students about sustainability, the concept that is at the heart of the company’s circular business model, about the sustainable process of paper production, as well as about the opportunities offered to students and graduates within the DS smith Zărnești factory. The students of the Paper Engineering Field, Bachelor’s Degree Program, also participated in the event, being very interested in the topics addressed by the representatives of DS Smith.

DS Smith Zărnești has started a partnership with the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași through which students will have the chance to participate in a paid internship. The program will last 2 months, in the summer, during which the participants will gain experience and practical skills, under the careful coordination of the specialists from the DS Smith team. At the same time, young people will benefit from accommodation and transport.

Marius Juncanariu, Director, DS Smith Zărnești, stated: „Through this internship project we aim to offer young people a concrete link between academia and business. Students have the opportunity to work in a factory of international standards, whose strategy is sustainability, and to discover their potential. We hope that through this program, they will be able to find out more about the profession they want to choose.”

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Diana Ciuraru, Director of Human Resources at DS Smith Zărnești, said: „We are glad that we were part of this project through which we were able to talk to young people about the protection of natural resources by obtaining the most of each fiber, reducing waste and pollution through circular solutions. Moreover, we are proud to give them the chance to work in a factory, and why not, to start a career at DS Smith.”

This is the latest in a series of initiaitives that the paper mill in Zarnesti has developed to support education and sustainability in the local area – helping the company to deliver on it’s Now & Next Sustainability Strategy target of engaging 5 million young people by 2030 on the circular economy and circular lifestykles. Two years ago, the company entered into a partnership with middle schools in Zărnești, Brașov county, through which over 570 students participated in interactive sessions on topics such as environmental protection, selective waste collection and the circular economy. The program continues this year at the Poiana Mărului No. 1. Gymnasium School.

DS Smith Zărnești is the largest paper manufacturer in Romania, covering almost half of domestic demand.

DS Smith’s operations in Romania include a recycling center in Bucharest, two recycling depots in Otopeni and Cluj Napoca, a paper mill in Zărnești, two packaging production units in Ghimbav and Timișoara, and three service centers in Pitești, Timișoara and Otopeni, employing more than 650 people in total.