Moving forward together

Jun 30, 2024 | 2 min read

Whether it’s an all-out training session after work or a walk during your lunch break – exercise is healthy.

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Finding the necessary motivation, however, can be hard. This is especially true for working out alone – so why not do it together?

Extending the focus from individual fitness to the well-being of others also helps to defeat the inner couch potato for good.

Assuming responsibility for the result

This is the principle behind the Calorie Cup, an initiative that combines physical fitness with social commitment. Since 2020, employees from Syntegon locations around the world have been exercising for two weeks at a time to burn as many calories as possible together – and do good in the process. Employees can choose their preferred exercise, be it walking or cycling, solo yoga, or ball sports in a team. The joint result is what counts: for every calorie burned, Syntegon donates one euro cent or the equivalent in the local currency to a good cause.

The recipients are social institutions from the regions of the participating locations that are active in the areas of healthcare, food supply, education, science, or environmental aid.

“As a global company, it is our responsibility to act sustainably worldwide – both ecologically and socially.”

Yvonne Gillet, Vice President Sustainability at Syntegon

Commitment that connects

The employees’ enthusiasm for the good cause is not only reflected in the repeated high level of participation in the Calorie Cup. The initiative originates from within the workforce itself and connects colleagues worldwide.

In 2024, for example, the Derby and Bristol (UK), Sandved (Denmark), Tokyo (Japan), as well as Remshalden, Dresden and Waiblingen (Germany) sites took part – and cumulatively reached 477,179 calories burned.

The Waiblingen participants in the Syntegon Calorie Cup alone burned a total of 113,663 calories in 2024. While Syntegon rounded up the amount raised at some locations – from EUR 642 to EUR 1,000 in Dresden, for example – the company doubled the sum in Waiblingen. Site manager Markus Reitz had the honor of handing over the symbolic cheque for EUR 2,274 to Erika Severin and Ralf Hertwig from the Waiblingen food bank. Erika Severin’s conclusion:

“It’s great to see what many individuals can achieve through joint effort. We are thrilled that Syntegon is supporting people in the region!”

Erika Severin, Waiblingen food bank