I would like to thank Ecochimie for the professional opportunity offered to me during this internship. I would like to thank my supervisor Audrey Buisson and all my colleagues in the environmental department for their help, support and guidance over the past four months. I was able to learn a lot from this company. I am very proud to have been able to do my first internship in this company. I would like to emphasize that this experience has made me grow professionally and taught me professional rigor. I was able to discover the world of industrial chemistry and its components. Finally, I would like to thank all the Ecochimie team for welcoming me to their company, as well as Mr. Schull and Ms. Yang for their generous support of my internship through the Schull Yang International Experience Awards.
Internships are an important part of my Mining Engineering program. I applied to several online internship offers. I was immediately interested in Ecochimie, because this company is a small business. Also, doing an international internship was an incredible opportunity for me. I liked the responsibilities I had to undertake since environmental engineering听is an area in which I would like to evolve later. In addition, the company was immediately welcoming and caring from the beginning of my interactions with them, which allowed me to feel comfortable.
Ecochimie is a French company created in 1990 whose CEO is Pascal Buisson. The company is located on Reunion Island, and sells its products on the Island and in France, mostly. It consists of a factory that manufactures, stores and distributes various maintenance products for floors, windows, laundry, and other types of industrial detergents. It is a company that is committed to getting involved in the community. In addition, they specialize in the manufacture, packaging and marketing of household products for hotels, schools, hospitals and large restaurants. Household products are designed directly from chemicals purchased throughout Europe.
The household products are directly manufactured with chemical compounds, dyes, scents and for most household products, bleach. After the manufacturing process, they are sent to the second part of the factory where they are packaged, labeled, and stored while waiting to be shipped.
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During this internship I held the role of environmental trainee within the QHSE managers. My role was to ensure that the environment around Ecochimie was not polluted and to monitor the risks in case of pollution. Since my internship was remote, I was able to be very autonomous in my work and make decisions. At the beginning of my internship, the team presented the product design techniques to me. After that, several tasks were asked of me, such as completing product documentation with sections such as: GHS (Globally Harmonized System), REACH, signage within the company, fire prevention, shelving, etc. The team trusted me to carry out this internship, which enabled me to improve my organization skills, my autonomy and my initiative in particular. In addition, since my internship took place remotely, I was mainly in contact with my internship supervisor Audrey Buisson via email. My tasks were planned and explained to me by my supervisor and I communicated very little with other team members. I was also frequently in touch with the head of the laboratory by email, who sent me the results of the pH tests for me to analyze. Every two weeks I had a Zoom meeting with my internship supervisor to inform her of my progress in the various tasks involved in my internship, and my research. During these meetings she gave me advice on how to improve my report and the sections to be added to it.
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During this internship, I was able to learn about the environmental impact of a company that processes chemicals. I was also able to understand the industrial processes of transformation. In addition, I was able to learn more about European regulations on the use of chemicals. During my university career I was able to carry out research the various effects of mining on the environment. Writing this report has allowed me to deepen my interest in the environment, and to want to have an active role in its protection. Moreover, this international activity confirmed that this is an area where I would like to evolve in the future. The funding I received allowed me to finance this internship which had an important impact on my future projects. Indeed, I intend to undertake a minor in environment to specialize in this field and make it part of my future profession if possible. Thank you, Mr. Schull and Ms. Yang for your generous support!
