Sustainable policies in leather tanneries: MSc student Nina Schneider publishes study through UNIDO

Building on successful internships at both UNIDO (the United Nations Industrial Development Organization ) and UNESCAP (United Nation Economic & Social Commission of Asia-Pacific), third semester of the Master of Science in Sustainable Development, Management and Policy student Nina Schneider has recently published a case study through UNIDO titled ’Neutral Management Policies for Engaging, and Retaining Employees in ISA TanTec Ltd, an Environmentally-Conscious Leather Finishing Company with two Facilities: Heshan TanTec (China) and Saigon TanTec (Vietnam)’’.

The paper’s aim is to advise leather tanneries (tanning & finishing) of the potential merits of adopting socially blind, neutral hiring and retaining labor policies, and therefore building a corporate culture in which merit and hard work are valued over simple characteristics such as such as gender, socioeconomic status, culture stereotypes. It showcases that ISA TanTec is considered a global leader in sustainable, top-quality leather production, recognized by the world’s top footwear brands.

She was selected for publication by her supervisor at UNIDO, Mr. Ivan Kral of Agro-Industries Technology Unit. He works primarily in sustainable leather production and saw value in understanding gender differences given a 1997 review of women's participation in Asia's leather industries, which stated that there are significant biases against women employment in this industry/region.

Nina is of Taiwanese/German heritage and was raised in China before heading to New York, USA for her BSc, and then to her current home of Vienna. A highly qualified multicultural and multilingual ‘global citizen’ she has a strong interest in sustainable development for developing and troubled nations in Asia, with years of experience working in the field of sustainable development, community development, policy analysis, and social entrepreneurship. She specializes in primary and raw data collection and analyses, policy research, in-depth case studies, and statistical processes.

‘’I consider myself a data scientist who works in the field of sustainable development, and as such, I felt tremendously grateful for the opportunity to carry out my research from start to finish under the guidance of the United Nations, an organization for which I am cultivating my skills and technical knowledge, ’’ says Nina. ‘’This publication is only the first step in a long research career. In fact, I have recently accepted a consultant job offer from United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia-Pacific to assist in the data analysis of the new Sustainable Development Goals.’’

While this article was largely produced outside of MU, Dr. Ivo Ponocny and Dr. Christian Weismayer of the Department of Applied Statistics and Economics offered Nina much valued and patient assistance. ‘’Both individuals not only helped with the analysis of this publication, they have pushed the boundaries of my knowledge in data science and applied statistics,’’ she says.

MODUL University Vienna congratulates Nina on her publication and wishes her all the best in her career path!