NEWS

Beijing, April 29th, 2019. Volkswagen Group China received the “Top 10 Charitable Enterprises” award at the 16th China Charity Ranking 2019 Awards Ceremony in Beijing. The event is an annual review, led by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, in which individuals’ and companies’ efforts in charity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are recognized.

“It is a great honor for Volkswagen Group China to receive this award,” said Dr. Stephan Wöllenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Group China. “For the past 35 years, Volkswagen Group China has been a part of Chinese society, as a true citizen. We are connected to China’s future and we are fully committed to doing more, actively furthering the sustainable development of this country, our second home.”

As one of the first multinational enterprises in China, Volkswagen Group China not only provides high-quality products and services to consumers, but also sees the sustainable development of Chinese society as one of its main responsibilities. With the support of the CSR & Sustainability Steering Committee, which is composed of members of the Group’s board of directors, and funding from Volkswagen Group China ZHIXING CSR Fund, achievements have been made in the five key areas of Volkswagen Group China’s CSR efforts - environmental protection, sustainable mobility, sports development, art and culture, as well as social care.

Volkswagen Group China attaches great importance to environmental protection. Volkswagen Group China and the China Environmental Protection Foundation (CEPF) initiated the “1000 Environmental-Friendly Teacher Ambassadors Action Program - Sowing for a Green Future” program, which has trained nearly 7,000 teachers on environmental issues and environmental education methods, which they can apply into their daily teaching practice. Partnered with Goethe Institute, “Youth Environment Ambassador Action & Education Program” (YEAAEP) promotes environmental knowledge and practice to teachers and students, enabling them to contribute their own strength to the sustainable development of the environment.

Volkswagen Group China focuses on child road safety issues. Since 2005, a series of public welfare activities, including research, educational TV programs, child safety seat donations, educational roadshows, legislation promotion etc., have been carried out. In 2018, jointly with the China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF), VGC launched the first Child Traffic-Friendly Community Program in China. As part of VGC sustainable mobility vision, this Chengdu based pilot program achieved initial progress with expertise and knowledge contributed by Volkswagen Child Road Safety Experience Center in the city.

Sports is a key area in youth developement. Taking “More Than A Match” as the concept, Volkswagen Group China introduced football resources from VfL Wolfsburg, together with the China Sports Foundation, Chinese Football Association and its two joint ventures FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC VOLKSWAGEN, to support the growth of Chinese young people and the sustainable development of junior football. At the same time, the training sessions for youth football coaches held in China and Germany provided a rare learning and improvement platform for Chinese youth football coaches.

Volkswagen Group China has also made significant contributions in art and culture. In 2016, Volkswagen Group China presented its new cultural exchange strategy “PACE” - short for Participation, Connection, Education and Exchange, which has made cultural activities come alive. It has also sponsored and supported Rain Room, a large-scale interactive artwork, the art exhibition Deutschland 8, Theatertreffen‘s China Tour, the China Youth Music Competition-Hummingbird Awards and other cultural projects.

Moreover, Volkswagen Group China has also actively engaged in the area of social care. It donated funds for emergency rescue and disaster relief, joined the "Rainbow Bridge Project" public welfare program at the invitation of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and promoted the development of vocational education and youth football with non-governmental diplomacy and cultural exchanges as the core.

The Volkswagen Group has always strived to be the most responsible and trustworthy partner of China, acting as an advocate and role model. Volkswagen Group China places significant importance in environmental protection for now and the future, and aims to further contribute to the sustainable development of the Chinese society.

Volkswagen Group China Recognized as Top 10 Charitable Enterprises at the 16th China Charity Ranking 2019

Dr. Liu, Yunfeng, Executive Vice President and Corporate & JV Affairs of Volkswagen Group China, Delivered the Award Speech on behalf of the company