BMW committed to 'strategic CSR' to solve social problems

BMW has made helping solve social problems in China a part of its core strategies, said the German premium automaker's regional vice-president.

"Sustainable development is our No 1 strategy and corporate social responsibility is a key part of the strategy," said Sun Wei, vice-president, corporate affairs, BMW Group Region China.

Dubbing it "strategic CSR", Sun said BMW is committed to undertaking programs that utilize the company's advantages to solve social problems rather than simply giving out donations as many companies do.

"Speaking of our programs, we emphasize long-term involvement, practical results and extensive participation," Sun said.

One of the first companies to initiate CSR projects in China, BMW started offering training sessions on traffic safety for children aged 4 to 9 in 2005.

They have thus far helped some 370,000 children in 63 cities across the country learn the importance of observing traffic rules.

Chen Jieguang, a reporter in Chengdu, Sichuan province, said he was embarrassed when he was caught breaking a rule by his son, who had received lessons from BMW.

"He said it is wrong to break the rules and asked me why I did wrong things. At that moment, I was really embarrassed. I have to say, his words were even more effective than a policeman's punishment."

BMW is now offering a mobile phone application on traffic safety to benefit more people and plans to introduce similar training sessions for adults, said Yang Meihong, vice-president, public relations and CSR, BMW Brilliance Automotive.

She said the sessions would begin with BMW employees, who would then give free lessons at the schools their children attend to reach more students and their parents.

In addition to traffic safety sessions, BMW is offering lessons on quality assessment to primary students at its Tiexi plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

"Through the lessons, they will learn how quality matters and acquire the awareness of working diligently to improve the quality of the things they do," Yang said.

Cultural preservation

In addition to education, cultural preservation is a major focus of BMW's corporate social responsibility programs.

The automaker started a project called Culture Journey in 2007, which is an annual trip that aims to help protect local culture and promote cross-cultural understanding and social inclusion.

Over the past eight years, the journey has traveled across 21 provinces and municipalities, and explored six national cultural ecological protection zones and more than 210 intangible cultural heritage items.

The automaker has donated 8 million yuan ($1.3 million) to preserve 77 endangered cultural heritage items and fund research in China.

BMW said that, through the journeys, participants had deepened their understanding of "heritage" and been deeply moved by inheritors' adherence to their cultural beliefs.

The company believes the meaning of life is to pass on something to future generations.

Those on the Culture Journeys saw that the ancient wisdom and spirit of their Chinese ancestors could be passed on through the dedication and devotion of an individual, a family, or indeed, an entire ethnic group.

Environmental protection

BMW is also making efforts to help environmental protection in China. It has joined with ShanShui Conservation Center, an organization that focuses on environmental protection in the Sanjiangyuan region, and donated 3 million yuan to help finance the center's efforts.

Sanjiangyuan literally means the source of three rivers: the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River. The three rivers provide water to as many as 600 million people, almost half the population of China.

From July 10 through 17, the BMW Warm Heart Fund organized a total of 60 BMW car owners, dealers and associates to visit Zaduo county in the region.

Twenty of these people joined ShanShui experts to collect grass samples and monitor traces of snow leopards and rock goats.

Experts will use the information to learn more about the ecology of the region and come up with more effective suggestions on how to protect it.

Another 40 volunteers gave lessons at two local middle schools to help students learn more about their hometown and the importance of environmental protection in the region.

Many volunteers declined to use the word "teaching" to describe their activities, saying their goal was to share information and bring the students happiness.

It was the ninth visit organized by the BMW Warm Heart Fund to Yushu since a disastrous earthquake claimed 2,698 lives there in 2010.

"We do not do one-time things. We prefer long-term commitments that involve more people," said Li Yingjun, a senior manager of the fund that was established after the Wenquan earthquake in 2008.

"Donations are easy and sensational, but we choose a road that is more difficult but will benefit more people. I believe that is why we have attracted more and more people to join us," Li said.

Statistics show that hundreds of BMW owners, dealers and associates in China have assisted local people in Yushu since 2010 and at least 70,000 nationwide are helping in their own communities.

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/27/2015 page19)