Automaker drives home CSR message in China

German automaker Volkswagen AG is committed to giving back to society in its "second home of China", said a senior executive of its China operations.

"We are the first international automaker to come to China since reform and opening-up began in 1978...we have long seen China as our second home so we will increase our commitment to the country, including public welfare efforts," said Zhang Suixin, executive vice-president of Volkswagen Group China.

He made the remarks on Tuesday at a junior football summer camp the group sponsored with its two joint ventures - FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen. The camp took place in China's national soccer training center in Xianghe county, Hebei province.

The summer camp attracted 210 students under the age of 12 from nine Chinese cities where Volkswagen has manufacturing facilities.

Zhang said a three-year budget has been earmarked for youth soccer programs, including the summer camp, and revisions will be made to ensure that the programs are successful.

In addition, Volkswagen is offering 90 training sessions at 10 football camps nationwide annually, with each accommodating 120 children.

Zhang said: "Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide. It involves both personal effort and teamwork.

"In China, we have rolled out a number of soccer programs for children of different ages, and we hope the programs can help establish a football related atmosphere and boost exchanges and cooperation between China and Germany through sport and culture."

Volkswagen's bond with soccer in China started when it joined the Rainbow Bridge Project in 2013. Initiated by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the project leverages the organizational experience and support of multinational corporations to support young people from China's less-developed areas.

In March 2014, a junior football team from Shaanxi's Zhidan county and Hubei's Hongan county visited Germany as part of the Volkswagen-sponsored Rainbow Bridge Project. The visit included training sessions and clinics with coaches from VfL Wolfsburg and a friendship match in Berlin against VfL Youth Academy's under-12 team.

Taking responsibility

Soccer features in one of several programs that Volkswagen has been organizing in China, with the two other major ones being environmental protection and sustainable mobility.

Zhang said the automaker established a fund in June with the China Environmental Protection Foundation in the presence of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He said the program will recruit 1,000 teachers every year to serve as ambassadors to promote the importance of environmental protection in the country.

Sustainable mobility is another aspect that Volkswagen has identified as one of its core priorities.

Volkswagen Group China, with its six brands - Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Porsche and Bentley initiated a child safety initiative in 2013 and has since been working with its joint ventures to promote the importance of using child safety seats in cars.

The automaker stressed that the most important aspect is to raise awareness of the issue among parents to educate them about the dangers of not using child safety seats when driving with children.

Statistics show that only 1 percent of young child passengers in China are put in child safety seats, as opposed to more than 90 percent in Europe and North America.

Volkswagen has been partnering with the Ministry of Public Security and the China Automotive Technology & Research Center to promote legislation about the use of child safety seats.

"I hope the legislation can be drafted and introduced as soon as possible so that we can reduce the number of child injuries and fatalities on our roads," said Zhang.

"Young people's health, safety and happiness are one of our main focuses in China. They have been at the core of our development philosophy over many years as the cultivation and development of the younger generation effectively decides the future of a nation."

Zhang emphasized that corporate social responsibility does not equate with short-term donations and said actual results are the sole criterion of Volkswagen's programs.

"To myself and to my company, what matters is neither media coverage nor people's attention but whether they (the programs) can benefit society and promote sustainable development."

Volkswagen Group China has set up a CSR steering committee composed of board members that meets every three months to discuss and develop plans and goals, he said.

"We hope whatever Volkswagen does has its (CSR) features. Before we start a CSR program we will consider it carefully, and if we do it, we do it for a long time, and we hope it can become another brand for us."

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/22/2016 page24)