In 2021, Volkswagen Group China announced a new CSR strategy, combining social issues with company leverage to focus on three new strategic areas: Low-carbon Future, Education and Economic Empowerment. The Group is dedicated to contributing to the sustainable development of both Chinese society and the environment, with more than 200 million RMB dedicated to its CSR fund over the next 5 years here in China.
Disaster Relief
Volkswagen Group China has made supplies and cash donations to provide disaster relief support in a number of instances in China. Examples include the flooding disaster in 1998, the SARS outbreak in 2003, Typhoon Billis in South China in 2006, as well as the ice disaster in the mid to lower reaches of the Yangtze River in early 2008.
When the Wenchuan earthquake struck in 2008, Volkswagen Group China, FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC VOLKSWAGEN jointly donated RMB 6 million for disaster relief to earthquake-stricken areas.
In 2014, when the Ludian earthquake occurred in Yunnan Province, Volkswagen Group China donated RMB 5 million to earthquake-stricken areas through the China Women’s Development Foundation (CWDF), in support of local disaster relief and to provide safe drinking water, as well as long-term psychological assistance for children in affected areas.
Following the 2015 Tianjin Tanggu explosion, Volkswagen Group China donated RMB 2.1 million through the CWDF to provide emergency relief and temporary resettlement for affected families, including the provision of folding furniture, daily supplies, bedding, tableware, cabinets, insulation pots, tents, and other basic necessities.
In Feb. 2020, Volkswagen Group China and two of its joint ventures put on a united effort to collectively donate RMB 120 million in support of COVID-19 relief work. The donation went towards securing medical supplies and providing urgently needed aid, such as protective equipment, medical equipment, medicine, and other materials, to hospitals across the Hubei Province and other Chinese provinces facing a public health crisis. The donation was made by Volkswagen Group China and its brands, including Volkswagen, Audi, ŠKODA, Porsche and Bentley, together with its Chinese joint ventures, FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC VOLKSWAGEN.
Rainbow Bridge Project
Volkswagen Group China has been part of the Rainbow Bridge Project since 2013, following the invitation of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). The program targets underdeveloped areas to promote the development of vocational education and youth football. In support of vocational education, Volkswagen Group China donated the most advanced engines and gearboxes to the Yan’an Vocational and Technical College, Shaanxi Province, the Vocational Secondary School of Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province and Zunyi Vocational and Technical College, Guizhou Province. Volkswagen Group China has also invited teacher representatives to visit and study at the Volkswagen plant, supporting the cultivation of automotive professionals. In promoting youth football, Volkswagen Group China has supported the establishment of youth football teams in primary and middle schools across underdeveloped areas, such as Zhidan in Shanxi, Hongan in Hubei, Jinggangshan in Jiangxi and Zunyi in Guizhou. Professional youth training coaches from the VfL Wolfsburg Football School have been invited to China each year since 2014 to provide practical training for youth players, building a platform for them to pursue their football dreams. The Rainbow Bridge Project has become an innovative CSR initiative, combining CSR practice with Sino-German person-to-person diplomacy.
