Responsibility worldwide: Engage, Educate, Empower
Key Facts
- Fundraising campaigns in the millions to combat the coronavirus
- Strong social commitment at all production sites
- The Four Rings demonstrate greater focus on social commitment
- Social commitment at the sites
- Promotion of education and science
In times of need, the world pulls together: Audi has supported medical and social facilities at its sites and provided humanitarian aid throughout the coronavirus crisis. To this end, the company donated EUR 5 million in international emergency aid in 2020.
Local assistance is tailored to the circumstances of the region and can therefore vary greatly. Audi has defined global principles for corporate citizenship as a guide. Through its local activities at the sites, the company wants to promote the development of individual regions and support positive neighborly relations by acting as a good corporate citizen. Audi is also committed to helping people who are disadvantaged in society, supporting mobility projects and promoting education and training for children, adolescents and adults.
In addition, Audi backs projects that allow the company to put its technical knowhow to good use. Audi employees, too, frequently demonstrate solidarity in various campaigns and calls to raise funds.
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Germany: Support in all areas
As a good corporate citizen, Audi assumes social responsibility, for example by supporting regional social projects and nonprofit organizations with donations or through campaigns as part of the “Audi Volunteers” initiative. The main focus in 2020 was on in-kind and cash donations in connection with the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Research for children
The “COVID Kids Bavaria” study, funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Science, has been underway since July 2020, focusing on the pandemic situation at childcare facilities in Bavaria. Audi made a donation of EUR 50,000 here to help combat the pandemic in Bavaria and beyond.
Individual and unbureaucratic
Donations totaling EUR 600,000 went to the German hospitals Klinikum Ingolstadt and SLK-Kliniken Heilbronn. Moreover, Audi produced 10,000 face shields for use in the healthcare sector. And when the major rescue organizations were faced with equipment shortages, Audi offered quick and targeted help in the form of protective materials, loan vehicles and cash donations.
Mexico: Safe transport in a vast country
Mexico has been part of the Audi family since 2016. In a country almost six times the size of Germany, mobility holds a special significance. The distance between home and work is often greater, and public transportation is widely used. So that their travel to work would not become a source of infection, Audi Mexico spontaneously agreed to provide vehicles for doctors and nursing staff, enabling them to commute between their homes and workplaces. Audi Mexico also donated protective equipment to various hospitals and the local Red Cross.
Italy: Helping through know-how
The coronavirus pandemic had a devastating impact on the Emilia Romagna region in spring 2020. In March, Automobili Lamborghini converted some of the departments at its production facility in Sant’Agata Bolognese to allow surgical masks and medical protective visors to be manufactured. 1,400 masks left its upholstery workshop every day. In addition, 3D printers were used to produce 400 protective visors for medical staff daily.
Race against infectious disease
Ducati launched a fundraising campaign under the motto #RaceAgainstCovid. This called on the entire Ducati family to participate – from the employees to motorcycle enthusiasts around the world. The proceeds will be used to finance rehabilitation measures for patients with long-term effects of the coronavirus.
Belgium: Audi Brussels volunteers
Helping where help is desperately needed: In the fight against the coronavirus, Audi Brussels donated protective medical equipment to various hospitals and also made a cash donation to the Red Cross. In addition, the employees of the Belgian plant are supporting the StreetwiZE organization, which specializes in talent development and change management, investing primarily in educational projects for children in need.
Hungary: Help and commitment for the entire region
As one of the largest employers in Hungary, Audi Hungaria made a massive contribution to the fight against the coronavirus in 2020. The donation check that the company handed over in Győr as early as May last year was worth HUF 100 million (forints; around EUR 280,000). The money was used to purchase equipment that has further raised the standard of care and made the work of employees at medical and social facilities easier. Of course, the company and its employees remain true to their strong social commitment in other projects as well.
USA: Enjoy your meal!
In the USA, Audi of America gave its support to two economic groups that were particularly badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic: restaurants and small farmers. As well as providing vehicles to support the “LEE Relief Kitchens,” the company donated USD 750,000 to the LEE Initiative. This initiative was co-founded by the award-winning chef Edward Lee and his business partner Lindsey Ofcacek, and aims to improve gender equality and increase diversity in the restaurant sector as well as promote a sustainable food chain. As part of the aid campaign, 19 pop-up kitchens were set up nationwide from which more than 400,000 meals have been distributed.
Social responsibility at Audi
Audi has a vision of sustainable mobility that everyone can use with a clear conscience. That is why the company goes beyond manufacturing premium vehicles and offering innovative mobility solutions: Audi also takes responsibility for the future of our planet – in other words, for how we must shape the environment, the economy and society so that future generations can also live well.
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The company considers sustainability in all its facets. Besides ecological and economic aspects, social sustainability is also of great importance. To ensure that its commitment makes a significant contribution to society, Audi follows a threefold approach: Engage, Educate and Empower.
Audi Environmental Foundation promotes green innovations for a livable future
For ten years now, the Audi Environmental Foundation has been making an active contribution to environmental protection, thus shaping new paths for sustainable activity. The foundation’s commitment is multifaceted and of a long-term nature. AUDI AG established the foundation as a fully owned subsidiary on December 1, 2009, with a view to strengthening its social and environmental commitment. In the projects it supports, the Audi Environmental Foundation focuses not only on nature and the environment, but also works toward a sustainable human-environment system.
Three fields of action can be derived from it:
- Greenovation – combining traditional environmental protection with innovative technologies and using the knowledge gained to make a valuable open source contribution to society.
- Enthusiasm – using a variety of projects and formats to get people excited about the environment, encourage them to join in and thus motivate them to make a contribution themselves.
- Responsibility – taking on social and ecological responsibility through targeted projects and thus giving back to society and the environment.
The 2020 reporting year saw a noteworthy technology project related to the recycling of electronic waste: the German-Indian startup Nunam, which is funded by the Audi Environmental Foundation. Nunam manufactures stationary energy storage systems from discarded batteries, thus exploring potential applications for second-life batteries. Its aim is to supply rural areas of India, in particular, with green electricity. This multifaceted electricity storage project can help people in addition to saving CO₂.
More information on this sponsorship project as well as other initiatives and publications by the Audi Environmental Foundation can be found here.
