“There are no good or bad CSR activities. Any activity that gives something back to society is a valuable contribution,” stated Mr. Limberg, Chief Representative and Executive Director of the German Trade Office Taipei during the award ceremony, which was attended by Ms. Yi-ping Chiang, Section Chief of the Department of European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Mr. Emile M. P. Chang, Director-General of the Department of Investment Services (MOEA), and Mr. Andreas Hofem, Deputy Director General of the German Institute Taipei.
Mr. Limberg continued: “As the official delegation of the German Industry and Commerce in Taiwan, it makes us proud to see that German companies conduct such a vast number of CSR activities throughout the year, making a positive impact on Taiwan’s society and environment. The 4th edition of our CSR Report lists over 57 CSR activities that 28 German companies initiated throughout the past year. Among those, our public voting has determined three highly innovative projects. Congratulations to BASF, igus®, and Merck on their success and thanks to all German companies for their commitment to Taiwan.”
“It is our honor that BASF Kids’ Lab & Kids’ Farm programs receive the most innovative CSR project in the voting campaign. BASF social engagement activities in Taiwan are mainly designed to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #4, Quality Education,” said Sand Dee Ng, Managing Director of BASF Taiwan. “We leverage our expertise and resources to make a long-term contribution to science education in Taiwan. Since 2007, BASF Kids’ Lab has inspired more than 14,000 Taiwanese students to discover the world of chemistry and find ways to tackle the challenges of resource conservation, improve quality of life and build awareness of environmental protection through fun and safe hands-on experiments. BASF Kids’ Farm provides children an opportunity of observing vegetable and fruit pests and diseases to understand the hard work of farmers and furthermore have a greater appreciation for foods.”
Mr. Steven Lin, Managing Director of igus® Taiwan, stated: “igus® is on the road of responding to sustainable development, we hope to play a more active role in a responsible and eco-friendly way. From trash to treasure. From exhibition canvases to eco-friendly bags. From old chains to eco pot as a part of chainge program.”
Ms. Judy Huang, Head of Communications and Government Affairs of Merck in Taiwan, explained: “Merck is a 355-year-old company with sustainability as a vital component of our daily business operations. With our science and technology solutions, we drive human progress through the environment, society, and economy. In Taiwan, we are dedicated to sparking the curiosity of science by joining the ‘Railway of Popular Science’ program by National Science & Technology Council and cooperating with National Tamkang University for ‘Chemistry on the Go’. Recently, we try to combine circular economy concept and have creatively used discarded polarizers as educational kits, which benefits both the society and environment.”
Besides introducing German CSR activities that range from fundraising events to environmental and community engagements to zero carbon and circular economy projects to special education programs, the latest edition of the CSR Report of the German Trade Office Taipei now also features an all-new comprehensive listing of those United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that are supported by each company. The 17 goals for sustainable development were originally formulated by the United Nations in 2015 to create a future global development framework. Their goal is to promote sustainable development on an economic, social, and ecological level.
The latest CSR Report shows that German companies take their corporate social responsibility seriously: They create decent work environments, pursue the wellbeing of the people living in Taiwan, and are highly committed to environmental protection and sustainability. They also work on clean energy and strive for quality education and gender equality. Nearly all 17 sustainable development goals are supported by the 28 companies participating in the CSR Report, on average even surpassing three SDGs per company.
The report covers CSR activities of the following companies:
Allianz Taiwan Life Insurance Co., Ltd., B. Braun Taiwan Co. Ltd., BASF Taiwan Ltd., Bayer Taiwan, Boehringer Ingelheim Taiwan Ltd., Bosch Taiwan, BSH Home Appliances Private Limited, CARL ZEISS CO., LTD., Covestro (Taiwan) Ltd., DAS Asia Limited Taiwan Branch, DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DEKRA Testing and Certification Co., Ltd., ENERCON Taiwan, EPEA Intl. Umweltforschung GmbH, Foodpanda, Fresenius Kabi Taiwan Ltd., Häfele Taiwan Ltd., igus® Taiwan Company Ltd., Infineon Technologies Taiwan Co., Ltd., Kärcher Limited, Melchers Trading GmbH (Taiwan Branch), Merck Group in Taiwan, Porsche Taiwan Motors Limited, Siemens Limited Taiwan, Skyborn Renewables Taiwan, TÜV SÜD Asia Ltd., Taiwan Branch, Volkswagen Group Taiwan, and wpd Taiwan Energy Co. Ltd.