The Volkswagen Group has now been proactively involved in the United Nations Global Compact initiative for ten years. The objective of the sustainability network is the global implementation of human rights as well as labor and environmental standards. Among other things, Volkswagen reports on its cooperation with NABU (Germany’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) in the yearbook of the Global Compact Network Germany which has just been published.

The Volkswagen Group joined the Global Compact in 2002 and has been one of the most active member companies ever since. Europe’s leading automaker makes intensive use of the CSR alliance as a forum for learning and dialog. The Volkswagen Group is active in international bodies such as the Global Compact Advisory Council, and at national level also engages in the Global Compact Network Germany which is supported by the German government.

The Volkswagen Group is pressing ahead with the comprehensive implementation of the principles set out in the Global Compact. The company was the first automaker to set binding standards for working conditions and employee rights at all Group locations, for example in the Social Charter of 2002 and the Global Labour Charter of 2011. In Germany, Volkswagen conducts an intensive partnership of dialog and projects with Germany’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union.

“Based on its responsibility for society, the environment, employees and customers, the Volkswagen Group is committed to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact,” Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Volkswagen Group Board of Management, comments in the latest issue of the Sustainability Report.

The Global Compact was launched in 2000. The alliance of more than 7,000 corporate participants and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seeks to make globalization socially and environmentally compatible. The Global Compact Network serves first and foremost as a platform for dialog among participants and with non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, participating companies are obliged to prepare regular communications on their progress. The yearbook of the Global Compact Network Germany which has just been published provides information on best practice examples from German companies.

Volkswagen AG’s commitment is coordinated by Group External Relations. Copies of the yearbook can be ordered from Michael Scholing-Darby, Volkswagen AG, Brieffach 1882, Fax: +49 (0)5361/9-20654, E-mail: michael.scholing@volkswagen.de