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Roundtable on corporate social responsibility

Wolfsburg, June 2010 - A two-day “Executive Roundtable” on sustainability attended by some 40 international managers and scientists took place at the AutoStadt in Wolfsburg. The event was organized by the World Environment Center (WEC), an independent global non-profit, non-advocacy organization, and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft External Relations.

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are issues that are attracting growing attention. Customers, investors and the public expect specific contributions in this field from companies. “For Volkswagen, corporate responsibility meets constantly combining core economic processes with ecological and social concerns,” Dr. Gerhard Prätorius, Head of Coordination CSR and Sustainability at the Volkswagen Group, explained. “That is how to avoid risks and identify development opportunities at an early stage.”

The roundtable debated how the concept of sustainability can be firmly anchored in corporate business processes. The speakers came from corporations such as IBM, IKEA, Rio Tinto, Nestlé, Siemens, Johnson Controls and the Volkswagen Group. The opening address was given by Dr. Aileen Ionescu-Sommers, Head of the Center of Sustainability Management at the well-respected IMD Business School in Lausanne. The program also included a visit to the “Level Green” sustainability exhibition.