BMW – Driving Social Impact
We are Part of Society
December 12th, 2024
DRIVING SOCIAL IMPACT.
With a multinational workforce on five continents, the BMW Group is more than just a carmaker. Together with our around 150,000 employees, we are an integral member of global society, a true corporate citizen. And as such, we see ourselves as part of the solution to a wide range of major issues and challenges ahead. In crises situations, we are quick and unbureaucratic to get aid to where it is needed the most. But above all, we develop long-term programmes that are fundamentally aligned with the competencies of our company and designed to have a lasting impact: we support young leaders committed to a fair, peaceful and sustainable future and are working for a diverse society with equal opportunities for all. We foster the education of children and young people because we know it’s key to a successful future, and with our activities in the fields of sports and culture, we reach out to people across the globe.
We approach our responsibilities as a corporate citizen with the same commitment and innovativeness as our work behind the factory gates, collaborating with all our relevant stakeholders and with strong partners such as UNICEF and the UN Alliance of Civilizations. What’s more, our BMW Group employees bring change across the globe in their own right, through innovative action and volunteering. Because responsibility is what drives us. Every day.
We’re not just a carmaker but an integral part of global society, and we take our corporate citizenship just as seriously as our core business. That’s because we believe that in the future, a company’s success will not only be measured by its financial results, but just as much by the social change it drives.
Ilka Horstmeier
Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, People and Real Estate, Labour Relations Director
The BMW Group is committed to its corporate citizenship worldwide. Our global partnerships are:
BRIDGE. Educating young people for tomorrow, today.
The BMW Group has long been supporting educational projects at its sites worldwide. We believe education is the engine that drives social development, generating growth, prosperity and social stability. Since late 2023, we have been collaborating with UNICEF, a strong partner, to further expand our commitment.
With BRIDGE. Educating young people for tomorrow, today we are supporting UNICEF in achieving its goal to reach 10 million children and young people each year through education. Our partnership focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education in South Africa, Brazil, Thailand, Mexico and India – all of which have programme needs and have BMW Group presence. It allows us to help young people develop the skills they need so that they can succeed in the future world of work. A key source of support are our experts on the ground. After launching in South Africa, the programmes are now being rolled out across the remaining countries as well.
In addition, the BMW Group intends to engage its global network of affiliates and stakeholders to raise funds to support UNICEF’s work in emergencies and protracted crises. The UN International Children’s Fund is a key contributor to providing children with the skills they need to cope with trauma, and creating a safe environment in which they can continue learning.
Think globally and act locally. That is our maxim.
Cultural Engagement.
Why Culture? Why not! Culture is knowledge, a sanctuary of beauty and depth, of meaning and peace. An inspiring escape. Tranquil at best, even unsettling sometimes. As a corporate citizen, the BMW Group takes social responsibility seriously, as part of which it has been involved in hundreds of cultural initiatives worldwide for over half a century, in the fields of contemporary art, music and film as well as in design. As a long-term partner, creative freedom is key – and as essential for ground-breaking works as it is for major innovations within a business enterprise like ours.
50 Years of Cultural Commitment »
Classical Music and Jazz.
The BMW Group is aware of its social responsibility in the field of culture and is involved in the sustainable and long-term support of projects in all areas of artistic expression on an international level.
The BMW Group established one of the first public-private partnerships in Germany, Spielmotor München e.V., back in 1979. Spielmotor München e.V. incorporated the Münchener Biennale – Festival für neues Musiktheater into its programme in 1988, followed by the SPIELART theatre festival in 1995 and the DANCE festival for contemporary dance in 1998. The award-winning Opera for all project was launched in 1997 in close cooperation with the Bavarian State Opera. In 2007, the format has also been established in Berlin under the name State Opera for all with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. BMW has been the opera house's main global partner since 2018. BMW OPERA NEXT, the digital partnership with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, is using the possibilities of digitalisation to make the world of opera more accessible to a younger audience. In 2012, BMW's Opera for all concept expanded internationally through a long-term partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra, creating the joint format BMW Classics. It was further expanded to Moscow in 2018, in cooperation with the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. In addition to this commitment, the BMW Group also collaborates with the Munich Philharmonic on the format Spielfeld Klassik.
In the field of jazz music, the BMW Group supports festivals and concerts in Brazil, China, Poland, Moldova and Germany. The prestigious BMW Welt Jazz Award and the BMW Welt Young Artist Jazz Award, established in 2016, round out this commitment.
The BMW employee initiatives Dixie Drivers, the BMW Male Voice Choir and the BMW Chamber Orchestra have showcased our employees’ musical involvement for decades.
BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt
The BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt is an independent corporate foundation whose activities contribute to the mission and social responsibility of the BMW Group. Founded by BMW AG in 1970 on the occasion of Herbert Quandt’s sixtieth birthday, the foundation was an expression of gratitude to him for his commitment to saving the company in 1959. In the 1950s, BMW had found itself in an increasingly critical situation, with Daimler-Benz submitting a temporary offer of a rescue package in late 1959. But at the AGM on 9 December that year, small shareholders and employees declined the offer. Inspired by their perseverance and his own faith in the company’s forthcoming products, Herbert Quandt expanded his stake.
The BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt promotes responsible leadership and inspires leaders worldwide to work towards a peaceful, just and sustainable future. Through its activities, it aims to advance the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
The foundation encourages leaders to take their social and political responsibility to the next level: it INSPIRES leaders by providing them with a platform for personal and professional development, and CONNECTS them, across nations, regions and sectors, through its global Responsible Leaders Network. The third component of the foundation’s work is to INVEST in initiatives and organisations seeking to address the social, political and environmental challenges facing humanity.
