Stakeholder Dialogue

Nowadays, many different stakeholders have an impact on economic conditions. In a complex media environment, it is not only the traditional partners of a company - customers and suppliers, employees, trade unions and politicians - that determine the business environment but increasingly non-governmental organisations (NGOs) too. Rating agency rankings and corporate indices that measure companies’ CRS performance attract increasing attention. They make corporate policy comparable and allow stakeholders to assess companies on the basis of their own list of criteria. In these challenging conditions, a culture of transparent and open dialogue with stakeholders contributes to a company’s value and can be seen as a type of risk management.

Promoting dialogue
For Volkswagen, “doing business responsibly” has always meant doing business responsibly and competitively in a continuous dialogue with society. We need a continuous process of confidence-building dialogue with stakeholders in order to assess our success and public perceptions of our behaviour, products and strategies. Our experience in the past has shown that interchange with society is also an area of innovation and competition.

Accepting criticism
As a carmaker, we accept constructive criticisms from NGOs. In this context, we intend to intensify our close cooperation with Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (NABU - the German Society for Nature Conservation). We also engage in a critical exchange of views with Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. (BUND - the German branch of Friends of the Earth) in Lower Saxony, Öko-Institut e.V. and Verkehrsclub Deutschland e.V. (VCD).

Dialogue with scientists In an era of growing globalisation, intensive cooperation between industry and scientists can prove extremely beneficial. We discuss the latest developments in sustainable mobility with scientists and researchers. Read more

Neighbourhood dialogues Neighbourhood dialogues make for a good atmosphere: they promote transparency, build confidence and reconcile the concerns of local people with the interests of the company. Read more

NABU – the German Society for Nature Conservation The Volkswagen Group engages in constructive cooperation with Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU - German Society for Nature Conservation). Among other things, Volkswagen and NABU jointly organize fuel saving training for drivers. Read more

Memberships and alliances We exchange views with all groups in society and demonstrate our social commitment through a large number of memberships, partnerships and strong alliances. Read more

Sustainability report award From August 2007 to January 2008, the Corporate Register, the largest database in the world for non-financial reporting, conducted a new online survey to determine the best corporate reports.  From 300 entries sent in from all over the world, the Volkswagen sustainability report ranked seventh in the overall assessment and first among the German reports. Read more