Corporate citizenship
Diverse engagement for society
As a good corporate citizen, the KION Group works to contribute to the positive and sustainable development of society. This is why a separate action field of the KION Group’s sustainability strategy is committed to the company’s community engagement. Activities focus on social and humanitarian projects, and the promotion of education, science and environmental protection.
The KION Group engages at all of its locations and wherever the families of its customers and employees live. Frameworks relating to the company’s activities differ widely. This is why the KION Group pursues a decentralised approach to implementing its activities, as decisions on specific local projects are best taken where they will actually be implemented.
Clear rules that are binding for all employees ensure the effectiveness and legal integrity of the engagement. The KION Group Donations Policy provides clear guidelines. It defines the principles and priorities for its community engagement and sets out the responsibilities and decision-making processes. The policy covers both financial contributions and voluntary donations of working time for charitable purposes. This allows the company to take quick and pragmatic decisions at a local level on its potential involvement, and provide rapid assistance – such as in the event of natural disasters.
The regulations set out in the KION Group Code of Compliance also provide legal certainty for executives at a local level. The code makes a clear distinction between donations and sponsorship measures. Donations are voluntary monetary or in-kind contributions to non-profit organisations that are not affiliated with the KION Group. These donations are made without expecting anything in return. By contrast, sponsorship measures always involve a reciprocal service, such as in the form of advertising or marketing opportunities. They are therefore part of the marketing mix, and not part of the company’s sustainability activities.
The KION Group does not donate to individuals or profit-driven organisations. Political donations are also barred, as are donations to private accounts and those that could damage the company’s reputation. Furthermore, there must be no conflict between the beneficiary’s objectives and the KION Group’s corporate principles.
Global presence, global engagement
The KION Group and its operating units are active around the world in a wide variety of ways, with its employees often also providing active support – a commitment that the KION Group welcomes wholeheartedly as an employer. The range of measures is diverse, here are just a few examples:
LMH EMEA in Germany supported a team of students to travel to the finals of an international robot competition in which their self-developed robot had to master intralogistics tasks.
KION supports local food banks at various locations; in the USA, for instance, not only financially but also by donating people’s time to do specific work at the venue. In China, employees visit senior citizens and lonely people in the neighbourhood, a voluntary commitment that receives financial support from the company. Dematic staff in Mexico and the USA are also actively involved in societal causes. This video shows what they do.