The culture of a company grows through responsible actions taken by its employees. Initiative and personal commitment are greatly encouraged at LANXESS. This naturally also applies to the involvement of individuals in charity activities or aid projects. Active social responsibility and open dialogue are important cornerstones of LANXESS’s corporate culture. For that reason the company consciously supports employees in their voluntary activities.

Employees are frequently also the motivating force behind charitable projects that LANXESS supports at its sites around the world. Corporate volunteering therefore has an important identity-giving significance, standing as it does for personal social commitment on the part of employees to meet a social responsibility and gather valuable experience outside the corporate environment. At the same time, it enables our employees to extend both their professional and social competence and, above all, to help people in need.

Passing on knowledge
In many projects the focus is on supporting and educating children. In schools, kindergartens and universities, employees pass on their job experience and practical expertise during lessons. At the same time this increases children’s and young people’s interest in the sciences. The educational institutions benefit from corporate volunteering through the link to practice and the exchange with representatives of the company.

Here are a few examples:

In Mexico, LANXESS supported in cooperation with the international non-profit organization “Un Techo para mi País” the construction of ten transitional homes for families in extreme poverty. Together with construction builders from ONG also LANXESS employees pitched in to build up the wooden houses in their spare time. The construction of the transitional homes is only the first phase of a structured plan that also includes the construction of a permanent homes and the implementation of social inclusion programs to empower the families with tools to improve their life quality.

Everyone pitches in
Social commitment in terms of neighborhood help also has top priority. Employees get involved with the minimum of fuss when there is a shortage of available local manpower. In Orange, Texas, for example, employees set up a recycling project.

Teams clear the roads of garbage and brighten up the town by adding greenery to verges. Staff are also sometimes given leave for private volunteering activities. Bianca Haagen, for example, was able to join her volunteer fire department when the Cologne City Archive collapsed in March 2009 – in the biggest fire department mission in the city since World War II every additional helping hand was welcome.

For LANXESS, corporate volunteering is not only a commitment to its sites and the local community but also part of a successful and sustainable corporate strategy. After all, only if it gains the trust and support of its neighbors can a company be successful in the long term. LANXESS is committed to being recognized as a reliable partner and attractive employer that meets its social responsibility. This increases competitiveness, both for the region and for the company.