Our targets and our objective

Our objective

We can only be successful in the long run if we create value for all of our stakeholders. We therefore regard our social involvement as a key component of our business activities, and we apply stringent quality standards to it. For example, we have formulated clear criteria for our support of social causes, and we regularly monitor their success and the effect of the initiatives in which we participate. A special committee for donations and sponsorship assesses all of our larger projects, and transparency is ensured by a Group-wide database in which we continuously document our social involvement.

Our donation activities focus on the promotion of science and education, support for charitable projects, and disaster relief. Through our sponsorship we support sustainable development in the areas of education, environmental protection, art, and culture in the places where we do business. We also actively foster well-functioning communities — for example through corporate volunteering and dialogue with governments. And we have established a number of foundations that dispense financial assistance over the long term to promote certain objectives.

As a company, we have a particular social responsibility to uphold human rights. In this area, we focus on employee rights, the right to assemble, the right to engage in wage negotiations, the right to equal opportunity, and the right to receive equal pay for equal work. We oppose forced labor and we support measures to effectively eliminate exploitative child labor.

Our targets

	Target	Target horizon/ Status Quo	Achievements 2010	Measures

1. Human rights
	Risk management. Worldwide expansion of risk management at Daimler's 18 production locations in line with UN requirements so that possible human rights violations can be detected early on.	2013	New target	Continue to refine the systematic evaluation of the impact of human rights issues in Daimler locations in order to identify potential risks and address these in the appropriate departments (Purchasing, Sales, etc.). Finalize the process in six countries per year.
2. Social commitment
	Traffic safety instruction. Expansion of traffic safety instruction measures for primary school children in Germany.	2012	Expansion of our almost ten-year involvement in traffic safety instruction for children through the creation of a MobileKids website, including a magazine section for adults. // Installation of the MobileKids Safety Map, an online application based on Google Maps that allows users to indicate critical and safe traffic areas. // Pilot project (Baden-Württemberg) for the MobileKids School Days at 200 schools with a total of 5,000 children.	Following a successful pilot project in Baden-Württemberg with about 2,900 participating elementary schools, the MobileKids Schooldays will be expanded to include approximately 16,000 elementary schools in Germany by 2012.
	Art and culture. Expansion of regional, location-specific efforts to promote art in line with our good corporate citizen philosophy.	2012	"Free Admission" initiative, evening academies, and guided tours (approx. 1,000 employees) in cooperation with the Stuttgart State Gallery and the Domnick Foundation. // Exhibitions of the Daimler "ARS" art collection, Museum Albertina in Vienna, Ampersand Museum. / Cooperation with the Fondation Beyeler in Basel.	The company's art and culture program will focus on the following regions in 2011: Germany, China (including a cooperation with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing), and the United States (including a project with the American painter and director Julian Schnabel). As part of a world tour of the Daimler art collection, ten exhibitions are being planned for Stuttgart, Berlin, Abu Dhabi, India, and China. An estimated 300,000 visitors are expected.
	Promoting education. Expansion and consolidation of educational activities for children and teenagers in Germany through the Genius initiative.	2012	Genius was established at Daimler in 2010 as an umbrella brand for company-wide educational activities for children and teenagers. // A well-established partnership with the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture and Klett MINT. // Instructional modules have been drawn up for science and technology classes and are published on the state's school server. Website is online. // Genius Campus at MBMUS is open. // Genius kickoff meeting and press conference have taken place. // First Genius teachers' congress ( approx. 300 science and technology teachers participated) has been held.	Further expansion of the Genius program. In 2011, Genius is to be introduced across all company and sales locations in Germany. // Plans to cooperate with educational partners (e.g. Ministry of Education, teachers, pupils, congresses, "didacta" trade fair etc.) will be continually expanded in 2011. // Expansion of target groups and intensified level of commitment (more school types and age groups). // The website "genius-community.com" will continue to be expanded in 2011 and will be established as a community platform for children and teenagers.
	Corporate volunteering strategy. Implementation of a company-supported volunteering program at Daimler AG.	2013	With a view to the planned introduction of a company-supported volunteering program at Daimler AG for charitable purposes, we discussed possible action areas and social needs for employee volunteering at the Sustainability Dialogue 2010. // In 2010 we continued the process of restructuring our corporate volunteering strategy, which we had begun in 2008. We evaluated the activities at additional locations worldwide and defined areas of action.	Group-wide introduction of a company-supported volunteering program for social work that is aligned with the central guidelines of our Corporate Volunteering approach. // Further evaluation of our worldwide Corporate Volunteering activities and implementation of an action plan to renew the Daimler Corporate Volunteering approach.
	Corporate volunteering initiatives. Expansion of existing corporate volunteering projects and implementation of a company-supported volunteering program at Daimler AG.	2012	Day of Caring projects in 13 countries. In 2010, such projects were held for the first time in Croatia, Spain, Czech Republic/Slovakia, France, Argentina, and China. Of the 2,000 volunteers who took part in the projects, 800 were based in the seven new countries. // First Day of Caring partnership with SOS Children's Villages in Spain, Croatia, and Czech Republic/Slovakia. "Give a Smile" employee project — distribution of 1,000 Christmas packages to children from socially disadvantaged families through Tafel e.V. in Stuttgart and Berlin. // Creation of the concept for the employee project "We move it! — 125 employee projects for sustainability," launched to mark the 125th anniversary of the automobile in 2011.	Expansion of the European Day of Caring initiatives, especially in Russia and Portugal. // Conception and implementation of skills-based volunteering in the area of financial literacy in Germany. // Expansion of the project "Give a Smile" from about 2,500 (2010) to 25,000 participating employees in Germany. // To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the automobile, the company will support 125 socially and/or environmentally oriented non-profit organizations in which Daimler employees volunteer in their spare time, with up to € 5,000 each. A maximum of € 625,000 will be donated altogether. Approximately 160,000 Daimler AG employees in Germany are eligible to nominate projects.
	International empowerment activities. Expansion of the existing empowerment initiatives of Daimler Financial Services in Ethiopia and South Africa.	2012	Ethiopia: Since January 2009, Mercedes-Benz Bank has been supporting the creation of a microcredit program in the Midda region. Around 1,200 women have taken part in the basic training course to date and initial successes have been posted. // South Africa: In cooperation with CARE, we have developed and implemented a comprehensive training program that focuses on how to secure a livelihood. In addition, we conducted healthcare training courses that focused especially on how to live with AIDS and associated diseases such as tuberculosis. These courses were supplemented by accounting classes for the associated microcredit program.	Ethiopia: After having jointly set up various educational institutions in cooperation with the partner organization Menschen für Menschen, we are now continuing this collaboration in order to implement a microcredit project for women (target: 2,500). // South Africa: Continuation of the successful partnership with CARE and of the Youth Entrepreneurs Program for the support of up-and-coming business owners (target: 1,000).