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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP OF DAX 30 COMPANIES 5
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
STRATEGY
The Corporate Citizenship strategy sets the scene for all related activities and is essential for successful Corporate Citizenship engagement . In our view , best-in-class Corporate Citizenship strategies exhibit a distinct focus on a core subject matter . This core topic and its related activities are connected to the company ’ s core competencies to ensure the best possible leverage of skills and resources , and are embedded in an effective overall social value chain that includes other members of society .
Some companies are hesitant to engage in areas close to their core business as they fear that this engagement could be interpreted as “ greenwashing ” or “ whitewashing ”. Obviously , Corporate Citizenship may not be misused to “ whitewash ” any misconduct . However , we encourage companies to engage in areas they have the most expertise in to improve people ’ s lives as effectively as possible . We also suggest companies should show a high level of transparency on their engagement to demonstrate that their activities are legitimate .
Looking at the results of our analysis , it is apparent that most companies have not yet strategically planned their Corporate Citizenship approach . In general , they appear to work in areas of engagement adopted over time , as opposed to strategically choosing them .
Missing link between corporate expertise and social engagement
Despite their potential to leverage knowledge and expertise to foster social change , we see that two thirds of DAX 30 companies engage in activities that are unconnected to the company ’ s strengths and characteristics . For instance , an expert in technology solutions supports the installation of musical objects , while another DAX 30 company active in the mobility sector funds dancing classes . These activities certainly represent positive societal contributions , yet the bottom line is that they fail to draw on the company ’ s core competencies and thereby fail to unlock the full potential to achieve social impact .
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LINK OF CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP ACTIVITIES TO DAX 30 COMPANIES ’ CORE BUSINESS 6
23 % 33 %
engage in activities
WITHOUT THEMATIC OR GEOGRAPHIC LINK to their core business support activities FULLY LINKED to their core business
43 % support activities WITH A THEMATIC OR GEOGRAPHIC LINK to their core business
5 All information used in this analysis was derived from extensive research of publicly available data and information , namely corporate publications such as press releases , annual reports and sustainability reports , and complemented by the results of an investor relations survey of all DAX 30 companies .
6 Rounding differences