„Porsche hilft“
Voluntary engagement is an integral part of the Porsche corporate culture. In 2022, Porsche broadened its support in view of the impacts of global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and other geopolitical challenges. The “Porsche hilft” initiative complements the Porsche’s extensive financial aid with the placement of voluntary helpers.
A digital platform lists organizations and associations that need the support of volunteers. Individuals and teams, be they newcomers or retirees, can then quickly and straightforwardly see where help is needed. The selection of projects and organizations is aligned with the company’s strategy, especially the sustainability aspects of engagement and empowerment. Porsche is expanding the platform continuously and broadening the array of possible assignments.
The platform is being put to good use, with volunteers performing more than 1,400 hours of voluntary work in the year under review. Among other things, they helped redesign playgrounds for disadvantaged children and young people, planted several thousand trees, and marked World Cleanup Day by picking up almost four tons of waste from around Porsche sites worldwide as part of an international campaign.
With “Porsche hilft”, Porsche is focusing on people. The initiative makes it clear that each and every one of us can make an important contribution to society and help bring about positive change.
For its extensive commitment as part of the conflict in Ukraine, the initiative received the Trendence Award in the “Companies Help People” category
Porsche Aftersales Vocational Education
The Porsche Aftersales Vocational Education (PAVE) program has been training highly qualified employees in technical professions for more than ten years. The trainees attend training at international sites—in accordance with European standards—and are then appointed to the dealer organizations of Porsche and other Volkswagen Group brands around the world. Everyone benefits from the PAVE program: the young adults, many of whom are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, gain access to first-class vocational training, and the dealer organizations are provided with highly qualified employees. Long-term, strategic school partnerships also ensure that vocational training skills are embedded locally, which means that PAVE has a lasting effect. At the same time, changes in vocational training requirements are responded to flexibly and in advance by the program. All in all, PAVE offers young people highly promising development opportunities, which not only promotes individual self-determination, but also leads to improvements in society as a side effect.
"CASCADE“
In cooperation with Michelin, Porsche is campaigning for the sustainable extraction of natural rubber: the project CASCADE (Committed Actions for Smallholders Capacity Development) champions greater transparency and better labor conditions during extraction of this raw material. With the initiative, the partners are supporting numerous smallholders on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Indonesia is one of the world’s primary rubber regions.
Representatives from both companies identified potential sustainability risks in the natural rubber supply chain, especially the smallholders’ heavy dependence on natural rubber cultivation and a lack of knowledge about efficient cultivation methods. Consequently, the project provides training in efficient cultivation methods, income diversification, and occupational safety, in order to enable the smallholders to make their cultivation methods more environmentally friendly and more efficient while also improving their living conditions and economic situations on a long-term basis. Around 1,000 smallholders are to be trained by local partners overall, with more than 400 smallholders making use of the option in the year under review. So far, Porsche and Michelin have invested a combined total of around € 1 million in the project, which is initially set to run until 2024.
Join the Porsche Ride
The global “Join the Porsche Ride” initiative is closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In order to make a successful contribution to these goals, “Join the Porsche Ride” is centered on the empowerment of various local target groups. The initiative’s projects range from environmental and sustainability-related education programs for children to the inclusion of people with disabilities to improved occupational health and safety. The implementation is accompanied by a Porsche Taycan. It serves as both a catalyst and an ambassador for sustainability. The projects are set to take place at selected sites across five continents. As the goals cannot be accomplished and upheld going forward without a longterm commitment, engagement on a local level is indispensable. Therefore, the initiative is supported by Porsche’s dealer organization as well as partnerships with specialized non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at each site. In this context, it is important that the various projects are set up with sound structures and strategies, so as to guarantee that they are able to run successfully on a long-term basis. “Join the Porsche Ride” underlines Porsche’s complete understanding of the notion of social commitment. In the year under review, the Porsche Taycan set out from Porsche’s site in Leipzig and called at intermediate destinations in Switzerland and France.
