What does Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mean for Zeppelin? And what kind for projects do we support?
Zeppelin is a foundation-owned company and thus, it is in our DNA to connect business, charity work and participation and involvement in the (local) communities we are active in. CSR comprises environmental, economic as well as social dimensions. In this article, we will have a closer look at our social responsibility: Zeppelin is committed to various educational, scientific, cultural, sports and charity projects. With some organizations we have been working for years, whereas others can profit from our help on special occasions, e.g. with the donation of a used backhoe loader for a schooling project in Africa. Here’s an overview on some of our key partnerships.
Learn more about the “Miracle of Echterdingen” and how the Zeppelin Foundation came into live
Zeppelin Foundation (Zeppelin-Stiftung)
Every year, Zeppelin Group shares a large part of its proceeds with the Zeppelin Foundation (based in Friedrichshafen / Germany), which uses the money exclusively for charitable and social purposes.
The Foundation focuses mainly on the fields of science and research, art and culture, and child and youth welfare. Wherever you go in Friedrichshafen, you will find institutions that are sponsored by the Foundation. These include the city hospital, the Zeppelin Museum, the wissenswerkstatt (“Knowledge Workshop”), and the adult education center. All these partnerships are designed to provide a “better quality of life for all citizens”- that was Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin’s wish when the Zeppelin Foundation was established in1908.
Learn more about the “Miracle of Echterdingen” and how the Zeppelin Foundation came into live
JUST! Zeppelin Youth Foundation (Zeppelin Jugendstiftung)
Through the JUST! Zeppelin Youth Foundation Zeppelin supports the education and further training of young talent from the Friedrichshafen and Ravensburg-Weingarten region.
Special achievements by young people in the fields of science, technology, economics, social sciences, and cultural studies are both encouraged and promoted. The Foundation offers schoolchildren and students the opportunity to present their projects and work on a given topic as part of a competition that takes place every two years.
The winners who have submitted the best contributions are rewarded with prize money worth a total of up to EUR 25,000 and also receive the JUST! Award. By acknowledging the young people’s ideas and efforts, JUST! aims to encourage young talents to realize their full potential and thereby help to shape the future.
Learn more about JUST! (German language only)
Zeppelin University (Zeppelin Universität)
Zeppelin Group also funds Zeppelin Universität (ZU), a private university which was established in Friedrichshafen (Germany) in 2003. Zeppelin Universität offers a variety of (international) Bachelor and Master Programs, mostly for subjects such as Corporate Management and Economics, but also in other fields. Their goal is to bridge business, culture and politics. The university is known for the excellent study conditions it offers to students.
Zeppelin Group and Zeppelin University closely collaborate in order to connect academic studies with the “real” world of work. Zeppelin employees serve as mentors for the students, for example, whereas the university offers advice on strategic questions to the company, for instance.
Learn more about Zeppelin University
Learn more about Zeppelin Group’s and Zeppelin University’s collaboration in an interview between Peter Gerstmann and Prof. Klaus Mühlhahn
Home from Home
Home from Home is a charity organization based in South Africa. Their focus is creating a better future for orphans, HIV-positive children and those who are no longer with their families, in the townships near Cape Town. The organization gives children the chance to grow up in a family environment where they can feel safe, loved and secure. Foster mothers ensure that they receive regular meals, have access to healthcare, and that they go to school and receive an education. Therefore, a network of small, single-family houses was set up in which up to six children live in a family-like structure. Home from Home started in 2005 with just one house, which provided accommodation for six children. There are now 36 houses, which over 200 children call home.
It is now traditional for proceeds from the sale of food and drink at the Zeppelin Driver’s Bar at bauma, as well as a raffle of construction machine images, to be donated to Home from Home, and at bauma 2019 this was more than doubled by Zeppelin. Also on other occasions, Zeppelin supports the charity.
Learn more about Home from Home (German language only)
Further information:
2030: CO2-neutrality as an expression of sustainability in practice
Zeppelin Konzern und Wissenswerkstatt Friedrichshafen e.V. – zusammen stark in Online Bildung