How strategic is the Corporate Citizenship of DAX40 companies?

Too few DAX40 companies are leveraging Corporate Citizenship to become more sustainable

How much do DAX40 companies spend on their social engagement? What do they achieve by it? How strategically is the engagement linked to their core business and corporate sustainability? Our study examines all 40 DAX companies – becoming the first to do so in the new DAX (German share index) composition. Read now: “Missed Opportunities: Too few DAX40 companies are leveraging Corporate Citizenship to become more sustainable”.

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The study follows up on an initial survey we undertook in 2017. For the update, Wider Sense and the international consultancy goetzpartners conducted background interviews with DAX executives and analyzed thousands of pages of sustainability reports. What emerges as a conclusion: in 2020, more than ever before was donated to good causes. Except for a few pioneers, however, the DAX companies do not act in a very targeted manner and hardly link their multi-million investments to projects that sustainably improve the social and ecological footprint of their core business.

As never before, social change and discourses of recent years have also radically altered the perception of corporate social responsibility. Expectations of sustainable corporate action are rising rapidly. As a result, the demands on good Corporate Citizenship have also increased.

How strategically do the individual DAX companies act in terms of Corporate Citizenship?

Were SAP, Bayer, Deutsche Post or Deutsche Telekom able to maintain or even improve their strong performance in Corporate Citizenship in recent years?

How do E.ON, Siemens, Fresenius or RWE, which in 2017 had not yet aligned their social engagement as strategically as other companies, fare this time?

And what does Corporate Citizenship look like at Airbus, Zalando, Puma and the other companies that joined the DAX in September?

Our study offers a comprehensive analysis of the social engagement of the DAX40 companies, conceptual insights, many good practice examples and helpful starting points for developing your own Corporate Citizenship strategy.

What to expect from our study on the DAX40 companies’ Corporate Citizenship

• Analysis of the current Corporate Citizenship of German DAX companies, which reflects many general trends and developments in the German economy. Answering the questions: What is the status quo? What has changed? How are the newcomers performing?
• Identification of national and international trends and good practice in strategic Corporate Citizenship to provide motivation and encourage good Corporate Citizenship. Answering the questions: What is good Corporate Citizenship? Which companies are currently leading the way?
• Derivation of key recommended actions for German companies. Answering the question: What concrete steps can decision-makers take to make their Corporate Citizenship more strategic?

About our new study

Together with our partner, the international consultancy goetzpartners, we analyzed the Corporate Citizenship practices of the DAX40 companies, conducted extensive interviews with decision-makers within the companies and reflected on our findings with further experts. The result: not only an up-to-date classification of the DAX40 companies into 5 Corporate Citizenship types ranging from “spontaneous” to “strategically integrated,” but also a comprehensive look at the state of social engagement in top German companies.

Our motivation: In our work, we observe that corporate action is changing every day. In the context of the sustainability meta-trend, an increasing number of our clients and partners are deliberating how to make targeted use of Corporate Citizenship to advance the social and ecological sustainability of their companies, as well as of society as a whole. On the other hand, we are also seeing a lot of yet untapped potential. With this study, we explore our observations in greater detail and provide evidence. Thus, we hope to contribute to making the Corporate Citizenship of German companies more strategic, effective, professional and results-driven.

A collaboration of