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Corporate Social Responsibility
Bayer’s social commitment is illustrated by some 300 projects in various parts of the world, many of which we have organized and financed for a number of years. In 2007, Bayer once again underscored its role as a good corporate citizen with a range of social activities focused on the areas of Education and Research, Environment and Nature, Health and Social Needs, and Sports and Culture. We continued to develop these projects, extending them to more countries and launching new initiatives.
Education and research
The newly established “Bayer Science & Education Foundation,” in which the company is pooling and strengthening its activities in the field of education, science and research, started work in 2007. The main focus is on awarding prizes for scientific achievement, granting scholarships and supporting local schools. First payments by the new foundation were made in 2007. The €50,000 Hansen Family Award 2007 went to Professor Magdalena Götz of the Institute of Stem Cell Research at the Helmholtz Association in Neuherberg, Germany, who is also a teaching professor at the Physiological Institute of the Medical Faculty of Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. The award honors the biologist for her pioneering research in the field of neurobiology. The foundation also awarded 21 scholarships with a total volume of €142,000 to dedicated science and medical students. In 2007, the “Bayer Science & Education Foundation” launched a new focus on school sponsorship, approving the allocation of €400,000 to support school projects in the communities close to Bayer’s sites.
In cooperation with Tongji University and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Bayer has also established a Chair for Sustainable Development in Shanghai, China. The Science & Education Foundation provided an endowment of US$1 million for a period of five years to finance research projects in the field of environmental protection and socioeconomic development as well as training programs and scholarships. In 2007, we added a further group of countries to the “Making Science Make Sense” education program – this time India, Italy, Colombia, Singapore and Taiwan. Schoolchildren in a total of ten countries are now benefiting from the commitment of Bayer employees who visit schools to demonstrate the aims and benefits of science with the aid of hands-on experiments.
In cooperation with Tongji University and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Bayer has also established a Chair for Sustainable Development in Shanghai, China. The Science & Education Foundation provided an endowment of US$1 million for a period of five years to finance research projects in the field of environmental protection and socioeconomic development as well as training programs and scholarships. In 2007, we added a further group of countries to the “Making Science Make Sense” education program – this time India, Italy, Colombia, Singapore and Taiwan. Schoolchildren in a total of ten countries are now benefiting from the commitment of Bayer employees who visit schools to demonstrate the aims and benefits of science with the aid of hands-on experiments.
Environment and nature
A major focus of Bayer’s activities in the field of youth environmental education was the week-long Tunza International Youth Conference 2007, the environment summit of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for young people that is held every two years and was attended this time by 180 young people from 85 countries. Through its partnership with UNEP, Bayer AG became the first private-sector company to host the TUNZA conference. This was also the first time it had been held in western Europe, the first two conferences having taken place in Asia and eastern Europe. At the beginning of the conference – for which the slogan was “Technology in Service of the Environment” – Bayer and UNEP announced an extension of their partnership for a further three years, accompanied by a €200,000 increase in Bayer’s annual contribution to €1.2 million. Bayer also supported UNEP by helping to organize regional conferences in Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Another element of the collaboration between UNEP and Bayer in 2007 was the organization in Bangkok, Thailand, of “Eco-Minds 2007.” This science symposium was dedicated to the topic of protecting freshwater supplies. Turkey was recently added to the “Young Environmental Envoy” program, which means 17 countries now send delegates on a week-long study trip to Germany at Bayer’s invitation once a year. Climate change was the subject of this year’s eastern European photo competition established by Bayer and entitled “Ecology in Focus,” and also of the International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment, in which around 13,500 children from 104 countries took part.
At the beginning of 2007, UNEP launched its “Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign,” which aimed to persuade organizations and individuals throughout the world to plant a billion trees during the course of the year to combat climate change. Bayer gave wholehearted support to this campaign, arranging for 100,000 trees to be planted at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Each of the delegates at the TUNZA conference symbolically planted a tree, and some two dozen Bayer companies around the globe joined in this statement of ecological solidarity. The Bayer Group contributed significantly to the success of the unique campaign by planting some 300,000 trees in all.
Another element of the collaboration between UNEP and Bayer in 2007 was the organization in Bangkok, Thailand, of “Eco-Minds 2007.” This science symposium was dedicated to the topic of protecting freshwater supplies. Turkey was recently added to the “Young Environmental Envoy” program, which means 17 countries now send delegates on a week-long study trip to Germany at Bayer’s invitation once a year. Climate change was the subject of this year’s eastern European photo competition established by Bayer and entitled “Ecology in Focus,” and also of the International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment, in which around 13,500 children from 104 countries took part.
At the beginning of 2007, UNEP launched its “Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign,” which aimed to persuade organizations and individuals throughout the world to plant a billion trees during the course of the year to combat climate change. Bayer gave wholehearted support to this campaign, arranging for 100,000 trees to be planted at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Each of the delegates at the TUNZA conference symbolically planted a tree, and some two dozen Bayer companies around the globe joined in this statement of ecological solidarity. The Bayer Group contributed significantly to the success of the unique campaign by planting some 300,000 trees in all.
Health and social needs
In 2007, Bayer donated 2.5 million 
Lampit® tablets to the World Health Organization (WHO) and provided additional funding to safeguard the global supply of drugs for the next five years to patients suffering from the parasite-borne Chagas’ disease.
In future, Bayer will pool its activities in the field of disaster aid in the new “Bayer Cares Foundation,” which began operating in 2007. Among the aims of the foundation are to provide rapid and straightforward emergency aid and to support sustainable reconstruction projects. In 2007, Bayer provided various forms of relief for cyclone victims in Bangladesh, making some €100,000 available for infrastructure projects in addition, and the 3,000 or so Bayer employees in neighboring India donated one day’s wages. The company aided flood victims in Mexico by donating drugs and insecticides worth US$350,000 to ease the consequences of the floods and help guard against epidemics. And in Greece, Bayer provided €150,000 for communities particularly hard hit by the bush fires.
Lampit® tablets to the World Health Organization (WHO) and provided additional funding to safeguard the global supply of drugs for the next five years to patients suffering from the parasite-borne Chagas’ disease. In future, Bayer will pool its activities in the field of disaster aid in the new “Bayer Cares Foundation,” which began operating in 2007. Among the aims of the foundation are to provide rapid and straightforward emergency aid and to support sustainable reconstruction projects. In 2007, Bayer provided various forms of relief for cyclone victims in Bangladesh, making some €100,000 available for infrastructure projects in addition, and the 3,000 or so Bayer employees in neighboring India donated one day’s wages. The company aided flood victims in Mexico by donating drugs and insecticides worth US$350,000 to ease the consequences of the floods and help guard against epidemics. And in Greece, Bayer provided €150,000 for communities particularly hard hit by the bush fires.
Sports and culture
Announcing its new sports strategy, Bayer reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to supporting recreational, youth and disabled sports. Bayer provides annual funding of more than €14 million to the 27 company clubs, whose total membership is nearly 50,000.
In 2007 the Bayer Cultural Affairs Department celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding. On this occasion the company emphasized that cultural activities would remain at the center of its social commitment to the communities near its sites. For its enduring commitment to the fine arts, Bayer was also presented with the “Freedom and Responsibility 2007” award, with which Germany’s leading industry associations each year honor outstanding examples of corporate social responsibility in cooperation with the magazine Wirtschaftswoche.
In 2007 the Bayer Cultural Affairs Department celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding. On this occasion the company emphasized that cultural activities would remain at the center of its social commitment to the communities near its sites. For its enduring commitment to the fine arts, Bayer was also presented with the “Freedom and Responsibility 2007” award, with which Germany’s leading industry associations each year honor outstanding examples of corporate social responsibility in cooperation with the magazine Wirtschaftswoche.
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