Greening Inner Mongolia: Hyundai's CSR Strategy To Improve The Environment
FORBES ASIA caught up with Byung-hoon Lee, the Director of Corporate Responsibility at Hyundai Motor Group, to find out more about the company’s Green Zone China project that aims to help prevent the desertification of Inner Mongolia. The project is part of Hyundai’s global campaign for environmental protection.
FORBES ASIA: What is the CSR strategy at Hyundai?
Lee: We have a CSR slogan of “Moving the world together,” which embodies the company’s characteristic of being an automobile company. We have four “Move ” businesses that entail transportation safety expansion (Safe Move), community service (Happy Move), environmental protection (Green Move) and facilitating convenient transport access for the disabled (Easy Move). Under this umbrella, we have 18 of the Hyundai Motor Group affiliates implementing various CSR activities. Hyundai’s investment in CSR has steadily increased over the years, from 52 billion South Korean won in 2006 to 145.7 billion in 2011.
Can you tell us a bit more about the Green Move?
Green Move is one of the company’s major global campaigns for environmental protection. Some of the initiatives include Hyundai Green Zone Korea, which originated from Woolsan Eco-System Restoration Project. We try to save the endangered species of butterflies and increase awareness through educational activities for children. We also have the Eco-Dynamics Expedition where we select 120 volunteers to train on domestic environmental issues and then give them opportunities to participate in the Global Eco-Camp as well.
What are you hoping to achieve with the Hyundai Green Zone China project?
Launched in 2002, the project involves improving the ecology of Kunsantak Desert in Inner Mongolia, which is in line with our efforts to reduce the dust storms that are generated there. This is particularly relevant to us because the dust storms generated in that area often transfer over to the rest of Northeast Asia.
We provide vehicle-related learning equipment and materials throughout China so as to advance professional and vocational training for people who are interested in auto engineering and mechanics. In 2011, we provided 144 vehicles, 200 engines and a host of automotive parts for 50 universities and colleges in places like Beijing, Sichuan and Jiangsu, to mention a few.
The company continues to improve the quality of professional and vocational training in China through material support and assistance for academic-industrial collaboration, with a species of prairie plants known as Gambong. In 2011, the fourth year of the project, 300 Hyundai employees, global volunteers, and Chinese student volunteers visited the site together in July to carry out the project and built a wall extending over 100km, barricading the sand. As a result of these efforts, over 30 million square meters of the desert in the region have turned into a green prairie.
FORBES ASIA: What is the CSR strategy at Hyundai?
Lee: We have a CSR slogan of “Moving the world together,” which embodies the company’s characteristic of being an automobile company. We have four “Move ” businesses that entail transportation safety expansion (Safe Move), community service (Happy Move), environmental protection (Green Move) and facilitating convenient transport access for the disabled (Easy Move). Under this umbrella, we have 18 of the Hyundai Motor Group affiliates implementing various CSR activities. Hyundai’s investment in CSR has steadily increased over the years, from 52 billion South Korean won in 2006 to 145.7 billion in 2011.
Can you tell us a bit more about the Green Move?
Green Move is one of the company’s major global campaigns for environmental protection. Some of the initiatives include Hyundai Green Zone Korea, which originated from Woolsan Eco-System Restoration Project. We try to save the endangered species of butterflies and increase awareness through educational activities for children. We also have the Eco-Dynamics Expedition where we select 120 volunteers to train on domestic environmental issues and then give them opportunities to participate in the Global Eco-Camp as well.
What are you hoping to achieve with the Hyundai Green Zone China project?
Launched in 2002, the project involves improving the ecology of Kunsantak Desert in Inner Mongolia, which is in line with our efforts to reduce the dust storms that are generated there. This is particularly relevant to us because the dust storms generated in that area often transfer over to the rest of Northeast Asia.
We provide vehicle-related learning equipment and materials throughout China so as to advance professional and vocational training for people who are interested in auto engineering and mechanics. In 2011, we provided 144 vehicles, 200 engines and a host of automotive parts for 50 universities and colleges in places like Beijing, Sichuan and Jiangsu, to mention a few.
The company continues to improve the quality of professional and vocational training in China through material support and assistance for academic-industrial collaboration, with a species of prairie plants known as Gambong. In 2011, the fourth year of the project, 300 Hyundai employees, global volunteers, and Chinese student volunteers visited the site together in July to carry out the project and built a wall extending over 100km, barricading the sand. As a result of these efforts, over 30 million square meters of the desert in the region have turned into a green prairie.
Comments
Post a Comment