We are aware of our corporate social responsibility
Our commercial activities are designed to shape spaces worth living in for generations to come. In addition to our sustainable and innovative products and services, we are socially committed to positive change.
Sustainability is not only part and parcel of our commercial activities, it also shapes the social commitment of the Viessmann family. In addition to the foundations, the company and the entrepreneurial personalities privately make regular donations for charitable purposes. This has been a tradition at Viessmann since the company’s foundation.
We make a point of offering children and youth from rural and structurally weak regions a wide range of educational opportunities and meaningful recreational activities. It’s also important for us to ensure adequate medical care for the population and the integration of disabled people. Supporting local associations and initiatives with corresponding goals is therefore an integral part of Viessmann’s social commitment.
We assume responsibility – all over the world.
We shape living spaces in many parts of the world, meaning our social commitment also extends way beyond Germany. The corona pandemic in particular has illustrated once again that there are many challenges we can only overcome globally – even if we act locally.
Corona aid in Germany
In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Viessmann manufactured ventilators, mobile supply stations, face masks, and disinfectants in a converted part of the production facility. At the company headquarters in Allendorf (Eder) in northern Hesse, one of the production lines for wall-mounted gas boilers was converted within a few days to produce the products so desperately needed during the crisis. The fact that we were able to develop a simplified ventilator in such a short time is all due to the construction of our wall-mounted gas boilers. On the one hand, many components of the wall-mounted gas boilers – such as the electronic gas-air connection – could be simply used for the ventilator. On the other hand, Viessmann has a very flexible production facility that could be adapted to the new requirements quickly. Our teams and our partners came up with all the ideas on their own. There is a lot of engineering skill, attention to detail, and a high level of reliability behind these solutions – as always with Viessmann.
100000 euros for schools in the district of the headquarters
In line with our company's purpose "We create living spaces for generations to come", Viessmann donated 100000 euros to schools in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district during the COVID-19 pandemic. In spring 2020, Annette Viessmann handed over the donation on behalf of the company to District Administrator Dr. Kubat. This enabled 150 laptops and 50 tablets to be made available to the pupils for home schooling during the Corona period. This meant that 150 laptops and 50 tablets could be made available to the students during the Corona period for lessons at home. In that way, Viessmann supports families who have no or insufficient access to computers and tablets. The laptops and tablets enabled the students to participate adequately in video conferences as well as a general exchange with fellow students and teachers. In addition, the fundraising campaign was designed for sustainability. After all, even after this extraordinary period, the devices are still being used to digitalize teaching. The donation was given to the Gesamtschule Battenberg in Battenberg, the Edertal Gymnasium in Frankenberg, the Ortenbergschule in Frankenberg, the Burgwaldschule in Frankenberg and the Hans Viessmann Schule as a vocational school in Frankenberg.
Giving something back in Great Britain
Thanks to our employees, customers, installation partners, and suppliers, Viessmann has a nationwide network of people in Great Britain who want to use their skills to give something back to society. Our charitable initiatives and local community projects in Great Britain are therefore carried out under the motto “Giving something back”. Charitable and non-profit initiatives at the company level, which are supported both by our British team in Telford and by our company headquarters in Allendorf (Eder), are also part of this.We do our best to identify and support projects and fundraising activities where we can make a difference. One such example is our “Heat for Good” initiative: we installed a free heating system in a Let’s Play children’s center in North Oxfordshire. Let’s Play offers after-school and holiday activities for more than 100 disabled children.
Planting trees with the China Green Foundation
The China Green Foundation promotes forestry development in the country and raises awareness of environmental issues. The Million Forest project, which includes various initiatives, is one of their benchmarking projects. Viessmann Beijing has joined the road protection project to build roads through the Tengger Desert. At the inauguration of our plant in Pinghu near Shanghai in 2019, we donated 8559 trees for protected areas in the desert: that’s 8000 trees donated annually to offset the carbon emissions caused by our daily activities, 362 trees donated for each participant at the inauguration ceremony in Pinghu as a commitment to climate protection together with our Chinese partners, and 197 more trees additionally provided by employees. In 2020, we also participated in the FC Bayern Munich campaign “Rot gegen Racism” (Show Racism the Red Card) with the Viessmann China Team, which is a FC Bayern Munich sponsor.
Concerts of Hope for children with cancer in Poland
Caring for people’s health has always been a central concern of ours. Viessmann Poland has been cooperating with the center for psychosocial oncology unicorn start-up for many years now in order to help people living with cancer. We decided to support the Na Ratunek Dzieciom z Chorobą Nowotworową Foundation (Saving Kids With Cancer Foundation) in 2019. The foundation in Wrocław has been actively helping children and their families in the fight against the disease for 29 years. We partnered the tenth edition of the Concert of Hope organized by the foundation. This concert is so special because it lets the employees of the sponsoring companies perform alongside the greatest Polish musicians. The proceeds from the event are used towards special medical and psychological treatments for the youngest patients. Viessmann Poland intends to continue participating in the Concert of Hope.
White Friday in Serbia
Black Friday is the name of the Friday after Thanksgiving in the USA. It’s traditionally a day when Americans go shopping and retail stores offer huge discounts. As a countermovement to this spending frenzy, Viessmann launched White Friday in Serbia in 2018. There are no promotions or discounts offered on White Friday. Instead, our sales staff donates all profits it has made that day to those who need our help the most. Our donation went to the National Association of Parents of Children with Cancer NURDOR in 2018 and then to the Association for Cerebral Palsy and Polio of Serbia in 2019. We invite all companies, not just the partners and friends of Viessmann, to participate in our White Friday again this year – as a humanitarian counteraction to Black Friday.
Social commitment from the 1st to the 4th generation
The focus of our social commitment naturally changes over time because the needs of the people and society around us also change. We courageously respond to social challenges and lend a helping hand where we can change something for the better in a lasting way. Below you will find a few examples of the social activities the different generations of the Viessmann entrepreneurial family have been involved in.
Max Viessmann
In 2019, the Viessmann family gets involved with Unicef to support a project run by the children’s aid organization. In December 2019, a decision is made to support Living Schools in Malawi – one of the poorest countries in the world. The Viessmann family was excited about the project from the very start, since it fits well with the company’s mission. After all, the objective of Living Schools is to sustainably improve living spaces, especially for children. Our donation to build a school gives 1000 children access to education and ensures a long-term supply of clean drinking water. We therefore touch a total of more than 3000 people living in the area. In addition to the normal curriculum, the children also learn how to use nature and resources sustainably in school. Recycling, energy generation with solar systems, and the supply of food from the school garden are on the timetable.
Professor Dr. Martin Viessmann
The desire to build suitable venues for club activities and events in the city of Battenberg has existed for a long time. In 2003, the city called on citizens for donations to finance the project. Professor Dr. Martin Viessmann – today an honorary citizen of Battenberg – then decided to donate a hall to the residents of the city. The new “Burgberghalle” community and cultural center was opened in September 2006. It can accommodate up to 550 persons depending on the seating arrangement. The Burgberghalle is not only an architectural beauty, it also has excellent acoustics, the best possible view, and state-of-the-art stage technology. The community and cultural center is aimed at preserving public community life, public objectives, and family celebrations for Battenberg citizens. The hall is also used for national events.
Dr. Hans and Martha Viessmann
The Viessmann plants in Upper Franconia have closely cooperated with sheltered workshops in Hof since the early 1970s. Since the late 1970s, a successful partnership has also connected the plants at the headquarters in Allendorf (Eder) with workshops offered by the charitable organization Lebenshilfe in Korbach and Frankenberg. Viessmann was one of the first local companies to cooperate with sheltered workshops. Martha Viessmann joined Lebenshilfe Frankenberg and was a member of the board there for 18 years. The Waldeck-Frankenberg Lebenshilfewerk is dedicated to early childhood education. The Lebenshilfewerk founded an early intervention center back in 1988. In 2001, the facility moved into a new, ground-level, barrier-free building, which is named “The Martha Viessmann House” thanks to all the support provided by Dr. Hans Viessmann’s spouse. Dr. Hans Viessmann was not only the host of Battenberger Hochschulwochen (Battenberg College Weeks) for many years, but also a friend and sponsor of the vocational schools in Frankenberg for decades. He also founded a booster club. To mark the merger of the vocational schools in Frankenberg and Bad Wildungen, the school was given its name in 2002: Hans Viessmann School.
Johann Viessmann
Johann Viessmann, who was born in Kulmbach in 1879 and founded his company in Hof in 1917, remained closely tied to his Franconian homeland throughout his life. He, too, was already involved in vocational training. In 1986, the Hof vocational school was named the Johann Viessmann School because he was such a role model to young people and offered them helpful guidance.