There from the start: Stakeholders & Audi

Talks with individual interest groups are also an effective instrument for Audi in acting on stakeholder input. Stakeholders can also contact the “Sustainability Strategy” department directly at the email address sustainability@audi.de. In the internal community “Forum Responsibility,” employees can contribute their own suggestions on the topics of responsibility and sustainability at Audi.

In addition, a subject portal on the Audi intranet offers employees up-to-date information on relevant, strategic topics and innovations, as well as training options offered by the Sustainability Academy. The findings of stakeholder questionnaires conducted on a regular basis are fed into Audi’s materiality matrix.

Audi’s online presence on the topic of sustainability provides comprehensive information, while the Sustainability Report presents Audi’s sustainability performance transparently and comprehensively.

What type of feedback does Audi hope to get from the dialogue formats? What will help move the company forward? What is the “outside-in perspective” on issues? What suggestions do the experts have? Audi wants to learn, examine perspectives, gather suggestions, and build trust.  

Of the many different events, Audi Dialog 2020 warrants a special mention. Focusing on the “consistently Audi” strategy that was newly adopted in 2019, an intensive exchange took place with more than 50 stakeholders over two days in the Audi Conference Center at Munich Airport. The goal of the event was to get honest assessments from representatives from politics, industry, science, and civil society on Audi’s process of transformation toward a sustainable mobility provider.

These assessments also contribute to the continuous development of the sustainability strategy. In small groups of 20 to 25 people, Audi experts discussed four topic areas with relevant stakeholders: the charging infrastructure, human rights – complaints mechanisms, digital responsibility, and the circular economy. This focused dialogue delivered a clear picture of expectations at the topic level and strengthened mutual trust. Participants experienced Audi as an open company that understands and implements sustainability as a core element of its strategic focus. At more than 100 events in 2019, Audi also engaged with political stakeholders from parliamentary authorities, ministries of Germany's Federal Government and Federal States, associations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and think tanks.

These events included expert discussions, plant visits, participation in public podium discussions, or political discussion formats such as the Zukunftsforum Automobil Bayern, the Strategiedialog Automobilwirtschaft Baden-Württemberg (SDA BW), and the “Future of mobility” national platform.

A further high point was the parliamentary breakfast hosted as part of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival on the topic of the Audi electric mobility strategy. Discussions with some 70 participants, including members of the German Bundestag, focused critically on topics such as how socially compatible electric mobility can be and what is needed for the imminent ramping up of electric mobility.

The “Responsibility Perspective” lecture series gives Audi employees and managers an opportunity for discussion and networking with experts from science and industry. Sustainability-related issues that are relevant to Audi’s future viability are discussed at the event.

Papers by outside speakers and commentaries by Audi experts provide starting points for open discussions between all participants. A total of just under 3,000 employees have taken part in more than 25 lectures since 2013. The topics of compliance and sustainability.

Audi works in a variety of initiatives, associations, and work groups to discuss ecological, economic, and social issues in partnership with stakeholders. The list of memberships and activities exemplifies the company’s dialogue with industry, politics, science, and society.

Here is a selection from our numerous involvements that also reflect the interests of the company’s stakeholders. This image was created using the five chapters of the Audi sustainability report 2019 to illustrate the connections to the topics reported here.

• VDA Verband der Automobilindustrie e. V., Berlin
• eNOVA Strategiekreis Elektromobilität, Berlin
• Deutsches Verkehrsforum e. V., Berlin

• Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), Australia
• Global Battery Alliance (World Economic Forum), Switzerland
• Responsible Minerals Initiative

• Biodiversity in Good Company Initiative e. V., Berlin
• co₂ncept plus – Verband der Wirtschaft für Emissionshandel und Klimaschutz e. V., Munich
• Gemeinschaftseinrichtung zur Altlastensanierung in Bayern e. V. (GAB), Munich

• Deutsches Institut für Compliance (DICO), Berlin
• Gesellschaft für Datenschutz und Datensicherheit e. V. (GDD), Bonn
• Zentrum für Wirtschaftsethik gGmbH (ZfW), Berlin

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Arbeitsmedizin und Umweltmedizin e. V. (DGAUM), Lübeck
• Stiftung Jugend forscht e. V., Hamburg
• Verein zur Förderung kultureller Belange der Region Ingolstadt e. V., Ingolstadt