Society

WACKER’s economic success depends on the general public’s trust in our actions. Consequently, we take our social responsibilities seriously, especially to communities near our sites. WACKER strongly supports scientific and technical education at kindergartens, schools and universities. We also actively promote social projects for children and young people. Our charitable foundation, the WACKER relief fund (WACKER HILFSFONDS), supports victims of natural disasters and helps rebuild devastated areas. At WACKER, we see sustainable partnerships as the best way of meeting our social commitments. That is why we primarily invest in long-term projects.

Furthermore, we make a substantial contribution to society through tax payments. In 2008, WACKER paid €200.3 million in regular taxes to tax authorities worldwide (2007: €192.8m; 2006: €103.5m). On top of that, our employees also pay taxes and social security contributions.

In 2006, the company’s charitable investments totaled some €7.1 million, including €6 million for the WACKER Chair at the Technical University of Munich. In both 2007 and 2008, we donated about €1 million annually, with roughly half going to our SV Wacker Burghausen sports club to promote popular sports. The rest was donated to foundations, associations and charitable organizations. As for sponsorship activities, our focus is not only on education and science, but also on SV Wacker Burghausen’s professional soccer team. Sponsorship spending amounted to some €650,000 in 2007 and €1.1 million in 2008.