In accordance with our Code of Conduct, we are committed to responsibility and integrity – including in our dealings with political parties and non-governmental organizations. We pursue our political interests in a way that is consistent with the positions we have expressed publicly. In our work with political entities, we focus on concrete issues and are open to dialog with any democratic parties.
So far, WACKER has not maintained a lobby within the political establishment. Instead, we regularly extend invitations for discussions and tours at our sites. In 2009, for instance, Tennessee’s former governor, Phil Bredesen, visited our Burghausen site, where he learned about manufacturing hyperpure polysilicon for solar applications. WACKER is to construct a new polysilicon plant in Tennessee by the end of 2013.
National and international associations – especially Europe’s CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council), the USA’s ACC (American Chemistry Council) and Germany’s VCI (Chemical Industry Association) – serve as a platform for our expertise. Working within these bodies, we examine issues ranging from plant, product and occupational safety to environmental protection, nanotechnology and industrial (“white”) biotechnology. Our experts are also active in such trade associations as Deutsche Bauchemie (German construction-chemicals association), where issues include sustainable construction.
Since 2010, WACKER has been collaborating with other photovoltaics companies to advocate manufacturing solar modules without the use of cadmium telluride. By encouraging the elimination of this heavy metal, we hope to ensure that solar modules are included in the EU Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS).
In 2010, the European Commission approved a regional development investment grant of €97.5 million for the construction of the new WACKER polysilicon plant at Nünchritz – a project that will require a total investment of €800 million. The EU Commission anticipates that this investment will have a positive impact on regional development.
WACKER is one of the founders of the ChemDelta Bavaria initiative, which was established in 2007. Companies in this chemistry research and production triangle want to improve and expand the region’s economic competitiveness – in harmony with its communities and the environment. Improving the regional infrastructure is a major focus of ChemDelta Bavaria, which counts WACKER and its Burghausen site as one of its cornerstones. In addition to upgrading rail services, the initiative’s infrastructure goals also include expanding the A94 freeway between Munich and Passau – a stretch that is currently only partially complete.
ChemDelta Bavaria also organized an exhibition during the period under review, highlighting the region’s economic prospects. After its 2009 debut in the Bavarian Parliament in Munich, the exhibition went on to tour through Bavaria in 2010 (Burghausen, Waldkraiburg and Trostberg).
In recognition of its exemplary ethical conduct, WACKER Chemicals Korea Inc. (WCK) was honored in 2010 with one of the most prestigious awards that can be conferred upon a foreign company: the “Best Foreign Corporation Award” (category: “Best Manufacturers”) from the Korea Economic Justice Institute (KEJI). Comprised primarily of professors and former government officials, KEJI is the campaign arm of the South Korean Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), a major NGO in this field. The KEJI award committee’s decision honors WACKER Korea for its ethical leadership and compliance with government regulations. “This is one of the most difficult awards to win in Korea,” explains Han-Hyung Cho, WCK managing director. “Receiving it was a great honor.