Social responsibility

Social responsibility at Geberit

Geberit assumes social responsibility. The social commitment should be linked to the core topics of Geberit – water and basic sanitation – and to the employees at the company’s sites worldwide. This approach contributes to the mission of achieving sustained improvement in the quality of people’s lives.

Projects with apprentices

Geberit has been carrying out social projects with its own apprentices since 2008. During their assignments in developing and newly industrialised countries, the young apprentices not only gain new intercultural, linguistic, professional and social competencies, but also often act as ambassadors for the company and its social commitment. The social projects make a tangible contribution to Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations, which aims to give all humans access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation.

After the project had to take place without apprentices in the previous year due to the pandemic, the tradition of the social projects was continued in 2021. Eight apprentices from Germany, Austria and Switzerland travelled to Vinnytsia in Ukraine as part of the social project. In close collaboration with a local vocational school and accompanied by the local Geberit sales company, the apprentices helped renovate bathrooms and sanitary facilities in the vocational school involved as well as in a student hall of residence.

Globally engaged

The partnership with the Swiss development organisation Helvetas was continued. Part of this partnership focuses on infrastructure projects in developing countries where Geberit employees go on volunteering assignments. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the planned volunteering project in Nepal in 2021 unfortunately could not take place and was postponed until 2022.

Integration and inclusion

The Geberit Group’s social commitment is rounded off by a multitude of other initiatives at a local level. At various Geberit sites in Europe, such as Germany, Austria, Poland, France and Switzerland, for example, simple assembly and packaging work is regularly awarded to workshops for people with disabilities. In the reporting year, this work amounted to around CHF 10 million and gave around 550 people meaningful work.

Giving instead of wasting

Additionally, Geberit employees continued last year’s initiative, which involves donating ceramic sanitary appliances that have been discontinued following brand harmonisation, but are as good as new, to social institutions. Around 1,800 ceramic appliances were loaded on four trucks and sent to Moldova, where they have been installed in schools, childcare centres and a boarding school for deaf children.

As a basic principle, social projects are regularly checked by Geberit employees in the respective country or in partnership with non-governmental organisations wherever it is felt useful – including after completion of the projects in question.

For an overview of donations and financial contributions, see Infrastructure investments and promoted services. All donations are neutral from a party political point of view. No donations were made to parties or politicians. This is ensured globally as part of the annual audit of the Code of Conduct.