Social Engagement

Sustainability also means social responsibility. As a model corporate citizen, Linde MH supports the positive and sustainable development of society—especially where its customers, employees, and their families live and work. The company focuses on social and humanitarian issues, but also aims to promote education, science, and environmental protection. The CSR approach focuses on the local level. After all, local teams know best when it comes to deciding which local projects to support. Linde MH employees demonstrate a great deal of commitment in this area and always get actively involved.

Linde MH is guided by the KION Group’s donation and sponsorship policy, which governs social engagement, responsibilities, and the relevant decision-making processes. This policy was last revised and improved across the Group in 2020. They cover both financial donations and charitable voluntary work, meaning decisions can be made quickly and pragmatically on the spot and help can be provided quickly in an emergency, for example in the event of a natural disaster.

The KION Group Code of Compliance also contains relevant information and provides legal certainty for local managers. All donations and sponsorship activities are reviewed and approved in advance by the Compliance department. Donations must always be transparent, follow set principles, and comply with the KION Group’s values and rules as well as with relevant legislation.

The KION Group always draws a clear line between donations and sponsorship activities in social engagement. Donations are voluntary gifts of money or items that are given to charities without any expectation that this action will be reciprocated. Sponsorship, on the other hand, is linked to receiving something in return, for example advertising or marketing opportunities. It is therefore vital that the recipients’ intended use aligns with the KION Group’s values or principles.

Linde actively supports the social and humanitarian sector with a number of initiatives such as “Linde Solidaria,” “Les Restaurants du Cœur,” and “StaplerCup hilft e.V.” Funding is also available for educational, scientific, and environmental projects.

Les Restaurants du Cœur

In January 2024, Fenwick-Linde, a specialist in internal logistics products and services, underlined its commitment to the local community by donating 15 pallet trucks to the Restos du Cœur voluntary organization in Yvelines. This generous gesture helps with the process of optimizing the organization’s warehouse management as its storage centers are often restricted by tight spaces and narrow aisles. The fact that pallet trucks are essential for the Restos du Cœur organization’s logistics activities means that these new pallet trucks are helping significantly with the receipt and transfer of goods.

Linde Solidaria

Since 2006, Linde Material Handling Ibérica has demonstrated a strong social commitment through its Linde Solidaria program, which aims to improve the quality of life of people with special needs and those who are at risk of social exclusion. Over the past 18 years, the impact and reach of the program has steadily increased and cooperation with local associations and NGOs has been stepped up in order to deliver help where it is needed most. The growth of the program is reflected in the increasing participation by employees, family members, and friends who volunteer, and in so doing help to bring about an increase in the number of solidarity actions and beneficiaries. Collaboration with institutions such as CEPRI, Fundació Arc de Sant Martí, AFADI, Banc dels Aliments de Barcelona, and the Red Cross is of critical importance.

Linde Solidaria’s core activities include annual donations to fund projects in specialized centers that help improve facilities and provide essential resources. In addition, the program provides vehicles to institutions such as the Banc dels Aliments and the Red Cross to support the logistics of important solidarity campaigns such as the Gran Recogida de Alimentos. Volunteering days offer employees and their families the opportunity to actively participate in charity activities and social events. One example of this is participation in solidarity events such as the Marcha 15, which is organized by Pelican Catchy and recruited around 450 volunteers to collect donations for the CEPRI school and the Quinta Foundation.

Linde Solidaria is currently involved in disaster response. Following the devastation caused by Storm Dana in Valencia, the Linde team is working hard to provide customers and employees with the support they need to resume their activities as quickly as possible. This prompt and committed engagement underlines the spirit of solidarity that drives Linde Material Handling Ibérica. In total, the KION Group companies have raised 257,025 euros for Valencia.

The success of Linde Solidaria is largely down to the commitment shown by its employees, and this is encouraged through volunteering days, continuous internal communication about the projects, and suggestion forums for new solidarity initiatives. In the future, Linde Solidaria will continue to maintain its existing partnerships with associations and will expand its activities to other regions of Spain in order to make a positive contribution to the communities in which the company operates.

Stacking for a Good Cause

In 2024, an event was held at the Linde Experience Hub in Aschaffenburg for the presentation of donations totaling 12,000 euros to the German charity for MPS sufferers, Gesellschaft für Mukopolysaccharidosen (MPS) e.V. These donations came from the proceeds of the charity raffle and other fundraising activities, which raised an impressive 16,000 euros during last year's StaplerCup.

The check was presented by members of StaplerCup hilft e.V. together with hard-working trainees from Linde MH. This donation will enable MPS e.V. to continue important projects, carry out educational work, and provide targeted support for affected families. Special thanks go to everyone who made this donation possible, especially the Linde MH trainees, who contributed to the success of the campaign through the considerable energy and commitment they showed.

Disaster Relief

The KION Group has donated 257,000 euros to the Spanish Red Cross (Cruz Roja Española) to support the relief and reconstruction efforts following the devastating floods in the Spanish regions of Valencia, Murcia, and Andalusia at the end of October 2024. This donation will support the important work of the Spanish Red Cross in the affected areas.

The Linde Material Handling branch in Valencia suffered structural damage, but this has been repaired in recent weeks. The team is working hard to resume normal operations and continue activities in the region in an organized manner.

In an internal fundraising campaign, KION Group employees from all over the world donated 9,500 euros, which the KION Group topped up to 250,000 euros. Carelsa, a dealer from the Linde Material Handling Spain network, donated an additional 4,000 euros, bringing the total to 257,000 euros. The KION Group also granted paid leave to Spanish employees who have a personal connection to the affected region and wanted to participate in humanitarian relief efforts.