With the development of the times and society, more and more companies are actively practicing social responsibilities while promoting their own high-quality development, and are committed to achieving the common progress of society and the environment.
This year, GAC Group has linked up with six investment companies and institutions - GAC Trumpchi, GAC Aion, GAC Honda, GAC Toyota, GAC Research Institute and Ruqi Mobility, to use special videos to share the stories and results behind GAC Group's active practice of ESG and fulfillment of social responsibilities with the general public.
On August 5, GAC Group’s ESG/social responsibility heartwarming story videos were launched online. The stories include targeted assistance from school-enterprise cooperation, as well as the usual environmental protection charity, and safety protection that sticks to the original intention, covering multiple angles and aspects.
In the first half of this year, GAC Group released the 2023 ESG Report and Social Responsibility Report of Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. The report disclosed in detail GAC Group's high-quality development exploration and achievements in the field of ESG/social responsibility from four aspects: corporate responsibility governance, mobile life, low-carbon travel, and corporate ecology.
In terms of operations, GAC Group adheres to the concept of steady operations, adheres to the bottom line of compliance, and works with partners in various industries to build a fair, just, sunny and transparent business environment. In 2023, GAC Group ranked first in the performance appraisal of "Party Secretary Grasping Grassroots Party Building Work" of Guangzhou Municipal-managed Enterprises for five consecutive years.
In terms of ESG, GAC Group is also improving its internal ESG/social responsibility management mechanism and continuously improving the quality of its work. In 2024, GAC Group once again made it onto Fortune China's ESG Influence List; it was selected for the 2024 CCTV ESG Pioneer 100 List of Listed Companies, ranking 27th, up one place from last year, and ranked second in the automotive industry.
In terms of independent innovation, GAC Group has stepped up its independent innovation efforts in recent years, with a total investment of nearly 50 billion yuan, and has made breakthroughs in the fields of electrification and intelligent connectivity. As of now, it has filed nearly 20,000 patent applications, including more than 8,000 invention patents.
In terms of cultivating an innovative culture, GAC Group and its affiliated investment companies have continued to lay the foundation for the group's high-quality development with IGA (Innovative GAC) activities as the core. In 2023, the number of participants in QC activities exceeded 67,000, more than 450,000 improvement proposals were generated, and direct economic benefits of more than 1.45 billion yuan were created.
As a participant in the unprecedented change in the automotive landscape, GAC Group has also responded to the country's "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" goals, formulated the "GLASS Green Clean Plan" and the dual-carbon "1237 Development Plan", fully balanced operations and "carbon reduction" goals; built green zero-carbon factories and green supply chains, and completed the first zero-carbon factory - GAC Aion Intelligent Ecological Factory by the end of 2023. At the same time, it has built a vertically integrated industrial chain of "lithium mines + basic lithium battery raw material production + battery production + energy storage and charging and swapping services + battery leasing + battery recycling and cascade utilization" to accelerate the creation of an energy ecosystem.
GAC, which aims to build a "harmonious corporate ecology", is also interpreting its corporate social responsibility through practice. On the one hand, it has established a good "win-win" partnership with upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, worked with employees to grow and stimulate the vitality of talents; on the other hand, it has made every effort to promote environmental protection public welfare activities, including carrying out environmental protection projects in Sanjiangyuan National Park and natural disaster relief.
It is reported that GAC Group's total investment in public welfare in 2023 reached 92.734 million yuan. As of now, GAC Group's cumulative investment in public welfare and charity has exceeded 3.3 billion yuan.
GAC Group, which practices corporate social responsibility from multiple angles, in all aspects and in depth, is playing an active role in the fields of environment, society and governance. In the long run, the goal of "1 trillion GAC" will soon be achieved.
