Around 40 companies in Germany want to launch a new edition of the “Made in Germany – Made by Diversity” campaign initiated in 2019 on Monday.
The reason for this is the upcoming state elections in East Germany with consistently high approval ratings for the AfD.
Participants include Vorwerk, Miele, Oetker, Stihl, Trigema, Sennheiser and Schüco.
“We want to sensitize people. Because what is happening right now is extremely dangerous – for our democracy and our business location,” said initiator Mittelsten Scheid to WELT AM SONNTAG.
He reminds us that the AfD in Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt is classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as “certainly right-wing extremist”. In advertisements and on social media, many of the entrepreneurs take a stand “against populism and xenophobia”.
The press release from Vorwerk in Wuppertal states:
“Under the motto ‘Made in Germany – Made by Diversity’, more than 40 German family businesses and two business associations from East Germany are calling for more tolerance and openness in society ahead of the state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg.
Together, they are using a nationwide advertising campaign to show that diversity is a success factor from an economic perspective.
“The label ‘Made in Germany’ has stood for quality and excellence in international competition for decades.
Without diversity in our companies and in our country, we would not be able to create or fill jobs. This would put the foundation of our economic system and jobs at risk,” says Dr. Timm Mittelsten Scheid, initiator of the campaign, member of the shareholder family and the advisory board of the Vorwerk Group.
Diversity is the basis for Germany’s prosperity.
Every day, people give their best for our companies, regardless of their background.
The campaign is intended to make it clear: We are all part of “Made in Germany – Made by Diversity”.
“Especially in times of crisis, it is important that companies get involved,” says Dr. Timm Mittelsten Scheid.
“With the German family business initiative, we want to set an example and motivate more companies to take a stand.”
Diversity as a success factor – companies take responsibility
A diverse environment is increasingly becoming an economic and competitive factor for companies.
According to the online portal Statista, around 42.8 percent of industrial companies in Germany complain about a lack of skilled personnel.
In total, around 1.8 million positions were vacant at the end of 2023.
As the baby boomer generation retires, the situation will become even more serious in the coming years.
A clear majority of German entrepreneurs therefore see the immigration of skilled workers as a way to address the shortages.
Dr. Timm Mittelsten Scheid believes that entrepreneurs have a responsibility:
“As family businesses, we enjoy a high level of credibility and are an active part of our society. We must take a clear stance and make it clear:
Promoting diversity and enabling equal opportunities are the basis for economic success and therefore for our prosperity in a globalized and interconnected world. Exclusion, on the other hand, is massively damaging to our location.”
Further information at: www.madebyvielfalt.com
ABOUT VORWERK
Vorwerk is the number 1 direct sales company in Europe and the world leader in direct sales of high-quality household appliances. The international family business was founded in Wuppertal (Germany) in 1883. Vorwerk’s core business is the production and distribution of high-quality household products (Thermomix® food processor, Kobold vacuum cleaner). Vorwerk always seeks direct contact with its customers. The consultants are at the heart of the activities and serve as a central point of contact. The akf group is also part of the Vorwerk family. Vorwerk generates group sales of 3.2 billion euros (2023) and is active in 61 countries.
Source Vorwerk
