Taking the road less traveled

Suning strikes a chord with its commitment for philanthropy, social causes

Suning Appliance Co, China's largest electrical appliance retailer by sales revenue, donated 41.4 million yuan ($6.65 million) to charitable causes on Dec 26 to commemorate its 22nd anniversary.

The funds will be donated to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Jiangsu provincial Charity Federation and other public institutions for various poverty alleviation programs.

"The donation is the best way for Suning to celebrate its birthday," said Zhang Jindong, chairman of Suning. "Launching charity events is an annual tradition at Suning's birthday celebrations."

Suning's branches across the country also participated in their own way by implementing a wide range of public service activities on the same day. The Beijing office of Suning donated 30 million yuan for the establishment of a forest base in the city to cater to the company's carbon emissions while the Chongqing branch donated 100,000 yuan to help 500 left-behind kids with winter clothes and supplies. The company's Shenyang office donated 100,000 yuan worth of commodities for 500 low-income local families.

According to Duan Yingbi, president of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, Suning's donations have helped more than 4,000 primary school students and more than 130 villages in China's poverty-stricken areas.

Founded in 1990 in Nanjing, Suning was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2004. The home appliance retailer launched its online business in 2010 and now has more than 1,700 stores at home and abroad. Suning said it is aiming to add more than 400 outlets this year, including stores in Hong Kong and Japan.

Keeping in line with its business expansion, the company is progressively involving itself with more and more charitable causes.

In 2000, Suning spent 500 million yuan to set up an education fund for providing financial assistance to local teachers and students and to create campus infrastructure in the impoverished regions of China. The company also helped install air-conditioners in the Beijing Xiaotangshang Hospital in 2003 during the SARS outbreak.

In 2006, Suning set up its social service system called "1 +1 Sunny Activity", the first of its kind initiated by a Chinese company. Under the program, every Suning employee donates a day's salary and sets aside a day every year for social service.

Since March 2007, the Beijing office of Suning has encouraged its employees to plant trees. In the past six years, nearly 1,500 trees have been planted in Beijing and the branch plans to press ahead with its endeavors.

"The implementation of such environmental friendly charity, will continue to fulfill the corporate social responsibility and encourage the whole society to create a green home and low-carbon footprint, which will eventually promote the harmonious ecological balance of man and nature." said Hou Enlong, general manager of Beijing Suning.

After the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, Zhang Jindong personally donated 50 million yuan immediately after the disaster, a record for individual donations so far. In addition, Suning employees spontaneously donated money, arranged transport and organized on-site rescue work during the aftershocks.

In 2011, Suning launched two charity events and built 20 student dormitories along with 170 multi-media classrooms for primary and junior high schools in the western regions of China.

Suning and the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation teamed up in 2011 to build bridges in the far-flung rural areas of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Guizhou, Anhui, Jiangxi, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and Chongqing municipality, an action that that has proved beneficial to more than 270,000 local people.

"Business expansion and profitability are certainly important for a enterprise, but carrying out corporate social responsibility is more significant," said Zhang. "Getting more feedback from investors, helping suppliers and creating more facilities for the growth of employees along with an added focus on environment and corporate social responsibility will continue to be the core values for Suning."

"Suning has earmarked charity as the cornerstone of all its endeavors. We hope that like Suning, other companies will also enhance their efforts in corporate social responsibility," said Zhuo Rongsheng, president of the low-carbon China Development Fund.

liwoke@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/21/2013 page22)