Mercedes-Benz is expanding investment in environmental social contribution activities in Korea through Mercedes-Benz Green Plus, its own carbon-neutral climate action program.
According to the auto industry on the 28th, Mercedes-Benz donated a total of 50.7 billion won in Korea from 2014 through the first quarter of this year. In particular, it has recently been increasing the share of environmental contributions in various ways, including creating urban forests, protecting forests, and providing environmental education for future generations.
Mercedes-Benz's environmental activities are centered on Green Plus. Since 2022, it has been promoting the Green Plus Urban Forest Project in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and in May it created and unveiled a 689-square-meter Green Plus Urban Forest in Seoul Forest. The forest was planted with a total of 8,144 trees, including Japanese spindle, Thunberg spirea, round arborvitae, and white dogwood.
Along with creating urban forests, efforts such as restoring forests damaged by wildfires and building firebreak forests are steadily underway. The Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee provided 1 billion won and 500 million won, respectively, to restore forests damaged by major wildfires that occurred on the East Coast in 2022 and in the Yeongnam region last year and to create firebreak forests. Through this, it completed the restoration of the firebreak forest at Dohwa Park in Uljin, North Gyeongsang, and is currently pushing to create the Byeolparang Park Hope Forest in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang.
Forest protection activities with employee participation are also continuing. On the 19th, the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee held Save the Forest, a forest protection volunteer event, at the Chuncheon Forest Experience Center in Chuncheon, Gangwon.
A total of 430 employees from 11 official partner companies nationwide, including Mercedes-Benz, took part in the event and worked together on tree planting and trail maintenance. Since 2021, the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee has been continuously carrying out environmental activities with employee participation across the country. The number of participants so far is said to be about 2,000.
Mercedes-Benz's environmental activities are expanding into education for future generations. In March, it launched Green Plus STEAM, an integrated advanced environmental curriculum for elementary school students. The program explores environmental issues with themes such as the environment and future mobility and is a curriculum that develops creative thinking and problem-solving skills to address them.
A Mercedes-Benz official said, "We will continue sustainable environmental activities through expanding green spaces in cities, practicing carbon neutrality, protecting the local environment, and environmental education for future generations."