“Made in Germany – Made by Vielfalt” (Made in Germany – Made by Diversity) is the name of an initiative under which leading and distinguished German companies are signalling their strong support for tolerance and openness. The Klett Group, one of the country’s most prominent organisations in education, has also signed up to this nationwide campaign.
Ahead of the state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, more than 40 German family businesses and two employer associations have united under the motto “Made in Germany – Made by Vielfalt” to advocate for greater tolerance and openness in society. With a nationwide advertising campaign, they are also jointly demonstrating that diversity is a determining factor of success in business.
“Creativity thrives on the diversity of our employees from all over the world. By participating in this initiative, we, as a family business, are taking a clear stand for a diverse, tolerant, open-minded society,” says Philipp Haussmann, CEO of the Klett Group.
“The Made in Germany label has been a recognised mark of international quality and excellence for decades. Without diversity in our companies and our nation, it would be impossible to create or fill jobs, which would jeopardise the very foundation of our economic system and put jobs at risk,” says campaign originator Dr Timm Mittelsten Scheid, who is a member of the shareholder family and advisory board at the Vorwerk Group. Every day, people work hard and give their all to their companies no matter where they come from. The aim of the campaign is to emphasise that we are all part of society and that diversity is at the heart of the German economy and the country’s overall prosperity.
“Particularly in times of crisis, it’s important that companies take action,” Dr Scheid continues. “Through this initiative, German family businesses like ours want to send a message and encourage other companies to take a stand.”
Diversity as a success factor and corporate responsibility
A diverse environment is increasingly becoming an economic and competitive factor for businesses. According to the online portal Statista, 42.8 percent of industrial companies in Germany are struggling to fill skilled positions. In total, around 1.8 million positions stood vacant at the end of 2023. The situation will become even worse in the coming years as the baby boomer generation enters retirement. A clear majority of German entrepreneurs therefore see the immigration of skilled labour as a way of countering the bottlenecks.
Dr Timm Mittelsten Scheid believes that entrepreneurs have a responsibility in this regard: “As family-run companies, we enjoy a high degree of credibility and represent an active part of society. We have to show where we stand and make it clear that, in a globalised and interconnected world, promoting diversity and enabling equal opportunities is part of the foundation of economic success and our very prosperity. Exclusion, on the other hand, is tremendously damaging to our country.”
More information on the campaign can be found at Made in Germany – Made by Vielfalt.
About the Klett Group
With an international presence in 24 countries, the Klett Group is one of Europe’s leading enterprises dedicated to education. The portfolio includes both traditional and state-of-the-art educational media for day-to-day use in schools, as well as lesson planning materials, specialist literature and the classics. In addition, the Klett Group operates many educational institutions, ranging from day-care centres and schools to attendance-based and distance-learning universities
Press contact:
Karen Hecker
Head of Corporate Communications
Ernst Klett AG
Tel.: 0711 6672-1897
k.hecker@klett-gruppe.de