Construction companies are changing the landscape of charitable activities as they approach the holiday season. Firms that build homes are now repairing old houses and creating study spaces, while also running resource recycling programs that combine environmental projects with social contributions.
According to the construction industry on September 24, companies are increasingly integrating their technical expertise, workforce, and business characteristics into their social contribution efforts, alongside traditional donations and support activities.
GS Engineering & Construction has been leveraging its construction expertise for social contributions. Since 2011, it has operated the 'Dream and Hope Study Room' project, which provides learning spaces for children from low-income families. This year, the program surpassed a total of 332 locations, and GS Engineering plans to continue its efforts to support future generations while highlighting the company's unique characteristics.
Hyundai Engineering donated a modular home measuring approximately 49.5 square meters to families affected by wildfires in Uiseong County last year before the Chuseok holiday. Since 2015, Hyundai Engineering has donated 41 modular homes to 19 local governments and has repaired over 160 old houses as of this date.
This year, the company expanded its activities to include home repairs. Seventy employees and university student volunteers from Hyundai Engineering conducted wallpapering, flooring replacement, and installation of LED lighting and insulation for 20 vulnerable households in Yeongyang County before the holiday. This initiative aligns with their newly declared value system, which aims to create better lives through technology that connects space and energy.
SK Eco Plant, which had focused on eco-friendly and energy projects until last year, has been running a resource recycling program that combines environmental initiatives with social contributions. This program involves donating unused clothing and goods, which are then sold at Goodwill stores to support job creation and wage assistance for people with disabilities. Currently, a collection box is installed in the lobby of SK Eco Plant's first floor.
Hanmi Global has linked its construction project management expertise with spatial welfare. Through the social welfare corporation 'Warm Companionship,' established in 2010 with donations from Chairman Kim Jong-hoon and employees, the company has improved living spaces for families with disabilities and welfare facilities. By the end of last year, it had enhanced the environments of 2,035 spaces, including 1,925 domestic welfare facilities and families with disabilities, as well as 110 overseas families of veterans.
Under the leadership of Chairman Lee Jung-geun, the Booyoung Group has consistently proposed designating a public holiday for UN Day and has supported military personnel during holidays. Since 2000, Booyoung has established sisterhood ties with military units and has delivered care packages during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok.
Last year, for Chuseok, the company gifted 2,500 sets of snack gift boxes worth 20 million won to five military units. Just five days before this year's Chuseok, on September 21, Booyoung delivered care packages, including snack gift boxes, to soldiers at the Capital Defense Command, with which it has a sisterhood agreement. The number of military units partnered with Booyoung has now increased to six.
A representative from the Korea Construction Policy Institute stated, "In the ESG framework of the construction industry, the social (S) aspect includes social responsibility, social contributions, and cooperative relationships. Social contributions go beyond simple donations and involve meaningful activities that build relationships with indirect stakeholders in the community."
He added, "Holidays are a time when these activities are particularly concentrated, as the burden of food and living expenses is pronounced for the elderly living alone and vulnerable groups, and the support targets, such as soldiers living away from their families for extended periods, are clear. Therefore, it is relatively easy to create volunteer programs that involve the company's characteristics or employee participation."
A representative from a construction company noted, "There is a trend toward focusing on creating long-term, repeatable programs that reflect the needs of beneficiaries and utilize the company's technology, workforce, and business characteristics. Holidays are a good time to encourage employee participation in social contributions that highlight the company's unique characteristics and to leverage this for enhancing corporate image, so this trend is likely to continue for the time being."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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