MEYLE has been supporting two ‘vegetable patch academies’ at two schools near its headquarters since 2021: Schule Jenfelder Straße & Gymnasium Meiendorf.

In these GemüseAckerdemie academies, children learn about where the food on our plates comes from, together with their teachers on the school’s own vegetable patch. They jointly assume responsibility for their vegetable patch and come to understand the impact of their actions. The aim is to get young people excited about nature and sustainability! 

Outdoor schools pursue a pedagogical approach which involves schoolchildren heading outdoors every week to discover their regional nature and culture. This promotes environmental understanding and knowledge about local biodiversity. During the learning walks, ecosystems are explored and the significance of protecting biodiversity is emphasised, making education for sustainable development (ESD) an important aspect of the teaching. The days spent outdoors each week meet both professional and social learning targets, and have been recognised as an innovative ESD learning opportunity by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). MEYLE supports the primary schools Schule An der Gartenstadt and Grundschule Am Hagen. 

Outdoor schools have been recognised in UNESCO’s ESD for 2030 programme, see here.

Supports the following SDGs:

• 3 Good Health and Well-Being
• 4 Quality Education
• 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
• 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
• 15 Life on Land
• 17 Partnerships for the Goals

The German Muscle Foundation focuses on promoting science and research in the area of muscle disease, in particular spinal muscular atrophy. It also offers public relations and support for those affected and their families. Even though limited state funds are made available in Germany for basic research, there is an urgent need for the development of therapies as there are children developing this disease or dying every year. Sustained research could lead to potential therapies that call for considerable financial support. 

Supports SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

The Hamburg food banks collect retailers’ and producers’ surplus food and distribute it at 31 food distribution points in and around the city. 

This is an idea that everyone benefits from – the food retailers and producers assume social responsibility while the people in need receive high-quality food for only a few pennies or even for free and are also given motivation for the future. And at the same time, the volume of waste is reduced, doing the environment good and conserving valuable resources. 

Supports SDG 2 Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

The Bugenhagenschule schools run by the Alsterdorf Evangelical Foundation in Hamburg consist of a primary and district school, a secondary school and a special-needs school. A wheelchair-accessible school playground is to be supported with the MEYLE donation made in 2022, to promote inclusive play and do justice to the different schoolchildren’s needs. This includes, for example, a special wheelchair roundabout. 

The Geschwisterkinder (Kid Siblings) days are a pedagogical service which addresses the day-to-day questions that arise for kids who have a disabled sibling in their family. All the details of the Geschwisterkinder project can be found in the project report here (PDF).

The Hamburger Anker theme fund helps families in difficulty by combating isolation, highlighting problems and offering social support. The focus here is on promoting loving bonds and improving the parents’ welfare. The involvement of trained volunteers to integrate them into the community is hugely important.

MEYLE supports SOS Children’s Villages in Syria and Guatemala. It all started with company founder Wulf Gaertner visiting and supporting the SOS Children’s Village in Guatemala following a trip to Central America. These engagements contribute to SDG 1 No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere. 

Detailed information can be found in the project reports here: Syria project report (PDF) | Guatemala project report (PDF).

The friends’ association Förderverein Kinderklinik Beira e.V. supports the children’s hospital in Beira, Mozambique, by providing medical devices, drugs and training for medical staff.

Heim-statt Tschernobyl e.V. is a non-profit organisation which focuses on providing humanitarian aid and support for the victims of the Chernobyl disaster.

The Familienhafen non-profit outpatient children’s hospice service in Hamburg helps children with life-limiting illnesses and their families in the form of outpatient care and support.

AfB gGmbH is a non-profit organisation which specialises in collecting used IT hardware from businesses and public institutions, securely erasing the data on it, refurbishing it and then selling or donating it. MEYLE donates its used laptops to this association.

MEYLE supports the Wilma von den Wilden Weiden project of the Stiftung Natur im Norden nature foundation. All the details can be found in the project flyer here (PDF).

MEYLE supports Stiftung Unternehmen Wald, a non-profit foundation that promotes nature conservation, environmental education and sustainable forest management. This has resulted in thousands of new trees and shrubs being planted:  MEYLE climate protection certificate (PDF) and Siek project climate protection certificate (PDF).