Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
The AO is proud to be a good corporate citizen in all geographies where it has a presence. In 2022, we found new ways to strengthen fracture care in low- and middle-income countries, engage with our local community in Davos, Switzerland, and reduce our carbon footprint.
AO Alliance
The AO's greatest CSR contribution is its continuing support of AO Alliance, a nonprofit development organization dedicated to strengthening care of the injured in 34 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia.
The mission of AO Alliance is to reduce human suffering, disability, and poverty by implementing programs that enhance local fracture-care capacity for sustainable impact. AO Alliance boasts an impressive network of 888 faculty from Africa and Asia, who deliver education and training locally to their fellow healthcare workers. In 2022, more than 6,000 healthcare workers were trained; since 2015, over 31,000 healthcare workers have been trained in timely and appropriate fracture care through 900+ education events.
The AO—in the community
Davos has been the AO's headquarters for more than sixty years, and we are proud to give back to this active mountain community and to initiatives throughout Switzerland promoting community, health, and education.
ARGO
ARGO is a Davos-based foundation that the AO works with and supports. ARGO runs commercial workshops and residential homes for adults with different abilities in Davos.
Greenhope: Supporting families of children with cancer in Switzerland
The AO believes in the power of building community around health, so it is fitting that the AO has chosen to support Greenhope, a group that organizes recreational events for children with cancer and their families in Switzerland with the goal of building happy and carefree moments with one another.
Healthy kids, healthy bones
The AO's "Gesunde Kinder = Gesunde Knochen" (Healthy Kids = Healthy Bones) initiative supports local children through its support of 16 youth clubs in and around Davos that promote exercise and a healthy lifestyle from a young age, laying the groundwork for improved well-being and healthier habits as kids grow.
Hockey Club Davos juniors
The AO supports Hockey Club Davos (HCD) with comprehensive sports medicine care for HCD juniors.
Swiss Young Researchers
The AO also supports the Swiss Young Researchers (Schweizer Jugend Forscht, or SJf). SJf is committed to the sustainable promotion of talented young people with scientific curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Our target group is talented high school and vocational school students between 16 and 21 years old whose work at Switzerland's National Competition received top marks from the SJf expert jury. The competition's special prize includes a five-day stay in Davos that covers travel and accommodation, with visits to the AO Foundation and the eCM conference.
Sustainable energy production and consumption
The AO’s pioneering specific-pathogen-free (SPF) sheep facility in Davos is also home to a biogas project that reduces the volume of methane released into the atmosphere while producing renewable green energy and heat for AO buildings. This investment in improving our sustainability replaces previous years’ carbon offsetting projects.
In 2022, we continued to optimize energy use and actively reduce our CO2 emissions. The AO recycled 63 kg of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), saving around 189 kg of greenhouse gas and about 60 liters of crude oil.
Faculty donations
Our international faculty and board members contribute to the AO’s CSR activities by donating a percentage of their per diems. The AO received a total of CHF 168,449 in renounced per diems in 2022.
