Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
The AO is proud to be a good corporate citizen in all geographies where it has a presence. In 2021, we found new ways to engage with our local community Davos, Switzerland, strengthen fracture care in low- and middle-income countries, and reduce our carbon footprint.
AO Alliance
The AO's greatest CSR contribution is its continuing support for the AO Alliance, a developmental non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening fracture care in low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia since 2015. In 2021, the AO Alliance expanded its global footprint from 32 to 34 countries, with nonoperative courses in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Despite the pandemic, the AO Alliance trained over 5,000 health-care workers through face-to-face education events (233) and webinars (114). Burkina Faso also joined the ranks of Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, and Malawi, as a new country initiative.
The AO—in the community
Davos is at the heart of all we do, and we are proud to be part of this active mountain community.
Healthy bones, healthy kids
Our new initiative supports local kids and youth sports clubs by promoting exercise and a healthy lifestyle from a young age. This lays the groundwork for improved well-being and healthier habits as they grow up and is fully in keeping with our mission and our positive engagement with our home city of Davos.
Biogas
The AO’s pioneering specific-pathogen-free (SPF) sheep facility in Davos is also home to a biogas project that will reduce 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.
HCD juniors and ARGO
The AO supports Hockey Club Davos (HCD) with comprehensive sports medicine care for HCD juniors, and works with ARGO, a foundation with commercial workshops and residential homes for adults with different abilities in Davos.
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 81,157 in renounced per diems in 2021.
Conscious consumption
In 2021, we continued to optimize energy use and actively reduce our CO2 emissions. The AO was recognized by the Energy Agency of the Swiss Private Sector (EnAW) for its active contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and increasing energy efficiency. The AO also recycled 69 kg of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), saving around 207 kg of greenhouse gas and about 66 liters of crude oil.
