Evonik has been the main sponsor of the Borussia Dortmund soccer team for 15 years. Together we have celebrated victories and coped with setbacks. For the fans, Borussia Dortmund is more than a soccer club. For the Borussia Dortmund team, soccer is more than just a sport. And for Evonik, the partnership with BVB is more than just sponsoring. We are committed to many of the values that are associated with soccer: diversity, fairness, courage, and respect. Evonik and the BVB combine their activities under the hashtag #BeyondFootball.

Evonik and Borussia Dortmund share more than just their love for soccer. We share a determination to outdo ourselves every day - at the laboratory as well as on the soccer field. The BVB is a great soccer team not only because it has won many titles. It’s a great soccer team not only because millions of people cheer for it and follow its ups and downs. It’s a great soccer team because it puts into practice the social values that soccer represents. Because it knows how important soccer is for society. Because it knows that very different groups of people share a bond as BVB fans. Because it takes on responsibility for the society of which it is a part. In all these ways, Evonik and BVB completely agree. That’s why we are committed to this team.

Together we struggle against antisemitism and racism and oppose every form of discrimination. We promote diversity and inclusion and take on social responsibility. Evonik and Borussia Dortmund train their management teams and their employees in these areas. Evonik benefits from the fact that the BVB has for many years offered its fans educational activities and shared events. Both partners publicly support these values and take a clear stand - wherever it’s necessary to do so.

Together, employees of BVB and Evonik visit the sites of former concentration camps run by the National Socialists in Poland. They discuss their reactions to these experiences and share them with others.

They also strive to pass on their values to children: More than 100 trainers from the BVB Evonik Soccer Academy teach preschoolers and schoolchildren in Europe, Asia, and the Americas not only athletic skills but also fairness, friendship, and solidarity. That’s how we transcend limits and get actively involved in areas where we, as an international company, and the BVB, as a major soccer club, believe we have a social responsibility. Together, we transcend limits to create a better world, today and tomorrow.