Giving back to society
As part of valuing social responsibility, DAF is keen to give back to society in many ways. This is illustrated by donations, sponsorships, and the ‘DAF Helpende Handen’ foundation. Young people are offered the opportunity to do an internship within our companies to gain working experience and to be prepared for their later job.
Ergon cooperation
Giving back to society means offering rewarding job opportunities for all people in our society, including vulnerable groups such as those with occupational disabilities. More than 400 colleagues are employed at the PACCAR Parts Distribution Center through DAF’s partnership with Ergon, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting people with disabilities in the labor market. The collaboration started small in 2001, with just 15 employees, and has grown each year making DAF the largest in social employment in the Netherlands in 2025.
In 2024, DAF launched the Ergon/DAF Academy in collaboration with the Municipality of Eindhoven and Ergon. Through this initiative, in 2025, 28 people were given the opportunity to learn the Dutch language and develop logistic skills with the goal to create a stepping stone towards employment at DAF’s plants or in the PACCAR Parts Distribution Center. In addition, 54 refugees (with work permits) were offered the opportunity to learn Dutch to build language proficiency and advanced logistic skills. They have joined the Ergon DAF Academy directly after receiving their residence permit, supporting their integration into the labor market and wider community.
Sponsoring
To strengthen relations with the local community, DAF sponsorships include the annual Marathon Eindhoven. In the area of music and culture, DAF is a founding member of the open-air stage ‘Hub van Doorne Muziekkiosk’ in Eindhoven, making performances accessible for all. DAF supported the ‘DAF Traffic Fund’ (DAF Veilig Verkeer Fonds) for youth traffic education and is a founding member of the Ontdekfabriek, which allows young people to discover the wonderful world of technology. DAF is also a sponsor of ‘De Jonge Onderzoekers Eindhoven’ (The Young Researchers), the solar and electric racing teams from the Delft and Eindhoven technical universities, and the e-racing team of the Hub van Doornecollege in Deurne.
Volunteering work
DAF is a founding member of the foundation ‘Samen voor onze regio’ (Together for our Region). This enables DAF employees to have the opportunity to do voluntary work at local charity organizations during working hours. In 2025, one average, one activity per month was organized.
In 2023, the DAF ‘Helpende Handen’ (DAF Helping Hands) foundation was established, stimulating DAF employees to contribute to the Eindhoven region by supporting local charities. Employees can nominate charities and support them through voluntary work, project funding or goods.
A projector was donated to the Máxima Medisch Centrum (local hospital) to prepare children for an operation. Other donations were made to Speelcadeau, the animal shelter and ‘Kansen voor Kinderen’. DAF employees accompanied a group of people with physical disabilities to a parc for birds of prey and the annual collection of winter coats, jeans, sleeping bags and toys for local foundations was once again very successful. The collection of deposit cans and bottles provides continuous income that DAF Helpende Handen uses for local donations.
Donations
DAF national sales organizations are encouraged to send proposals for local donations in their countries too (some 15 of these were granted in 2025), varying from a contribution for the UK Transaid organization running road safety and healthcare projects in developing countries to donating Christmas packages to charity organizations in Belgium. Hundreds end-of-life laptop and desktop computers were delivered to ‘Close the Gap’, an initiative that bridges the digital divide by providing high-quality, pre-owned IT devices donated by European companies to educational, medical and social projects in developing and emerging countries.
DAF Westerlo hosted a Christmas market to raise funds for Samuni, a project by Thomas More University promoting inclusion for people with disabilities, disadvantaged groups, and students. Additionally, DAF Westerlo collaborates with Thomas More on the Wagenwinkel initiative, a pop-up store where young children with intellectual disabilities sell their handmade gifts and crafts to help bring them closer to society. This successful event, held for the second time, will definitely return next year to continue spreading the Christmas spirit.
PACCAR Foundation
DAF is a PACCAR company. The PACCAR Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1951. The Foundation generally directs its grants to organizations in communities where PACCAR has a significant presence, such as a DAF factory or a major office. Grant recipients include universities, hospitals, and programs for arts and economic education.
Corporate social responsibility at Leyland Trucks
Also Leyland Trucks (UK) focuses on local community engagement in order to give back to society. Employees at Leyland nominate various projects to be supported, including schools, sports teams, and providing disability equipment to aid those with complex needs. In addition, Leyland has a Volunteering Policy, which allows employees to request up to two paid leave days annually to support a local charity or cause of personal significance.
Leyland Trucks is a Disability Confident employer which confirms their aim to foster an inclusive and supportive workplace for individuals with disabilities, striving to eliminate barriers and ensure equal opportunities for all.
Leyland Trucks was awarded the Armed Forces Covenant silver status in 2025. This reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the transition from military to civilian life and actively provide employment opportunities for service members, their partners, and spouses.
Leyland Trucks Helping Hand is the employee led charity at the Leyland site in the UK. It has operated for 30 years and has donated over £1M (€1.15M) to local good causes. Employees organize and participate along with friends, suppliers, and customers in a wide range of activities to raise money.
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