Volvo Philippines is the official transport for Asia’s Next Top Model host and judge Cindy Sirinya Bishop as she visited Manila. Ferried around by the latest addition to the Volvo stable, the Volvo XC40, the multi-faceted supermodel, actress, and most notably as of late, the founder of the #Don’tTellMeHowToDress campaign, offered her support to the launch of the #RespetoNaman Campaign against gender-based violence.

Held at the Power Plant Mall last December, the campaign is part of the celebration of the International day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It is a project of the Embassy of Sweden in Manila, Office of the Vice President (OVP), UN WOMEN Safe Cities Metro Manila Program, EMPOWER, and SPARK Philippines.

Starting as a social-media campaign, Bishop is now actively raising awareness about sexual harassment and victim-blaming through exhibits, public speaking events, and other platforms. She was also an organizer for The Social Power Exhibition against Sexual Assault, supported by the Government of Thailand and UN Women.

Just like Bishop, whose efforts support the Sustainable Development Goal 5, a UN Women movement that aims to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women, Volvo is also an active supporter of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Volvo is a proud founding member of the UN Global Compact, a voluntary initiative to implement universal sustainability principles.

As a human-centric car company, Volvo is a brand for people who care about other people and the world. This is at the core of Volvo’s business and approach to sustainability that goes beyond their operations and cars.

The word “omtanke” summarizes the Volvo way of protecting what’s important. It is a Swedish word that means “caring” and “consideration”, but also importantly “to think again”.

Omtanke is the name of Volvo’s program of sustainability commitments.

Along with environmental and business standards, Volvo is also committed to upholding ethical leadership. In fact, Volvo Cars is proud to be recognized as a 2018 World’s Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute for the second consecutive year. Ethisphere institute is a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

This culture of Omtanke carries on to reach and promote a diverse and inclusive culture at Volvo Cars. By the end of this decade, Volvo looks to have at least 35 percent of leading positions to be held by women, the largest share in the automotive industry.

Katarina Matson, Senior Expert Culture and Diversity, explains that at Volvo Cars, “in a deeply global, connected world, our leadership continues to promote dynamic, respectful and inclusive working environments for every individual – regardless of gender or nationality.”