At the end of this year, TVH—global player in the field of parts for material handling and industrial vehicles, and the rental, repair and sales of those machines—is one of the first companies in Belgium to receive the certificate from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). This is an international recognition for corporate sustainability based on the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
In October, TVH will be one of the first 100 Belgian companies to be awarded the UNITAR certificate. A great reward for the organisation, which has been scoring national certificates for its efforts in the field of sustainability for the 11th year in a row. "Corporate sustainability has always been important to TVH," says Frederik Hanssens, Safety, Health & Environment Manager at TVH. "And every year, we work even harder."
Sustainable development goals
One of TVH's most recent actions: making a donation to The Ocean Cleanup—a non-profit organisation that combats plastic pollution in the oceans. "It was the colleagues who put this charity forward after an internal call to tackle the UN goal 'life in the water'", Frederik explains. "The internal involvement at TVH as a sustainable entrepreneur is considerable."
TVH's initiative to present each colleague with a reusable Dopper water bottle on Employee Day is along the same lines. Frederik: "That was April 2019. More than a year later, we've already saved up to 200,000 plastic cups." And this year, the employees received a reusable coffee mug.
Praise for ergonomic workstations
At the audit in June, TVH received the most praise for its attention to social engagement, a broad health policy and ergonomics. "Because of COVID-19, we had to postpone it for a while, but TVH was even asked to give a tour to the other audit participants, including a presentation of our ergonomic picking workstations," says Frederik. TVH's efforts in the field of sustainable mobility, risk management and flexibility in corona times were also appreciated by the experts.
About the UNITAR certificate
With the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, formally adopted by the UN in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNITAR wants to offer governments and organisations a compass for corporate sustainability. The goals were signed by no less than 194 countries worldwide.
The SDGs consist of three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental aspect. These can be subdivided into five large themes: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships. In Belgium, only companies that have realised actions for all 17 SDGs and that have been nationally certified for at least three years in a row, have a chance to win the UNITAR certificate.