Our planet faces unprecedented environmental, social and economic challenges, driving behavioral changes in individuals and organizations, and therefore transforming the landscape within businesses around the world operate. We feel each business company should take its responsibilities and take fundamental steps to commit to environmental, social and governance business practices and make Corporate Sustainability a priority in their business agenda.
The aim of the Transworld sustainability initiative is to make Transworld better, and hopefully in turn this will help conversations with our clients and suppliers about how we can make a change in the world that will leave it in a better condition for future generations.
We expect that the journey we are going through will take time, and that we will meet hurdles and challenges along the way; but our aim is to be better, to be honest and transparent in everything that we are doing.
The final result will be Net Zero, but we want our commitment to this to be thought out and a target we can achieve. This infrastructure is not there yet, and so we are consulting in the deepest and most meaningful way we can with experts in this field and with our suppliers in the hope to set a Net Zero target as soon as possible, as a collaborative target and a journey we can make together.
Our commitment is to be open, honest, collaborative and dedicated to achieving a better world for us all.
In order to do this, we recognize we must be agents of change ourselves, to show our
commitment and be held to it.
Transworld is making a commitment to not make profit out of our sustainability initiative. This means we are publishing our strategy for our clients, suppliers and competitors to hold us accountable to. We will be publishing our achievements, our failures and our ideas.
We will be engaging openly with everyone we can and we will be honest if we do not meet our target and explain why we have not.
We expect to achieve our targets and recognise we may fail in some areas, but most of all we will change and we will make the world better.
For this reason, Transworld suscribes the below Corporate Sustainability Program, based upon 3 pillars: Environmental, Social and Governance, and expects from its suppliers, agents and subcontractors the same.
A yearly published sustainability report will keep track of all progress that is being made in aforesaid domains.
I. Environment
Our environmental Policy ensures that Transworld International will endeavor to conduct business in such a ways as to show full respect to the environment in respect of the workforce, the clients and the community at large.
We are committed to providing a quality service in a manner that ensures a safe and healthy workplace for our employees and minimises our potential impact on the environment.
We will operate in compliance with all relevant environmental legislation and we will strive to use pollution prevention and environmental best practices in all we do. Not only is this sound commercial sense for all, it is also a matter of delivering on our duty of care towards future generations.
Our policy is to:
- Integrate the consideration of environmental concerns and impacts into all of our decision making and activities, assessing the environmental impact of any new processes or products we intend to introduce.
- Promote environmental awareness among our employees and encourage them to work in an environmentally responsible manner. Working paperless is the standard in our company. Giving up paper where possible in favor of digital files and documents has created an environmental friendly working environment, obliteration the mounds of paperwork that inevitably build up in the company.
- Communicate our environmental commitment to clients, customers and the public and encourage them to support it.
- Reduce waste through re-use and recycling and by purchasing recycled, recyclable or refurbished products and materials where these alternatives are available, economical and suitable. Wherever possible we use our packaging materials several times in order to reduce the impact on the environment. All waste is disposed of in environmentally friendly ways whereby we diligently separate items according to their category.
- Operate and maintain company vehicles with due regard to environmental issues as far as reasonably practical.
- Promote efficient use of materials and resources throughout out facility including water, electricity, raw materials and other resources — particularly those that are non¬renewable. Transworld will in this respect within the next two years install a rain water recuperation system, and aims to reduce its drink water use by 80% by 2025.
- Avoid unnecessary use of hazardous materials and products, seek substitutions when feasible and take all reasonable steps to protect human health and the environment when such materials must be used, stored and disposed of.
- Strive to continually improve our environmental performance and minimize the social impact and damage of activities by periodically reviewing our environmental policy in light of our current and planned future activities.
We therefore apply the precautionary principle, meaning that we systematically assess and manage environmental risks related to our operations. Transworld’s actions and decision making should be guided by general principles for environmental responsability.
One of the key elements in an efficient and contemporary environmental policy is to strive for a reduction of use of energy and carbon emissions to what is technically and economically possible. Therefore all lights in Transworld’s offices and warehouse are LED-lights, and Transworld has a policy of shutting down all electric appliances at the end of a working day. All moving vehicles of Transworld are also equipped with a performant track and trace system, allowing the planning department to use all vehicles on the road in the most efficient way, and to avoid useless or empty transports, in order to limit carbon emissions to a minimum. When receiving a demand for a removal quote, an assessment is being made before scheduling a premove survey, and where possible, a virtual survey is conducted to avoid car displacements to a maximum. Gradually, Transworld aims to replace all its vehicles with zero emissions vehicles where technically and economically possible. Transworld also aims within a period of 5 years, a.o. due to installing photovoltaic systems and using the latest state of the art energy and heating systems, to raise the percentage of green electricity it uses to at least 75% in the next 5 years.
II. Social
The Social pillar of our Sustainability program relates to practices that promote the health, safety and wellbeing of employees, customers and communities where Transworld operates.
Our commitments and policies deal with:
- Health, Safety and Wellbeing
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Employee engagement, Fair & Respectful treatment
- Learning & Development opportunities
- Community engagement
Health, safety and mental well being
Health, safety and mental well being of our employees are a top priority for Transworld International. Employees that can work in safe circumstances and who are physical and mentally healthy are a huge benefit to the company. Real, effective change and improvement require a daily commitment, and we pledge to remain focused, vigilant and humble in our work.
Our commitment to safety starts from within. We aim to eliminate all workplace injuries and ensure that everyone leaves work in the same condition as they arrived. All tools and materials will be questioned and tested in function of the health and safety of the people who will be working with it. Therefore it will use the principle of three green lights, as set out in the handbook of Belgian safety rules.
Transworld International has an internal as well as an external prevention advisor who deal with health and safety issues.
The internal safety advisor works on a daily basis in close contact with both employees as the management to ensure safety regulations are met on each level of the company, while the external prevention advisor works on all prevention and safety issues by means of a visit to the company minimum each two years, and making an extensive report top the internal prevention advisor.
On a regular basis Transworld International launches campaigns toward its staff to create a better awareness of health and safety uses with its staff and its subcontractors.
Safety and prevention measures are evaluated on a continuous basis. Each month, the internal prevention advisor makes a report of all events and activities related to safety and prevention matters and presents this to the management. At the beginning of each year, a yearly action plan on safety and prevention is made, and each 5 years a global prevention plan is presented.
As for mental well being, a risk analysis for psycho-social risks per job type has been made. A person of trust, specially trained to deal with mental health matters, is available at the external prevention advisor. The contact details are communicated to all employees, and is also available at the dispatcher and is published at the warehouse entrance.
A procedure to deal with complaints or issues related to mental well being is also included in the Transworld workers regulations.
Transworld also encourages feedback from staff to innovate on how to keep staff, suppliers, assignees, and clients safe in different situations and geographies.
Our goal is zero workplace injuries.
An annual report of each accident, injury or complaint will be presented to the management, as well as an overview of the corrective actions that have been taken.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives
Transworld International fully subscribes a policy of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our differences make us better.
We commit to advancing a collaborative, inclusive and globally diverse culture that creates unique careers in the moving and relocation industry.
To advance equity and diversity and build a culture of inclusion, we have established a set of aspirations we will strive to achieve :
Close representation gaps for historically underrepresented groups.
Advance common understanding, shared experiences and mutual respect.
Report diversity metrics and progress annually.
This policy contains the following element:
Job offers are open for everybody, regardless sexe, age, ethnicity,… Each job offer is checked by Transworld’s diversity manager, making sure that no exclusions are placed in the job offer which are not related to competences, needed for the job.
In our recruitment program, there is no place for discrimination whatsoever. Candidates are only judged on their competence directly related to the job.
Criteria that are explicitly excluded in judging a candidate are : race and ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, religion, age and disabilities.
The importance of equity, inclusion and diversity is also stressed to our employees during their annual training.
Employee engagement
When employees are highly engaged, the flow-on benefits are enormous: people are happier, more productive, less likely to be absent, less likely to leave the company, and more likely to work hard as a part of a team.
Employee engagement can be described as the amount of dedication and enthusiasm an employee feels towards their job. When an employee is engaged, they are more likely to care and be enthusiastic about the work they do and the company they work for and its performance.
As such, employee engagement has an important role to play in a company’s overall success. It has strong links to levels of job satisfaction and employee morale.
Companies with engaged employees are more successful, their employees are more productive, the financial health of the company is better, and these internal metrics can flow on to external factors like a strong brand identity, happy customers, repeat business and so on. When employees are disengaged they’re more likely to not be fully present, won’t put in their best effort, and will probably leave the organization for somewhere more engaging.
There are several factors that drive employee engagement and can affect whether or not you will retain your most valuable employees. Transworld improves engagement levels by implementing initiatives in the following areas:
1. A well-done onboarding process
When the onboarding process is not smooth (or if it doesn’t exist at all) the employee begins their life at the organization with confusion and disarray. They won’t have clear goals or expectations set and won’t know how they are expected to contribute to the company’s overall success.
Transworld has an initation procedure in place, which involves an induction training and providing a welcome brochure to each new employee.
2. Workplace culture
The culture of a workplace will have a huge impact on employee engagement. Transworld ensures a welcoming workplace where everyone is kind, inclusive, respectful and courteous and everyone works together well as a team.
3. Provision of work tools that make tasks easier
The technology and other systems used in the workplace can affect engagement of employees. When you use outdated systems or the tools you are using are cumbersome and require too many unnecessary steps to accomplish a task, this can lead to frustration and then disengagement. Tools that help employees work better and collaborate with their peers will help improve morale.
For this reason Transworld foreseen the best tools fitting for each job.
4. Good internal communication
When internal communication is poor or lacking entirely, it can have a negative effect on workers’ engagement. Employees need to be provided with clear, concise, relevant and timely information so that they can do their jobs well. Without good communication there can be confusion, lack of direction, mistakes, loss of productivity and resentment at being kept in the dark. Improving internal communication practices, including using a wide range of channels to ensure employees don’t miss information, will also drive engagement. As a family company, Transworld highly values good and direct internal communication, where there is a direct line between the management and the workflow.
5. Flexible work options
A big engagement killer for employees is lack of flexibility in the workplace. This has only been heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic as people don’t want to return to their old work lives where they had no flexibility at all. Flexibility can take many forms and there isn’t a blanket approach that will suit all employees. Some may want to work more hours but less days, some might want different start and finishing times or continued remote work to remove long commutes from their lives. If there is no reasonable reason why employees cannot work flexibly, by enabling it you will have happier, more productive, more engaged employees.
Transworld International foresees in the possibility for our administrative staff to work remotely. For the blue-collar workers, a flexibility is foreseen in the system of recuperation of performed overtime hours, which can be taken in agreement with the dispatcher, who complies to a maximum with the demands of the blue collar workers, taking into account the on-going workload.
Learning and development opportunities
Learning and development (L&D) is a crucial component for cultivating positive company culture. It puts the employee first, making personal growth and innovation a priority. L&D also helps with recruiting and employee retention.
Transworld offers employees access to development opportunities in two ways.
First, Transworld has extensive internal employee training and development programs, giving workers the ability to upgrade their skill set and potentially advance. This applies to both white collar as blue collar workers.
Secondly, Transworld offers both white and blue collar workers opportunities for L&D in cooperation with external partners, such as BKV (Belgian Chamber of Movers), acknowledged driving schools,… Transworld facilities in any way for its employees to follow such external courses, which contribute to the employees’ development within the company.
Community engagement
As a business enterprise, over and above the core of our business activities, we have a further responsibility towards society and the environment within which we develop our business activities.
For these reasons, we have decided, a s an enterprise with the philosophy of sustainability and responsibility, to act in the bounds of a broader context.
Over and above our own measures for responsible merchandising, Transworld supports additionally those people or institutions that do good for our society, culture and nature, with the emphasis of support of local organizations.
Transworld has previously worked in this respect with Voedselbank, Tros Overijse, Kringwinkel, Natuur en Bos, Ijsedal Maatwerkbedrijf,….
The goal of Transworld is to institutionalize its engagements in local community by the end of 2024, by setting up a plan and fixing a yearly budget, reserved for community engagements.
III. Governance
Principles of Sustainability, as set out above, need to be put in practice through good governance.
Procedures therefore need to be put in place to make sure that a long-term positive impact and sustainability changes are created at a gradual and financially stable rate.
Therefore a distinction needs to be made between the so-called quick-wins, often generated by a change of behavior of individuals or by gains created by small investments, and the so-called long term goals, which require considerable investments and/or technical adaptations.
Quick wins include amongst others : working by paperless files where possible, switching off appliances at the end of the work day, recycling materials where possible, sorting out differ nets kind of waste, driving economically,…
These quick wins are determined and coordinated by an appointed sustainability manager. His task is to collect all information and data to determine which quick wins can be achieved, making a yearly report for Transworld’s management, organizing at least once a year training sessions on sustainability for both white collar as blue collar workers.
The principles set out above will also be communicated to our suppliers, agents, subcontractors, accounts and clients by e-mail, through a link to the relevant pages on our website in the standard signature of all employees. Also will this sustainability program be part of the SLA, which is part of our contract with all of our subcontractors and agents. Doing business with Transworld will mean underscribing this Sustainability Program.
The sustainability manager will also be the contact person to all staff during working hours, and is available for any remarks on follow-up, progress and suggestions on our sustainability program.
Long term goals on sustainability are determined by Transworld’s management, in coordination with the sustainability manager. These long terms are also part of the sustainability program, and may (amongst others) concern investments in infrastructure (offices, warehouse) as well as in vehicles (reduction of CO2 emission).
Each year, the sustainability manager makes a report on achievements, progress and outstanding issues related to sustainability management. This report is first presented to and approved by Transworld’s management, after which it will be communicated by e-mail or by publication on the warehouse to Transworld staff’s. This report will also be published on Transworld’s website, where it can be consulted by all of our clients, accounts, suppliers and subcontractors. Communication of this report will also be included in the e-mails we send, by a link in the signature of the e-mails.