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Frequently asked questions

Find here an overview of frequently asked questions to the Moving the World programme.

 

  1. Q- What is this partnership?
    A- TNT is using its core specialisms to help the UN World Food Programme. TNT acknowledges its share in the responsibility for a sustainable society, and chooses to give shape to that responsibility through the core competencies of the business and its employees: transport, logistics and the associated knowledge and skills.

 

  1. Q- Why has TNT opted for a partnership instead of simply donating money to a charity?
    A- Donating money is charity, and this is definitely needed as well. However some situations require a direct altruistic contribution. Working towards a sustainable society requires more than charity alone: it demands personal effort, and personal effort is at its best in a partnership with an organisation that is working towards a better world - day in day out.

 

  1. Q- Why WFP?
    A- WFP is a major global organisation committed to fighting hunger, and hunger - a chronic lack of food - remains one of the most serious problems facing the world today. More than 800 million people in the world suffer from hunger, and every five seconds a child dies from malnutrition or from a disease worsened by malnutrition. WFP was set up by the United Nations to address this situation. To fulfil its mandate WFP depends on transport and logistics expertise - exactly the specialisms TNT has to offer.

 

  1. Q- What does the partnership entail?
    A- TNT offers practical support by making available human resources and equipment for specific projects. In addition, the company offers vital know-how for setting up logistics, warehousing and distribution systems. TNT also organises fundraising activities at both corporate and employee levels. Finally, TNT supports WFP by raising awareness of the hunger issue, bringing this to the attention of the public, world leaders and the leaders of industry.

 

  1. Q- How does WFP benefit?
    A- For one, this gives WFP access to a wide scope of facilities and know-how that tend to be much further developed in a commercial organisation than in one mainly financed through government funding. TNT has invested heavily in automation and other modern technology. This sort of innovation is often out of reach of an organisation like WFP because its funding is intended for providing aid and not for organisational development. Our partnership can bridge this divide.

 

  1. Q- How does TNT benefit?
    A- The partnership helps to boost the morale of TNT's employees, who feel proud and more committed to the company because of TNT's efforts on behalf of WFP. The partnership also helps to strengthen the key components of our corporate reputation: reliability, commitment and social awareness. This is more than just an image: it reflects the involvement of both the business and its people.

 

  1. Q- What are the successes of the partnership?
    A- First and foremost, our successes include all WFP's relief projects to which TNT has been able to make a meaningful contribution. As the partnership has helped improve food supplies, it has directly benefited countless people. Next to that, a number of joint activities by TNT and WFP have generated more awareness of WFP's efforts. One example is Walk the World, which has inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the world to participate actively in an event that aims not only to raise funds but also to increase people's awareness of world hunger and of WFP's efforts to fight it.

 

  1. Q- Is there a cultural fit between TNT and WFP?
    A- WFP and TNT are both distribution organisations with global reach. Whereas WFP naturally places the emphasis on what it distributes, at TNT the emphasis is more on matters like efficiency and effectiveness - the "hows" of distribution. The effect is that the two organisations naturally complement each other in their shared area of expertise.

 

  1. Q- How much money has TNT invested in WFP so far?
    A- The services, knowledge, resources and people made available by TNT to WFP over the past five years represent a value of more than 39 million euros. On top of that, during the same period employees donated more than 9 million euros to WFP in cash.

 

  1. Q- How does TNT's contribution compare with other support received by WFP?
    A- WFP depends primarily on the UN member states for its funding. These government subsidies, which are many times higher than TNT's contribution, enable WFP to provide relief around the world. Seen in that light, TNT is a small partner - but a very professional one. WFP has no fixed UN budget and every year it faces the problem of having to raise enough funds to be able to run its programme and, if at all possible, to expand it. TNT also supports WFP in broadening its sponsor base in the international corporate sector.

 

  1. Q- How do the employees of TNT feel about the partnership with WFP?
    A- Our people are happy that the company is making a positive contribution, and naturally they find it inspiring to learn that their own expertise can contribute to something as concrete and vital as fighting hunger. They experience this as useful and relevant.

 

  1. Q- And the TNT shareholders - how do they feel about this?
    A- The shareholders know how important it is to embed the values of social responsibility in the company, they understand the conditions major clients place on TNT, and they also see the positive effect of this on TNT's reputation. That's something shareholders notice; a strong name with a strong reputation is worth a lot.

 

  1. Q- And the public - what's the feeling there?
    A- Public opinion is important to TNT. The company's reputation is determined in part by activities in the area of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Only for a part though, because if the quality of TNT's services were to drop below standard nothing could be done to save the company's reputation. Having said that, the public does take note of the social responsibility and involvement of the company, and that counts.

 

  1. Q- What do clients think of this partnership and does it offer any competitive gain for TNT?
    A- Some of our clients demand that we not only subscribe to the concept of corporate social responsibility, but actually practise it. Of course they don't say: "We want you to cooperate with WFP", it's not that direct, but a partnership like this does create a great deal of goodwill, also on the labour market.

 

  1. Q- Does TNT also offer assistance in high-risk conditions, such as war?
    A- TNT works with WFP at various levels. One component of our partnership is the provision of direct aid, in terms of human and other resources, for people hit by disaster - such as the tsunami in 2004 or in Sudan. TNT always takes the safety of its employees into consideration, however, and therefore never sends its people into areas where they would be directly exposed to danger.

 

  1. Q- How long will TNT continue this partnership?
    A- Towards the end of 2002, TNT and WFP entered into a partnership agreement for at least five years, i.e. until the end of 2007. In 2008, the two partners agreed that they would carry on with the partnership as long as it continued to yield mutual benefits.