SITUATION/PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: 
Due to the line of business (logistic and transportation services) the company wants to ensure effective flow of goods in accordance with the principle of balance with the environment.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION/SOLUTION:
The adopted program is a public declaration and the company’s commitment to take actions to protect environment. It aims at including pro-ecological approach in the daily operations of DHL Express and it systematically supports actions and pursuit to maintain balance with the natural environment.
Due to broad character and complexity of the project, all the activities were split into several stages:

• proposing environmental policy;
• implementing action procedures for contingency situations;
• educating employees;
• defining the system of environment management and including the environmental objectives to the budget; defining indicators of effectiveness of pro-environmental activities and dialogue with the interested entities from the company’s environment;
• communicating the results of actions.

The process of the project preparation and implementation involved representatives of all the departments of the company, which guaranteed effective implementation in the entire organization. The president of the board is the supervisor and the guarantee of the realisation of the project on the part of the company, which ensured the high status of the project, finality of decisions and means for the realization stage. Effective communication had place not only in the process between the project and the company. Work was enriched with ideas which originated outside the project group. Once the employees were made aware of the ecological issues they started noticing opportunities to introduce some projects of value for the environment. It was the employees’ initiatives that lead to creating e.g. labels encouraging to pro-ecologic approach e.g. A Bulb Needs a Rest, Too, Don’t Waste Water, etc.

The company measures and monitors the scale of its action to the environment using so-called “environmental” indicators which allow defining e.g. the use of paper per employee (in reams per month), use of electrical energy per employee, water, particular kinds of fuel per car etc. The implementation of the project was accompanied by the intensive information campaign. The program has its logo and slogan ”we did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we merely borrowed it from our children”.

BENEFITS:

• Obtaining ISO14001 certificate;
• Increase of ecological awareness of employees;
• Employees’ involvement in finding new solutions, higher retention in the company;
• Lowering the costs of operation: segmentation of wastes up to 50% less in comparison with previous costs, system of energy saving approx. 70,000 PLN In comparison to the pervious year; system of automatic gas use – savings of the level of 40 000 PLN;
• Improvement in competitiveness of the company and the change of the Policy into environment-friendly – satisfying corporate clients and adjusting to the growing demands of clients in Poland.

CHALLENGES:

• Changing regulations and their different interpretation by offices; the problem was solved by running various legal   audits, and also following the changes in law on current basis and by getting in touch with the publishers of documents (ministry);
• Lack of required documents/ permits in companies which receive the wastes, rent space etc. – suppliers were faced   with very strict requirements, which they had to fulfil;
• Defining environmental indicators mainly due to scant availability of data – the possibility of obtaining data was carefully   investigated and tools to analyze them were created.

WORTH REMEMBERING:

• CSR projects very often concern the change of habits, attitudes. In order for them to be successful it is there is a need for effective communication and cooperation of all the employees of the company so that employees can feel the co-authors for realizing it and conforming to it. Additionally, employees can enrich the project with their own valuable comments and ideas;
• Support and direct coordination of the project by the most important directors will give the program the appropriate rank and prestige;