DHL MARKS THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF GLOBAL VOLUNTEER DAY IN JAPAN

More than 1,600 DHL employees participated in various community-based projects and contributed to the local communities

DHL, the world’s leading logistics provider, celebrates the 15th anniversary of Global Volunteer Day (GVD) with over 1,600 of its employees, along with their families and friends, and customers of DHL Supply Chain, DHL Express and DHL Global Forwarding participating in 30 activities in Japan. After a few years of pandemic restrictions, this also marks a full-scale restart of face-to-face activities.

First introduced in Asia Pacific in 2008 and expanded globally in 2011, GVD is an annual employee volunteering program that encourages giving back to the local community and actively contributing to society.

DHL employees are driven by the purpose of “Connecting People, Improving Lives”, and are free to choose the kinds of projects and activities they work on for GVD. These projects and activities align with the focus areas that make up DHL Group’s sustainability strategy, including GoGreen, GoHelp, GoTeach and GoTrade.

Based on these four umbrella initiatives, employees in Japan organized and participated in wide-ranging activities. As part of GoGreen efforts, they cleaned areas around DHL facilities, beaches and parks, planted trees at Ashio in Tochigi Prefecture, promoted recycling and Zero Waste Day, and weaved woolen nests for wild bird chicks. Employees also organized food drives and donated essential daily necessities to non-profit organizations (NPOs) as part of GoHelp initiatives. Additionally, used stamps were collected to support vaccination funding, and a sale of alpaca goods was arranged to help women in Peru.

With GoTeach, the DHL employees in Japan collaborated with Teach for Japan, an NPO and official partner of DHL, to conduct career workshops for children. They also hosted events featuring professional musicians to inspire future careers. Additionally, they supported children’s education by donating books, CDs, and DVDs to NPOs dedicated to educational assistance.

Jérôme Gillet, President and Representative Director, CEO Japan and Korea, DHL Supply Chain, said, “I am delighted that many of our employees are keeping the spirit of volunteerism alive this year by actively participating in activities and contributing to the local community. Together, we can make a positive impact on local communities and the environment by continuing to give our time and expertise on causes that matter to us.”

Tony Khan, President and Representative Director of DHL Express Japan, said, “This year's Global Volunteer Day saw an unprecedented expansion and excitement in our company's volunteer activities, with all functions putting into practice programs that they had voluntarily planned with the strong support of each senior management member. We are very proud that every year, our employees actively contribute to the communities through volunteering to realize the Group's corporate purpose of ‘Connecting People, Improving Lives’.”

Karsten Michaelis, President and Representative Director, DHL Global Forwarding Japan K.K., said, “At the heart of the DHL volunteer activity is our people. The spirit shown towards contributing to society in each of our employees is nothing short of remarkable. Once again, our employees put their hearts and efforts together to make our volunteering activity continue to be a success. With such abundant energy, we are determined to continue to give back to the local community in the future as well.”