TNT, Shell, Philips Come Together to Promote Green Life in Bulgaria

Dutch Ambassador to Bulgaria Karel van Kesteren (right), tennis star Magdalena Maleeva (in pink), TNT Bulgaria Manager Ivan Vasilev (middle), among others, tried out the special TNT green bikes. Photo by M3 Communications

Three top global Dutch-based companies – TNT, Shell, and Philips – have presented their green initiatives in Sofia in order to promote environmental protection in Bulgaria.

The event was dedicated to the world Sustainability Day and was part of the Week of the Netherlands 2010 organized under the patronage of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bulgaria.

The visitors of the joint event of TNT, Shell and Philips at the Hilton Hotel in Sofia had the opportunities to learn in detail about the new environment-friendly products and projects of the three companies, and to receive important and interesting pieces of advice on green life first-hand.

Philips presented its initiatives for sustainable development by setting respective goals individually for each of the sectors that it is active in, in order to offer energy efficient and green solutions.

One of the long-term goals of Philips is to have energy efficient products generate half of its total sales by 2015.

The stage that the Bulgarian branch of the company created specially for Wednesday's event sought to symbolize nature and the commitment to its protection.

The representatives of Shell, including the Chair of Shell Bulgaria Kamelia Slaveykova, in turn have explained that the company has changed its strategy based on a view of a global future with fewer carbon emissions. Thus, it has refocused on increased extraction of natural gas, and improving its fuels and machine oils so that their combustion emits smalled quantities of greenhouse gases. Shell is also seeking to perfect and expand its technologies for storing carbon dioxide.

During Wednesday's event in Sofia, Shell Bulgaria presented its Eco-marathon initiative, an annual competition inviting high school and university students from around the world to construct and test eco-cars. The winner is the team that manages to travel the longest distance spending the smallest amount of fuel, and emitting the smallest amount of greenhouse gases.

In Bulgaria, this global initiative was taken up by students from the Sofia Technical University and the Varna Technical. The eco cars that their teams constructed were displayed for the visitors.

Ivan Vasilev, the Manager of the Bulgarian branch of global express delivery, mail, and logistics company TNT, also outlined the social responsibility practices that TNT has been realizing in the country since 1995.

In 2007, TNT Bulgaria started an initiative to promote bicycles as a transportation means in Bulgaria entitled "Be on Time, Ride a Bicycle", with which it encouraged its employees to use bicycles as an alternative to their personal cars in order to reduce traffic jams and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, over 70% of the TNT employees in Bulgaria committed to the initiative.

The local initiative is part of the global project of TNT Planet me° which seeks to place environmental protection in the heart of business strategies and corporate culture. In 2010, TNT Bulgaria refocused its green project on its clients with the follow-up initiative "Get Green, Get a Bike" providing special orange TNT bicycles to its deserving clients and encouraging them to use them on their commutes.

During Wednesday's green life event, TNT Bulgaria Manager Ivan Vasilev presented Dutch Ambassador to Bulgaria Karel van Kesteren and the special guest, former Bulgarian tennis star and green life activist Magdalena Maleeva, orange TNT bikes. His Excellency and Magi Maleeva in return pledged their support for the green cause of the company by signing special commitment certificates and setting personal examples with a short ride around the Sofia Hilton Hotel.

The three pavilions of TNT, Philips and Shell at the Sofia Hilton Hotel viewed from above, demonstrating some of their green initiatives. Photo by M3 Communications

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