Corporate Social Responsibility

TVL’s company ethics imply that sustainability and corporate social responsibility go hand in hand. All decision-making regarding our trade and investments aim at a sustainable future for our company and our employees. Our respect for human life, the planet and the community is also a growing advantage to hold on to our existing staff, customers and suppliers, and to appeal to new talent sharing the same ideology.

Commitment to local technical schools

TVL maintains a close contact with a couple of technical schools in the neighbourhood. We try to support these schools by accommodating them with the latest generation of machinery and offering internships. At the request of technical schools, we organise lessons in 3D measuring at our premises. We also organise school visits on a regular basis for students who still have to choose their field of study. This way, we hope that technical professions appeal to more students. Every year, TVL is invited to sit on the exam board of a local technical school to give our expert opinion on the GIP tests (i.e. integrated tests) of final year students electromechanics.

Recycled and fair trade products

TVL purchases fair trade products such as coffee, sugar, wine, etc. at the Oxfam shops. Furthermore, we buy as much as possible recycled office equipment: ecological office paper and envelopes, coffee cups that are 100% compostable and biodegradable, green cleaning products, etc.

Promoting and helping sheltered workshops

TVL provides support to a Belgian disadvantaged group of employees by purchasing products from sheltered workshops.

We mostly purchase our chocolate products at the non-profit organisation TWERK, a sheltered workshop that provides work to employees who suffer from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns.

Moreover, Geert Van Landuyt, our Managing Director, is a member of the Board of a social economic company that employs over 270 people. This sheltered workshop offers meaningful work to those who are willing to work, but cannot temporarily or permanently survive the normal labour market circuit. Persons with a physical, sensory or mental impairment are their primary target group. The final goal is to reintegrate them into society.

Go to the Trianval website

Overview of initiatives

Two students plan to build a house in Tanzania

TVL is sponsoring the project of the 2 Scouts friends Robbe Stalpaert and Robbe Vandenberghe. Both students are in the final year at the Odisee Hogeschool in Aalst to become architectural engineers. In 2019, during their 4.5-month stay in Tanzania, they plan to build a house for a local family. This family is currently living in a run-down house in Shimbwe, near the Kilimanjaro. They received a piece of land from the local government, but they lack the finances to build a house on it. It will become a house in which 3 generations will live together.

Photo: © JVW, het Nieuwsblad, 24/08/2018

Sponsorship tandem biking duo Griet Hoet (visually disabled) and Anneleen Monsieur (pilot)

TVL sponsors the tandem biking duo Griet Hoet and Anneleen Monsieur. During the world championship 2018 Para-Cycling Track in Rio De Janeiro, they won no less than 3 medals.

Griet Hoet

Griet Hoet is 39 years old. She is a primary school teacher and works in a type 1 school (a school for pupils with light mental disabilities) in Ghent. She grew up in Wetteren-ten-Ede and is living in Destelbergen now.

Some 10 years ago, she was diagnosed with Rentinitis Pigmentosa. This is an eye disease causing the visual field to slowly get smaller and smaller until it results in tunnel vision. And besides this, she also has night blindness.

The following photographs give a clear picture of the disease during daytime:

Unfortunately, there is no medical cure available to stop the disease. She has to face her physical limitations and reorganise her life: a cane is helping her during walking and she uses public transport as much as possible for all her trips.

Anneleen Monsieur

Anneleen Monsieur is 39 years old. She grew up in Melle and is currently still living there. She obtained a graduate in agriculture and biotechnology and is currently working for Parantee-Psylos.

Sports, as also youth movement, have always been important in her life. Throughout the years, she played basketball, rugby, football and participated in recreational mountain biking. 3 years ago, she became passionate about tandem biking.

Water Serabit

TVL, together with a few other companies, is supporting the building of water well and reservoir in Sebarit ( Sinaai desert Egypt ). In this way we support the living conditions and enable the community to stay and live in their village. The local school will also thrive by this.

Fair Trade gemeente Wetteren

Making a piece of Egyptian desert fertile

TVL is supporting a project whose goal is to make a small piece of the Egyptian desert fertile. The first step is to level the ground with a bulldozer, and then cover this piece of land with black fertile soil. Secondly, a 120 m pipe is drilled to ensure the water supply. Finally, a solar energy source provides for the necessary energy to get the water pump working.

When the project is finished, the land will be cultivated by an entire family, who will be able to live from the selling of the harvest.