Apr 23, 2021| ESG

JD Foundation Launches Children Books Donation Campaign 2021

Vivian Yang

by Vivian Yang

JD.com started a new round of its children books’ donation campaign on Apr. 23 to coincide with World Reading Day 2021. From Apr. 23 to May 19, people in 27 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China may donate books by a few simple clicks on JD’s app.

Once the book pick-up appointment is made through the JD app, JD’s couriers will collect them free of charge. All of the books will be sent to charity organizations for selection, sorting and disinfection before being delivered to designated schools.

Donated books are required in good condition to be eligible for the program. Picture books, educational books, classic literature and reference books for children between 5 to 12 years old are preferred.

“The entire book donation process is tracked in JD’s system,” said Chen Zeng, vice president of JD.com. “Donators can easily find the whereabouts of their donated books and charity organizations will also publicize their book handling details on the platform to keep a transparent record.”

This campaign, started in 2015, is the e-commerce giant’s flagship charity initiative aiming at increasing reading access for children in China’s rural and underdeveloped areas. It draws increasing attention and participation from society over the years. This year, the program will continue to be organized by JD Foundation, People’s Daily, China Social Assistant Foundation and Stars Youth Development Center, and supported by JD Books, JD Reading and JD Logistics.

Before the public campaign, JD Books has offered 500 books to a middle school in Beijing for children of migrant workers. Meanwhile, JD Reading donated dozens of e-readers and hundreds of e-books and audiobooks to charity organizations, in an effort to enrich children’s reading choices.

“Every book has the potential to change a child’s life. We are pleased to see that more and more caring people and organizations join this campaign this year to satisfy more children’s thirst for reading,” Zeng added.

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

Jul 23, 2021| ESG

Donations from JD’s Warehouses in Henan Reach Stranded Passengers and Hospital Patients

Vivian Yang

by Vivian Yang

On July 21st, JD Logistics delivered over 540 boxes of food and mineral water from its nearby warehouses to Tielu train station in Zhengzhou, Henan province, where hundreds of passengers have been stranded on the railway for more than 40 hours due to the ongoing massive floods in the region.

The train K226/7 left Zhengzhou headed for Lanzhou of Gansu province in the afternoon of July 19th, but service was suspended not long after departure due to the flooding. The ferocious storm cut off all rescue channels around the station, posing grim challenges to railway staff attempting to provide necessities for the stranded passengers.

JD Logistics’ local team contacted station head Yabin Zhang shortly after learning what was happening, and quickly sourced and delivered supplies from its warehouses close to the station, providing much needed relief for the hungry and tired passengers.

“Thank you so much,” wrote Zhang in his Wechat communication with the JD courier in charge of this mission. “I just want to express our gratitude on behalf of all the passengers on K227.”

On the same day, another batch of rescue supplies from JD’s local warehouses were sent to designated hospitals in Henan. It is estimated that there are over 5,000 medical workers and patients stranded at the No.1 Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and 4,000 at the No. 5 Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. JD’s timely delivery of relief supplies has greatly alleviated their urgent needs.

JD is China’s largest retailer with an extensive logistics infrastructure including a network of around 1,000 warehouses across the country. Since 2012, the company has abided by a rule that if a disaster happens anywhere in the country, the nearest JD warehouse should immediately donate and deliver its goods to meet the emergency demands. The manager in charge of the warehouse is entitled to make such a decision on the ground without waiting for approval from upper management.

In order to reduce operating pressures for merchants from Henan on JD’s platform, the company also announced 10 supportive measures on July 22nd to help tide them over during this difficult time while maintaining business operation. These measures include a number of operating fee exemptions on JD.com, including exemption from penalties for product delivery delays, and offering merchants employer liability insurance at no cost, and more.

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

Jul 21, 2021| ESG

JD’s Rescue Supplies Rush to Rain-Ravaged Henan from Local Warehouses

Vivian Yang

by Vivian Yang

JD.com initiated emergency support for the central China province of Henan on July 21^st as heavy downpours continued to lash the region.

Over 20 trucks of rescue supplies donated by JD and transported from JD Logistics’ closest warehouse arrived in Henan on the second day of the heavy rainfall, including raincoats, rubber shoes, spades, instant noodles, mineral water and more.

JD Retail launched a dedicated service hotline for customers and merchants in order to provide emergency goods coordination.

JD Health opened a free 24-hour hotline for local people’s medical consultation, and sourced and donated healthcare supplies for disinfection, epidemic prevention, mosquito prevention, treatment of wounds and anti-inflammation.

AllianzJD, JD’s insurance arm and a joint venture with German’s Allianz, has also opened a green channel for 24-hour claims settlement and rescue services for clients in Henan.

Many touching scenes of JD couriers have been captured by Internet users as they lend their hands in helping the local community in escorting children and elderly people wading in the water, or pushing cars out of the deep puddles.

In 2012, JD.com’s founder Richard Liu announced a company regulation stating that if a disaster happens anywhere in the country, the nearest JD warehouse should immediately donate and transport its goods to meet the emergency demands and that the management of any such warehouse would not need to obtain prior approval.