The German IT corporation Bechtle has recently been certified on level 3 of the CO2 Performance Ladder. The activities of the organisations that fall under the umbrella of Bechtle, vary from developing a wireless IT infrastructure to building digital work places. With a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder, Bechtle aims not only to structurally reduce its carbon emissions, but also to collaborate more effectively with all its entities to achieve common goals of sustainability.
As the first Dutch province with a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder, the province of Gelderland aims to become carbon neutral, climate neutral and waste free by the year 2030. The province knows that more efforts are required to achieve these ambitious goals than solely tackling the energy streams of their buildings. With the help of the CO2 Performance Ladder, Gelderland expects to not only accelerate their transition to sustainability, but also to come up with concrete solutions that will be accessible and applicable in all layers of the organisation.
Meat processer Bolscher from the Dutch city of Enschede has been certified on the CO2 Performance Ladder level 3 since 2018. The company is the first of its kind to work with the CO2 Performance Ladder on reducing its carbon emissions. In order to cut back their carbon emissions, the company invested in electric vehicles and energy efficient cooling systems, among other things. Furthermore, Bolscher seeks opportunities to increase its market share of vegetarian products. This too will lead to less carbon emissions.
The Dutch construction company Heijmans has collaborated alongside research organisation ECN part of TNO, Solar Energy Application Centre (SEAC) and the Dutch municipality of Uden to develop the pilot project Solar Highways. In this project, an initiative from the Dutch ministry of Infrastructure and Water management and Rijkswaterstaat, the parties have developed a traffic noise barrier that contains double sided solar panels to generate green electricity. The noise barrier is installed along the A50 high way of the city of Uden.
The Dutch company Loonbedrijf Van Diepen has been certified on the CO2 Performance Ladder since 2014. The organisation specializes in greenery, horticulture and livestock farming, among other things. It focuses on activities such as maintenance of public greenery across roads and highways and landscaping. With a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder, Van Diepen aims to gain insights in its carbon emissions and structurally reduce the CO2 caused by its business activities.
The Dutch province of Gelderland has been certified on level 3 of the CO2 Performance Ladder. It is the 900th organisation certified on the Ladder. Deputy Jan Markink of the province has accepted the certificate on Wednesday the 13th of February. With the implementation CO2 Performance Ladder, the province has made further developments towards becoming a climate neutral organisation.
It is essential to focus on the acceleration of new developments and technologies that reduce carbon emissions in order to realise climate neutral infrastructure. This is one of the most important findings of the research ‘On the road to climate neutral infrastructure in the Netherlands’ conducted and published by SKAO and the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft). So which sustainable innovations actually contribute to climate neutral infrastructure in the Netherlands?
What started out as a smartphone app that warns motorists of traffic jams, road constructions and different weather circumstances, expanded to a mobility app that stimulates sustainable commuting behavior through gamification. The opportunities to reduce carbon emissions through this method are therefore massive. The app, named ‘TimesUpp’, is developed by the Dutch company Innovactory, that recently obtained a certificate on the highest level of the CO2 Performance Ladder. The Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business (SKAO) spoke to the founding fathers of this smart mobility app and discovered the opportunities to cut back carbon emissions in the mobility sector by means of gamification.
The Dutch road construction company KWS Infra worked alongside the transportation concern Vrijbloed Transport to develop the first electric truck including electric crane. The road constructor aims to make use of the electric truck in one of its road construction projects.
What is the relation between carbon management and the circular economy? SKAO and Utrecht University have researched circular economy developments and how the CO2 Performance Ladder can stimulate a circular economy.
The Dutch parking company Egis Parking Services (EPS) manages a total chain of approximately 2.400 parking machines, 180.000 parking licenses and fiscal enforcement of 150.000 paid parking spaces in Amsterdam. EPS does these activities with the implementation and development of digital innovations. The parking company recently obtained a level 4 certificate of the CO2 Performance Ladder. With this, EPS strives towards a sustainable future by reducing as much carbon emissions as possible with the help of the Ladder.
The Dutch distributor of biofuels Den hartog delivers the biodiesel HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) to sludge processing plant in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant. Depending on how much HVO is used in a fuel mix, the biodiesel can lead to CO2 emissions savings of 89 to 100 percent, claims Den Hartog.
