For the CO2 Performance Ladder, 2019 was dominated by opportunities, impact and growth. From the start of the sustainability instrument in 2010, 950 certificates have now been obtained. Nearly 150 new registrations were added in 2019 and a total of eight governments were certified. More governments will follow when we look forward to the award of the 1000th certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder in 2020!
Haasnoot Bruggen is certified at level 3 of the CO2 Performance Ladder. After making the electricity more sustainable, the bridge builder started looking for other measures to reduce CO2 and reduce the environmental impact of the organization. That is why Haasnoot Bruggen ended up with Basic Office Solutions, a company that offers sustainable printing solutions and thus saves 92 percent CO2 emissions. SKAO spoke with both Haasnoot Bruggen and Basic Office Solutions about this energy-saving printing technique.
The municipality of Arnhem has recently obtained a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder. With this, the municipality strives to fulfill its exemplary role in the transition to green energy and sustainability. A certificate on the Ladder makes it possible to manage CO2 reduction both within business operations and on projects.
From the TÜV Certifying Institute, the directors of the municipality of Arnhem, labor development company Scalabor and Sportbedrijf Arnhem today received an official certificate confirming that they are taking significant steps to reduce CO2 emissions in their business operations. This makes Arnhem the first large municipality in the Netherlands to receive such a certificate. Arnhems ambition is to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% in 2023 compared to 2018.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Smart Freight Center have published a report with guidelines for socially responsible procurement in the transport and logistics sector: the Sustainable Freight Procurement (SFP) Guidelines. The CO2 Performance Ladder is herein referred to as a best practice to limit the CO2 emissions of tenders in the sector.
In the coming years, Belgian governments will experiment in their tenders with the CO2 Performance Ladder. Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels will take part in the experiments with the CO2 management system. When the results of the pilot phase turn out to be positive, then the Ladder will become the norm for Belgian governments.
The construction sector is able to reduce carbon emissions with, among other things, the reuse of building materials and more efficient machinery.
Sustainability is particularly high on the agenda of Dutch water boards. With things like green energy, sustainable innovations and sustainable procurement, they have been playing an exemplary role for years. Seven water boards are now preparing for the next ambitious step: certification on the CO2 Performance Ladder.
Since 2016, a certificate for the CO2 Performance Ladder from level 3 has been used as an alternative to the European Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) Energy audit obligation. This validity has been extended again.
Until 2022, the Flemish government is experimenting with the CO2 performance ladder for public procurement. In concrete terms, companies that reduce their CO2 emissions will have a greater chance of winning government contracts.
As a society, we are increasingly in contact with each other, thanks to the internet and our mobile phones. VolkerWessels Telecom is responsible for the networks that make this connectivity possible, from underground copper and fiber optic cables to antennas and transmission towers. The company is certified on level 4 of the CO2 Performance Ladder.
On Wednesday, April 10, the kick-off of the Community of Practice CO2 Performance Ladder for Water Boards was given. No fewer than seven water boards will start using the CO2 Performance Ladder. These frontrunners are in a select, but fast-growing group: the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the province of Gelderland and the municipalities of Barneveld and Renkum already have a CO2 Performance Ladder certificate.
Construction company Rutte Group has been certified for years on level 5 of the CO2 Performance Ladder. Sven Hiskemuller van der Zijden, sustainability consultant for Rutte Groep, therefore dares to state that the sustainable ambitions of the company were partly achieved by the CO2 Performance Ladder. "The Ladder has set it all in motion."
With five employees, Arie Arts Landscaping is a relatively small SME in the green sector. However, that does not mean that there are no opportunities in terms of CO2 reduction and sustainability. The green company went to work with the CO2 Performance Ladder and has now been certified at level 3.
Since 2016, Meerlanden Holding has been certified at level 3 of the CO2 Performance Ladder. The company strives for both CO2 reduction and circularity, whereby waste flows are returned to the chain as much as possible. To achieve its ambitious goals in the field of CO2 reduction and circularity, the company makes use of the CO2 Performance Ladder, among other things, to gain valuable insights. SKAO discussed this with Meerlanden.
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.
The Dutch municipality of Barneveld has recently obtained a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder at level 3. With this, Barneveld is the second municipality in the Netherlands after Renkum with a certificate on the Ladder. The certification on the CO2 management system is a concrete step for the Dutch municipality to reduce its CO2 emissions and become carbon neutral.
The Dutch province of Zuid-Holland has opened its first CO2 negative road. The road N211 is localized between the cities of The Hague and Poeldijk. The province has commissioned construction concern BAM Infra to develop the sustainable and CO2 negative road. The company has provided the piece of infrastructure with 20 different sustainable innovations that save energy and carbon emissions. The province has said to repeat this approach of sustainable innovations in all of its infrastructure projects and wishes to share knowledge and experience on sustainable infrastructure with other governments.
The Dutch freight transportation company Van der Stelt has the ambition to continuously develop in sustainability and CO2 reduction. For this, the organisation is certified on the CO2 Performance Ladder. By implementing the CO2 management system, Van der Stelt monitors its carbon emissions, structurally cuts back CO2 and was awarded a project in which the CO2 Performance Ladder plays an essential part. Arjan Rademaker, manager of operations at Van der Stelt, explains more about the developments within the company.
Rasenberg Infra, a subsidiary of construction and civil engineering company Strukton, has placed asphalt in the Dutch city of Breda that consists of 97 percent reused materials. The so-called Greenfalt is made of reused asphalt and recycled railway materials. These reused materials are processed in every layer of the asphalt road. A higher percentage of reused materials in asphalt can lead to the reduction of carbon emissions. This conclusion is based on prior research conducted by the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) in collaboration with SKAO.
From Wednesday 3 till Friday the 5th of October, the EcoProcura took place in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. During this international conference on sustainable procurement, SKAO has done several presentations on the CO2 Performance Ladder. There was plenty of interest from international parties to make use of the instrument for sustainable procurement.
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) released a report on Monday the 8th of October, which states that policy makers all over the world must aim at limiting global warming to 1,5 °C instead of 2 °C. A global temperature rise of 2 °C instead of 1,5 °C means a greater negative impact on plants, animals and people. It could also lead to irreversible consequences.
Sweco has been certified at the highest level of the CO2 Performance Ladder since 2011. With the insights gained from the CO2 Performance Ladder, the engineering consultancy agency has taken practical measures in their policy on mobility to reduce as much carbon emissions as possible. SKAO spoke with Arthur Zantinge, sustainability specialist at Sweco, about the lessons learned and the challenges that the agency faces to achieve its climate goals.
The Dutch organisation Wierda Hybrid Technologies is developing the world’s first full electric concrete mixer. Wierda Hybrid Technologies presented an operational prototype of this concrete mixer during the international fair of commercial vehicles, IAA, in the German city of Hannover.
On Thursday 27 September, local authorities met in Barnevelds town hall to gain more knowledge about the CO2 Performance Ladder and how this management instrument contributes to achieving climate ambitions. Among other things, the municipalities of Winterswijk, Berkelland and the Climate Association Foundation announced during the meeting that they are going to work with the CO2 Performance Ladder.
From October 3rd till 5th, the Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business (in Dutch: SKAO) will present the CO2 Performance Ladder during EcoProcura in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. EcoProcura is a conference for public procurement in which policy meets practice and where professionals gather to share innovations and experiences that contribute to sustainable procurement. With its presence at EcoProcura, SKAO aims to introduce the CO2 Performance Ladder as a means to accelerate sustainable procurement in various European countries.
Sustainability is a hot topic for most organisations. For this, businesses develop policies and ambitions after which they are implemented in daily operations. However, the translation of sustainability policies to practices leaves room for improvement. Thus concludes Niels van Geenhuizen, Global Sustainable Solutions Leader at Arcadis. “The CO2 Performance Ladder allows us to put sustainability on the map. Now it’s time to follow up with actions and turn sustainability into business.”
When it comes to mobility, many organisations have high ambitions to make use of more electric vehicles and zero emission engines. An example of this is the engineering agency Royal HaskoningDHV that aims to transform their lease fleet to 100 percent electric by 2021. But what happens to mobile tools and equipment used in construction sites? What are the challenges and opportunities for electrification in the construction site of the future?
Following three earlier successful operations, the Rabobank and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are launching an expanded EUR 250 million “impact loan” for SMEs in the Netherlands. So far, nearly 300 environmentally-conscious businesses in the Netherlands have already benefitted from advantageous lending conditions of the EIB-backed impact loans with the Rabobank.
The Dutch provincial states of Gelderland has recently adopted a motion to obtain a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder. This means that the province is ready to put plans into actions and achieve its ambition to reduce 49 percent of its carbon emissions by 2030. “A government that is serious about its climate policy cannot escape the responsibility to reduce its own carbon emissions. This is where the CO2 Performance Ladder will assist us”, says Titus Visser, fraction member of the political party PvdA within the provincial states of Gelderland.
