News 17 December 2019 News from SKAO
A look back at the CO2 Performance Ladder in 2019
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!
The CO2 Performance Ladder is gaining ground with governments
In 2019, the municipalities of Barneveld, Harderwijk, Bronckhorst, De Fryske Marren and the province of Arnhem obtained a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder. With a certificate on the Ladder, these governments want to actively work on CO2 reduction both in the organization and in projects, and later also in the chains and sector.
Alderman Didi Dorrestijn, municipality of Barneveld: “Every organization of a certain size, such as our municipality, has an obligation to be actively involved in reducing CO2 emissions in the fight against climate change. We can do this as a sort of fill-in-the-back exercise, whereby we only gain insight into how much CO2 we emit and then do nothing with it. But as a municipality you can also choose to really work on it and we have chosen this in this organization. I am proud of that and also the fact that we are now the second municipality in the Netherlands, after the municipality of Renkum, which has obtained a certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder."
Alderman Jeroen de Jong, municipality of Harderwijk: “Of course, our role as a municipality does not end with facilitating sustainability. We must also set the right example of what we expect from our residents and entrepreneurs. That is why the CO2 Performance Ladder plays a major role in the performance of our exemplary function, but also in creating awareness about sustainability."
Erik Mol, sustainability coordinator at the Bronckhorst municipality: “In tenders, we require companies to be certified on the CO2 Performance Ladder. Then it is no more than normal that we ourselves are also certified. After all, we are also a company, complete with buildings, lighting and a fleet of vehicles."
Alderman Frans Veltman, municipality of De Fryske Marren, on the CO2 Performance Ladder: “Municipal organizations tend to put new policies down to the last detail. Often you are already a year further before you can even get started. At some point you just have to do things; that is how you create the sustainable examples with which you get others."
Maud Wolf, board advisor at the municipality of Arnhem: “As a municipality, we wanted to determine our CO2 footprint much earlier, but that was not possible without the energy consumption data. Because of the enormous effort we have made this year to get a picture of energy consumption and because we are now using the CO2 Performance Ladder, we can manage our ambitions and measures to reduce CO2. ”
Margareta Rajkowski, board member of the province of Gelderland: The province wants to accelerate the transition to a CO2-neutral and climate-neutral organization. A certificate on the CO2 Performance Ladder is therefore a logical step, because it provides structure in our plans to reduce CO2. "
Roadshows CO2 Performance Ladder for governments
In October 2019, SKAO organized the Roadshows "CO2 Performance Ladder for Governments" in collaboration with Klimaatverbond Nederland, UvW (Union of Water Boards), PIANOo Expertise Center for Procurement, VNG (Association of Dutch Municipalities) and IPO (Interprovincial Consultation). The three road shows took place in the Province of Groningen, Water Board Company Limburg in Roermond and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) in The Hague. Watch the impression film below.
With these traveling information meetings, governments were given the opportunity to talk about their experiences with the CO2 Performance Ladder as a CO2 management system and procurement instrument for socially responsible procurement (SRI). Government organizations that are not yet familiar with the Ladder or are considering applying the sustainability instrument could thus learn from the experiences of other governments. For example, SKAO wanted to inform and encourage organizations to use the CO2 Performance Ladder, so that governments can take their exemplary role in the transition to sustainability and work structurally on CO2 reduction in business operations and in projects.
A first in the car industry
In addition to the government sector, the success of the CO2 Performance Ladder has been heard in the car industry. Mercedes-Benz Dealer Companies (MBDB), for example, was the first ever car company in the Netherlands to have achieved a level 3 certificate in 2019. As the name suggests, MBDB is a seller of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, company cars, trucks and parts. "We are not unfamiliar with CO2 reduction and energy saving," says Dominique van der Sar, within MBDB responsible for certification on the Ladder, in this interview.
“As a company with an electricity consumption of more than 50,000 kilowatt hours you are obliged in the Netherlands to map your energy consumption and to identify and ultimately implement energy saving measures. We thought it would be smart to combine that obligation with certification on the CO2 Performance Ladder."
1000th certificate in 2020
SKAO looks back with satisfaction on 2019 and closes the year with 950 certificates on the CO2 Performance Ladder. In 2020, SKAO expects the 1000th certificate of the CO2 Performance Ladder to be achieved. Furthermore, SKAO looks ahead to more CO2 reduction in both organizations and projects and to explore new sectors that benefit from the use of the Ladder as a CO2 management system and procurement instrument. Towards a prosperous 2020!