In 1953 Rensa started out as an organization that mainly traded oil and coal stoves. By now, the supplier has grown into one of the largest Dutch providers of heating and air ventilation systems. Rensa directly deals with installers, such as the Dutch installation company Van Dorp. The installers receive assignments and orders that are placed by large construction firms, such as Heijmans and Strukton. These construction companies request their installers and suppliers to make sustainability more concrete within their business operations. In this dynamic, the CO₂ Performance Ladder plays an important role.

A valuable system

“We started with the CO₂ Performance Ladder in 2010”, says Jur Hofland, coordinator sustainable logistics at Rensa, and responsible for the implementation of the CO₂ Performance Ladder within the organization. “The organizations we collaborate with request sustainability in our business operations. Before we acquired a certificate on the CO₂ Performance Ladder, we implemented the program Lean & Green, which focuses on reducing carbon footprint in the transport and logistics department of an organization. We have specifically chosen for the CO₂ Performance Ladder, because the management system also includes other aspects of an organization in carbon reduction. Furthermore, most of the organizations we collaborate with have a certificate on the Ladder, which makes the system valuable and well known within the construction industry.”

Reducing CO₂ emissions with sustainable fuel

Transport and logistics cause the greatest amount of Rensa’s carbon emissions, according to Hofland. “Part of our services is to deliver our products to our clients at the right time and location, within 24 hours. We deliver our products with our own trucks. When we take a look at the carbon footprint of our company, then diesel would be the greatest polluter. For this reason, we have started with HVO, among other measures to reduce our carbon emissions”, noted Rensa’s coordinator of sustainability. The biofuel consists of plant based waste oils and fats, such as used frying fat. Rensa will test B20, a form of biofuel that is made up of 20 percent HVO and 80 percent diesel. In this pilot project Rensa has formed a collaboration with car producer Renault, that enables the truck engines to work on HVO, the Dutch fuel distributor Kuster Olie and fuel supplier Vissers Olie.

Rensa sees the use of biofuel as an opportunity and applicable measure to directly reduce CO₂ emissions. This is where the CO₂ Performance Ladder adds value. The CO₂ management system stimulates organizations to take measures that tackle the carbon footprint. The list of CO₂ reduction measures that the Ladder provides, consists of activities that are commonly practiced by many organizations certified on the Ladder. According to the list of measures, Rensa is certified as a company with progressive ambitions when it comes to sustainable transport and logistics.

The technical supplier aims to increase the percentage of HVO used in their fuel combination and to increase the amount of trucks that can be driven around by using the biofuel. “Currently, the amount of trucks that can be driven around on HVO is very limited. The reason for this is because there are only a limited number of stations where HVO is available. We need to get used to using HVO and to see what other opportunities are out there. We have not been able to do so without the help of our fuel distributors and Renault”, says Hofland.

Giving sustainability some time

The coordinator of sustainable logistics sees opportunities for sustainability to actually succeed in the business chain and markets in which Rensa operates. “Before we started implementing the CO₂ Performance Ladder, the focus on sustainability lies in slashing down costs. When you connect sustainability to cost savings, it naturally becomes easier to generate support from within the organization. Now, a few years later, we notice that the transition to sustainability is accelerating. The focus no longer lies solely in cost savings, and HVO is a perfect example of that matter, because the biofuel is more costly than regular diesel. Still, we have chosen to work with HVO, because we want to reduce our carbon emissions. In my experience, sustainability requires time to really progress within an organization.”

Next to the biofuel consumption, Rensa has managed to adjust its policy on mobility. “We based the policy for our passenger cars on energy labels, but that does not mean much in practice. This is why we adjusted the policy to a maximum of CO₂ that each car is permitted to emit. If an employee for example selects a vehicle that exceeds that limit, then the employee must select a different car that emits less carbon.” Furthermore, Rensa plans to create sustainable office facilities and new business models by collaborating with an organization that refurbishes Renda’s product parts. For this initiative, used products will be collected from which functioning parts will be harvested and refurbished. The refurbished products will then be brought back into the business chain.

Hofland: “Embedding sustainability in any organization is one of the most complex ventures. When organizations say that sustainability is embedded within their DNA, I do not immediately believe them. There are companies that have sustainability in their DNA, but that is made possible through their business models. They make money out of sustainability. Rensa does not yet operate in that way. Sustainability is starting to progress in our business when we take a look at our products, but we are dependent upon our suppliers, the organizations we collaborate with and naturally, the market. At this moment, we are still working towards engraining sustainability in our thinking. This requires time. I believe that it is a journey you go through alongside your stakeholders and I realize that it needs to accelerate. Sustainability is already implemented in the decision-making processes of Rensa, which makes a big difference.”