At the end of July, the (green) flag went out at KS Industries. The Moerdijk-based steel processor received the CO2 Performance Ladder Certification, rewarding it for a series of sustainability measures the organization implemented in recent years. "For us it is a milestone," said Sales and Marketing Manager Gregory Rombaut of KS Service Center, part of KS Industries. "We want to be leaders in sustainability as part of an industry that you can't call the cleanest. That's exactly where a lot of gains can be made."
The certificate obtained is the result of years of effort. "An effort that always continues," assures Frank van de Ruit, Operations Manager for KS Service Center. "Leading up to the audit, you are already busy gathering information, filling in tables, preparing supporting documents and, of course, structurally making your business operations more sustainable. Because that's how you realize the CO2 reduction in Scope 1 and 2. The great thing is that our customers and the underlying chain receive extra points in tenders where it is relevant. And such tenders are becoming more and more common."
KS has reduced nearly 92% of CO2 on Scope 1 and 2 combined, according to certifier DNV of Barendrecht, and has thus achieved Step 3. "That's obviously not yet about how steel is produced, but purely about the gains you can make as an organization itself," Van de Ruit explains. "My objection is that you quickly score a lot of points by switching to green energy, and therein lies by far our biggest gain. But that is achieved through concrete measures. For example, there are some 3,000 solar panels on the roofs, we are switching off the central heating and replacing it with electric cooling and heating, and we buy only green electricity. In addition, all but a few company vehicles are electric and the two-day transport of coils from the steel plant in Ghent is done with electric trucks. These are twice as expensive as the diesel version, but we do that together with the steel supplier. Where electric transport is not possible, we use transport on biodiesel. That also costs more, but saves 90% CO2."
"Look, many measures yield marginal gains for the calculation of the CO2 Performance Ladder, but we still think it's important to become more sustainable across the board wherever possible," says Rombaut. "Replacing propane-powered forklifts with electric ones is a hefty investment but will only deliver one percent of our CO2 reduction. Still, we do it willingly. And in other areas, beyond Scope 1 and 2, we are also keen on reducing our footprint. We have had Green Steel in our portfolio for some time. The non-recyclable paper in which coils are packed is not thrown away, but reused as packaging material. Pallets the same way, which are reused wherever possible and, if that is not possible, shredded by a certified body. And the electric trucks that deliver the coils from Ghent take our scrap with them on the way back, without any intermediate trade. That is also 100% reuse."
Certification on the CO2 Performance Ladder also implies publication of the results. Van de Ruit: "You have to prepare a lot of reports in advance, provide documentation and go through internal audits. You also have to communicate the sustainability measures internally and publish them on your own site. And then you also have to participate in good causes in the field of sustainability. The Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement & Business tests and publishes this again. In this context, KS Industries spends 10% of its profits directly to a collection of charities every year. For example, we promote sustainably grown coffee beans from Ethiopia. Normally most profits disappear into the pockets of multinationals, not here."
The message may be clear: KS Industries and KS Service Center have embraced sustainable business practices. Rombaut: "We are part of a very polluting industry, you just have to acknowledge that. That doesn't relieve you of the obligation to do everything you can to reduce it. We want to be leaders in this. Certification for the CO2 Performance Ladder is great proof of that."