Innovation and sustainability of processes have been constant factors in my career.
Corporates and mid-sized companies taught me how to achieve targets. They also thaught me how to innovate chemical processes against all odds. 

– Henk Akse, founder

ENERGY

We started to make out own consultancy business more sustainable by moving from fossil based heating of our offices to heat pump driven heating in 2018. Beginning of 2020 this was followed up by installing about 10 MWh of annual power production with solar cells on our roofs. 25% of this power was for private and 25% for business use. 50% was sold to to the power provider. Beginning of 2021 we installed two additional sets of heat pumps which covered the heating requirements of both the office and the private parts of the building. These units consume the 50% of power that used to be sold to the power provider. Our final investment will be in 2023, when we plan to install a solar boiler system on our roof, taking over the hot water heating requirements. What we learned: install as much solar power on your roof as you possibly can.

MOBILITY

Sustainable mobility is a real challenge when you run a consultancy company on a limited budget. At the moment we preferably use public transport which is not really green as long as power is being generated in the Netherlands with coal and gas in the fuel mix. Next to this we use a car running on renewable diesel, which brings down CO2 emissions to 10% of its original value but does not do much about the NOx-emissions. Finally, the bicycle always wins when our traveling distance is below 3 km, which is interesting since a lot of the total Dutch car mileage consists of these short distance trips.

HOUSEHOLD GOODS

Goods we need in everyday life we buy in as second life items. Likewise, goods we do not need any more we sell as second life items to other people who can benefit from it.

– Henk Akse, founder, on personal decisions