AOD and sustainability at Van Raam
The initiative AOD (Achterhoek Onderneemt Duurzaam) was created for and by entrepreneurs in the Achterhoek. AOD helps entrepreneurs to be more sustainable and to save energy. This starts with a scan of the company, informative meetings and a master class in which each company is brought into contact with other entrepreneurs in the area to exchange experiences. There are various scans, such as the energy scan and a Sustainable Business Scan, which give the company insight into its energy balance, for example, and insight and advice on sustainability. For the scan, an advisor or specialist visits the company to look at the possibilities. After the scan, the company receives a report with advice.
Jan-Willem Boezel, technical director of Van Raam and chairman of the Varsseveldse Industriële Vereniging (Varsseveld Industrial Association), did not consider the AOD scan useful at first. Van Raam moved in the beginning of 2019 to a brand new building where sustainability is very much taken into account. Jan-Willem tells AOD: "With sustainability we thought of the building, but since we have just built completely new, very sustainable, I didn't think the scan was a good idea at first."