'Quality is sustainable by definition'

When sustainability is in your corporate culture, you not only have something beautiful on your hands, but you also have a promise to keep. A promise to your own company, to your customers and to the world we live in. At HKV in Ochten, they are fully engaged when it comes to sustainability. Dirk Jan van Beem, owner and director, is a sustainable entrepreneur pur sang. He is able to do so thanks to the fact that his team has its nose in the same direction. In this edition, Dirk Jan van Beem is the 'Kei van de GWW', because HKV Ochten contributes to the future-proofing of our sector.

Analyzing for future-proofing

"Sustainability starts with our corporate culture. With HKV, we made the switch to sustainable working even before sustainability became a 'hype'. With everything we do, develop, purchase or produce, we do an analysis on future-proofing," Dirk Jan opens the conversation. "In 2010, we looked at the possibilities of having a new building built. In 2011 the sustainable design for the new building was on the table, with sustainability included in every detail. If you look at future-proofing in that context, you will see that we made strategic choices. At that time, solar panels were not yet profitable -and therefore not sustainable enough- but we still took into account the arrival of solar panels in the future. Today they are profitable and yes, they are now on the roof. When the building was built, the materials, insulation and installations were taken into account. So sustainability starts here already with our housing."

Pragmatic working is the motto

"As a supplier of industrial clothing, PPE, road marking, tools and advertising & signage, we make our choices based on performance and quality, so very pragmatic. Theoretically something can be sustainable, but in practice it has to be. An example: company clothing made from recycled material sounds nice, but if the lifespan is not what can be expected of it or the clothing does not meet the heavy requirements set by the GWW, it is no longer sustainable," Dirk Jan outlines. In doing so, he indicates that HKV does not just want to do corporate social responsibility for the stage, but also wants to see this reflected in the quality and performance of the products they supply. "After all, quality is by definition sustainable. And yes, it may cost a little more at the front of the chain, but viewed in the long term, it is pure profit for everyone. Also for our planet."

HKV creates valuable business cases for its clients and does not compromise on the combination of sustainability and quality. "What everyone needs to realize is that sustainability is a growth process. The future is circular, without a doubt. The road to it is paved with good intentions, however, it comes down to acting now. That is why, as a trading company, we are proverbially standing with our boots in the mud; we want to be a "nine" for our customers. We offer samples of innovative, sustainable products, such as industrial clothing made from recycled materials, or other products made from sustainable raw materials, such as signs made from rice husk. These are then tested in real working situations 'in the field'. Is it approved? Then we convert it. We do everything we can to be a driver within the world of corporate social responsibility."