Recently, the IPCC presented yet another alarming report: 1.5 degree global warming is almost irreversible. At Royal Kaak, we are doing whatever it takes to produce our machines as sustainably as possible for the lowest possible carbon footprint. It is ‘an inescapable process and project’, declares our CCO Aart-Jan. In this blog, Aart-Jan shares his observations and insights on how and why we really wanted to turn our sustainability ambitions into a project.
Recognising and acknowledging the process
Sustainability is a long-term process. There has not been much to report up to now. However, Aart-Jan has noticed that while many companies recognise this need for sustainability, they are not yet acknowledging it: “As a result, companies also don’t fully consider it as a project and simply add it to a list. At Royal Kaak, we really gave substance to our sustainability ambitions and made them into a project. Will you continue as you did in the past or keep doing what you are doing? This question is tied to several discussions about CO2, the climate, nitrogen and society. There are plenty of nuances, but doing nothing is no longer an option.”
Together we can do a lot
Partly because of COVID-19, it has become clear that the impact you can have together in a short time is huge. Aart-Jan: “Everything was shut down, which also reduced air pollution. I found these positive effects very surprising. We suddenly had a better view of the stars as the sky had become cleaner. Obviously, you can’t shut everything down, but COVID-19 was proof to us that you can do something about it if we all do something at the same time.” COVID-19 has also accelerated a number of issues within Royal Kaak: “We really take a more conscious approach to many things since COVID-19. The way we manufacture, for example, is shifting even faster towards 3D printing of recycled steel. We did not remain with Teams en masse, but customer contact still often takes place remotely, thanks in part to our investments in remote support. It also significantly reduces flight movements.”
You will later become what you do now
“At the end of the day, people also look at us,” Hartman continued. “That means you also have to want to stay ahead. While it is now fairly non-committal to invest in sustainable projects, if you don’t get it done in five years, it will become difficult. Difficult not only to remain future-proof and relevant, but also to continue to explain it to stakeholders. Eventually, everyone in the chain will come under scrutiny, but the moment when everything becomes legally required is fast approaching. Change is then much more difficult. Later you will become what you do now.”
‘Food without a footprint’. This is an all-encompassing promise that we as Royal Kaak hold ourselves to. “A promise that is already being fulfilled right down to the exhibition stand,” Aart-Jan observed. “We no longer take machines to the trade fairs where we are active around the world. Moreover, we now use recycled stands at almost all of them. These actions can all be traced back to the fact that we made a project out of it.”
Hybrid and AI
The question that naturally hangs over the market is: what are you as a company banking on to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible? Aart-Jan believes in a mix of different energy sources, with AI as the driving force: “IT and AI are becoming the key to how we deploy our energy resources. Take, for example, the hybrid ovens we are now developing. They can keep running on solar power during the day just fine. But does gas or another source of energy become a better and cheaper option at some point? Our hybrid oven then automatically switches from electric to gas or another source. In this way, we use AI to ensure that the source of energy remains flexible. In other words, consumption and generation according to need and the moment.”
So the future is AI as well as hybrid. Right now, we are working hard at Royal Kaak to get our software and hardware ready for that technology. Aart-Jan: “We are already developing ‘conversion kits’ so that bakeries can start to take that step in the future.” Nevertheless, it is also important not to underestimate the benefits of making an existing line more efficient: “With our Oven Energy Scans, we can easily detect where the quick wins are and achieve energy savings of up to 15% as a result.”
Local for local
Aart-Jan signalled that the speed of innovation is now starting to bear fruit internationally: “Look at Brazil. We recently built a beautiful bread factory there. That factory is currently more modern than the most modern plant in Europe. You also see a drive to modernise faster in Africa. The debate to produce more efficiently and sustainably is therefore also present in countries you might not expect or consider as much.”
According to Aart-Jan, this development will lead to a situation where the way of production becomes increasingly local: “Everything will be Local For Local; we will produce the machines wherever they will be used. 3D technology will play a big role in this. There is a good reason why we are building more and more service hubs around the world to organise all knowledge and skills as decentrally as possible. As a result, fewer flight movements are needed, resulting in an even smaller carbon footprint.”
Everything is economics
“In economics, the answer lies in how we are going to become more sustainable as an industry,” concludes Aart-Jan. “I think back to the 1970s and 1980s when we paid a great deal of attention to clean the Rhine and Meuse rivers. This worked out well for a number of reasons. First, the approach was supranational; forces were bundled together. Moreover, the approach had good ‘measurement frameworks’ from management and government. More importantly; there were goals that everyone understood. As a result, the need was fully recognised and acknowledged. What is essential here is that companies should be able to invest in technology – among other things, by having a good EBITDA. Much like 50 years ago with the technology needed to get the Rhine and Meuse rivers clean again. We tend to forget that everything is economy-related. We need to have a similar approach and corresponding awareness now again; food without footprint on our part.”
