Platform on window, door, frame technology, hardware, roof and facade technology, security
Thank you to trade magazine Profile for allowing me to write this guest column. At the time I took this ‘The Pen’ in hand, I have only been in office for a week as the successor of Albert Zegelaar at VKG Keurmerk. So from now on you ‘have to do it’ with me!
First: I worked in the bamboo business for 28 years. An entirely different field? Or is it not? It's just how you look at it. Even at VKG I see great challenges among our entrepreneurial supporters. Legislation and regulations are becoming more complicated by the day, especially when it comes to topics such as circularity and sustainability. Tricky. And frustrating. After all, every entrepreneur already has to keep so many balls in the air. From keeping the factory running to the challenges of finding and keeping good staff.
European legislation sometimes feels like a tight noose. For example, in the foreseeable future, companies in our industry will have to draw up an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) for every window frame. What do I think about that? Well, I think it defeats the purpose. You have to take a separate study to do it properly. And it costs money. In short, to me this is an unnecessary administrative burden, not to say that sustainability and circularity should be ignored, but with this policy you create unnecessary resistance to it.
It all has to remain manageable and that is the essence of my appeal to the new cabinet. At the time I write this, they are in the process of filling the ministerial posts and by the time of publication, the bordelaise will probably have already taken place. So, folks over there in The Hague ... Keep in mind that there is a chance that support for the pursuit of sustainability and circularity will diminish if legislation becomes that tight noose. So, avoid missing the mark and missing the mark. I fear that next time entrepreneurs with the noose around their necks in the voting booth will then make different choices.
What is our role in this? Well ... as VKG, we continually make our voice heard. Nothing changes about that. My predecessor Albert Zegelaar also had an excellent direction in this. But I myself am going to try to find more connection with the other platforms and branch organisations that are sometimes already much further along in building up a network in The Hague. If we can cooperate more with them, I am convinced that we can achieve more.
In addition, I think we need to tell the story of plastics even better. Somehow there is still a perception that plastics are not sustainable. But do we know that a very sensible system of recycling has been working well for years. For example, PVC is structurally collected separately. We have organized it quite well. But the story could be more prominent.
I'm happy to pick up that gauntlet.
