Royal E.M. de Jong
Since this summer (2024), Koninklijke Drukkerij E.M. de Jong of Baarle-Nassau has been using Dienstencentrum's CO2 & Energy RI&E, with a link to the CO2 calculation program ClimateCalc for validated CO2 footprint calculations per printing order.
Doris Oomen of E.M de Jong: 'I heard that these tools allow us to calculate the CO2 impact of a printing order in a validated way, with a certification attached. That was exactly what we needed.'
We are proud, driven and committed
to CO₂ calculations and CO₂ reductions
Who doesn't know them? The largest printing company in the Benelux where 300,000 tons of paper are transformed into beautiful magazines and folders every year, divided over some 60,000 orders. That does not only sound impressive, it really is. It is not for nothing that printers Koninklijke Drukkerij Em. de Jong, Mercator Press, Dessain Printing, Jungfer Druckerei und Verlag GmbH, Janssen/Pers and Kampert-Nauta together form the largest player in the European market for retail printing. Using web and sheet-fed offset and digital production techniques, the retail segment is served in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and England.
Manager of Engineering & Technology: Ing. Dorus Oomen
Peter Tile
Author
What was the challenge?
The demand from clients for clean and recognized CO₂ footprint calculations at order level continues to increase. Since E.M. de Jong operates primarily in the retail market, this means that they are increasingly receiving questions about this, especially from clients who themselves are also subject to the CSRD obligation and must report on the CO₂ impact of their business activities. This is all easier said than done. Because if you research CO₂ calculation systems, it turns out that the vast majority of CO₂ calculation systems do not meet internationally applicable standards.
Performing carbon footprint calculations - or rather, making an LCA calculation - is an art in itself. If you want to avoid Greenwashing and make a correct CO₂ calculation, you must follow the international guidelines and standards that apply to this. These are the Green House Gas Protocol, various ISOs and the Intergraf Recommendations (ISO 16759).
The Creative Industry is the only sector in the world to have validated LCA calculation methodologies that allow you to arrive at a full-fledged CO₂, Energy, Water and Substrate Waste footprint in the simplest and most complete way possible:
- ClimateCalc aimed at the Graphic Media, which is considered the accredited accounting system for assessing and certifying CO₂ footprints within the industry (in accordance with all international standards).
- CO₂ & Energy RI&E, covering the entire Creative Industry, which is an automated ISO 50001 system that allows companies to create much more detail within ClimateCalc and therefore achieve a lower CO₂ footprint.
What was the approach?
In consultation with E.M. de Jong, Peter Tegel, Senior Advisor on Sustainability at Dienstencentrum, started a discussion with Dorus Oomen, Manager of Engineering & Technology at E.M. de Jong. The goal was to see which implementation pathway was appropriate for them to arrive at a proper carbon footprint calculation. An initial analysis of the quality of their company data already provided enough confidence to opt for an accelerated approach to this project: the so-called Fast Track Approach.
Arrangements were made for the company to access both ClimateCalc and the CO₂ & Energy RI&E. An Instructional Visit on site was then scheduled, during which Peter Tegel explained how the application worked and how to enter the company data collected within the programs. Upon completion, the company was ready to go up for ClimateCalc certification through the Graphic Media Industry Certification Foundation (SCGM).
What are the results?
The first thing to say is that E.M. de Jong finished collecting and entering the company data into the applications within just a few weeks. Comments by Dorus Oomen showed that this was actually quite simple.
Dorus: "Of course collecting relevant business data takes some time. But if you already have your records in order and suppliers cooperate, the job is done quickly. At least, that was the case with us. Even better: I was amazed at the simplicity of the work and the depth of the final results."
What Peter Tegel noticed was that the company's starting attitude - somewhat wait-and-see and uncertainty about the workload - quickly turned into: enthusiastic and challenging to quickly arrive at validated CO₂ footprint calculations. Dienstencentrum cannot say other than that E.M. de Jong succeeded very well.
Dorus Oomen, Manager of Engineering & Technology:
'More and more customers are asking about the carbon footprint of their printing. With these tools we make that transparent in a validated way,' says Manager of Engineering & Technology Dorus Oomen.
Want to know more?
Would you also like to get started with carbon footprint calculations per print order for your company?