November 30, 2023, The Hague– Today, NS Stations and Rijksvastgoedbedrijf signed the Paris Proof Commitment of the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC). This happened on stage during the Paris Proof Congress 2023 in Amare, The Hague. They join the large group of market parties from the construction and real estate sector that are committed to the objective of reducing energy use in the built environment by two-thirds. And thus also reduce the associated CO₂ emissions. This brings the counter to 114 signatories of the DGBC Paris Proof Commitment.
In addition to NS Stations and the Central Government Real Estate Agency, the following companies have also signed in recent months: Ausems Vastgoed, BBA BV, Briq, De Groene Jongens, Deltares, Equity Estate, Halmos Adviseurs, Handelsbanken, Hedgehog Company, HWRK, Innovattic, Keratop, Knauf, LBP|Sight, MEE Modular, PPREF, RED Company, Techniplan, Valstar Simonis, Whitewood and Woody Building Concepts.
The entire chain participates
The new signatories represent a broad mix of investors, financial parties, developers, knowledge institutions, installers and advisors. “It is nice to see that so many different parties have signed. The entire chain participates. We hear from our supporters that parties are increasingly being asked by their customers and clients whether they have already taken into account the Paris Proof goals or have signed the commitment. We increasingly see that Paris Proof is becoming the standard in the construction and real estate sector,” says Martin Mooij, program manager at DGBC.
Yvonne van der Brugge-Wolring, director general at the Central Government Real Estate Agency: “We build sustainably or we don't. And we sign this with the Paris Proof Commitment.”
Sebastiaan de Wilde, Real Estate Director at NS Stations: “NS wants to be 'Paris Proof' by 2050. We have worked this out in concrete terms. With a portfolio of monuments, where the door is always open, that is quite a challenge.”
From your own role
The signatories will each measure actual energy use based on their own role and accelerate the process of making real estate more sustainable. For existing buildings, this means focusing on actual energy use and making radical improvements more sustainable. For new construction and renovation projects, developers and builders who have signed the commitment focus on material-related CO₂ emissions and test these against the annual objectives of the CO₂ budget. Consulting firms agree to manage both aspects: energy- and material-related emissions. Moreover, all signatories mobilize the parties around them to also become Paris Proof.
Paris Proof Congress 2023: measure, know, do!
Every year, DGBC organizes the Paris Proof Congress. This event gives visitors insight into achieving their short- and long-term sustainability goals with inspiring speakers, practical examples and useful tools. During the sold-out event, behavioral scientists, among others, were on stage Reint Jan Renes, Kees Vendrik, chairman National Climate Platform and Diederik Samsom, chief of staff of European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.
