Over the past 40 weeks, the Dutch radio station BNR news radio has searched for the most sustainable companies in the Netherlands in its weekly broadcasts. The motivation for this search – The Green Quest – is the urgency of achieving climate goals. BNR news radio encourages the business community to bring the most sustainable innovations to market more quickly. PaperWise is among the 40 most innovative companies in the Netherlands and was a nominee for The Green Quest Awards!

In this search, radio presenter Harm Edens was assisted by six sustainability experts: Jacqueline Cramer (former Minister of the Environment and professor of sustainable innovation), Chantal Vergouw (CEO of Interpolis), Annemarie Rakhorst (sustainable investor, founder of duurzaamheid.nl), Marleen Prins (COO of ENGIE), Milan Meyberg (sustainability strategist and consultant), and Wisse Hummel (Innovation Officer at ENGIE).

In total, there were 140 candidates vying to win The Green Quest Awards. All participants, including ABN AMRO, Royal Haskoning DHV, Signify, BAM, FrieslandCampina, Sodexo, and PaperWise, are included in BNR’s Green Gallery. The 40 most sustainable innovations in the Netherlands were invited to explain their innovation during the live broadcast with Harm Edens. PaperWise was represented by founder Peter van Rosmalen during the announcement of The Green Quest winners on June 22.

The jury looked at the reduction in CO2 emissions and savings in terms of raw material use. The criteria on which companies were assessed:

Feasibility:
the sustainable solution must demonstrably help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or the use of raw materials.

Scalability:
the sustainable solution must be applicable to as many other companies as possible.

Affordability:
the affordability of the solution (the more cost-efficient, the better).

Measurability:
the CO2 reduction or raw material savings must be expressed in figures.

Innovativeness:
the solution has an innovative character.

“I am extremely proud,” says Peter van Rosmalen. “We work very hard with a highly motivated and enthusiastic team to further increase the sustainability of the paper industry together with thousands of customers across 19 countries. Every day, we provide proof that it is possible to use the stems and leaves left over after the harvest (agricultural waste) as a valuable raw material for sustainable and socially responsible PaperWise paper and paperboard for office use, printing, and packaging.”