KNRM Goes Green with Support from Draka and Van den Pol

Partnership for Sustainability

The KNRM emphasizes that partnerships are essential, especially because their expertise lies in saving people and not in sustainability.  Van den Pol, a loyal customer of Draka, got into a conversation with commercial director Toine Verschuur about making KNRM more sustainable.  This led to a partnership in which Van den Pol sponsors sustainability by installing solar panels and installing smart switching material to reduce electricity consumption.

Draka sponsors the cabling for these solar panels. Toine Veschuur, who is a passionate kite surfer himself, emphasizes the importance of safety from his perspective:

"As a kite surfer, I understand how important safety on the water is. That is also why we at Draka are proud to contribute to making the KNRM more sustainable, so that they can carry out their crucial work even more efficiently and safely."

The Sustainability Project

The KNRM's sustainability project is an important step in their 200-year history. With approximately 1500 professionally trained volunteers and more than 60 employees in support, the organization is committed to sustainability. The KNRM has set itself the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 90% by 2030. This includes making their fleet more sustainable with HVO biofuel and the use of sustainable materials. The installation of solar panels on the roofs of rescue stations is an important part of these efforts. By making it more sustainable, more than 30% of the total energy consumption is already saved.

So far, solar panels have been installed at 30 of the 45 locations. Not all roofs are suitable for solar panels, for example because of leases or monumental status. Nevertheless, the KNRM expects that half of their annual energy consumption will be met with solar energy.

Challenges and solutions

Installing the solar panels presented some challenges. Some roofs needed maintenance first to prevent the panels from having to be removed within two years, for example. In addition, there are floating boathouses with round roofs, which made the installation more complex. Thanks to Van den Pol's expertise and the support of Draka, these challenges could be successfully addressed.

Future sustainability initiatives

After the completion of this project, the KNRM has even more plans for sustainability. An important part of this is the renewal of the entire rescue fleet, in which sustainability is central. Thanks to a large contribution from the Postcode Lottery, four coastal emergency vehicles will also  be made more sustainable in the coming years. Electric driving is also a spearhead, with Volvo as a sponsor. All donors, also known as "lifeguards ashore", are invaluable to these initiatives.

With this sustainability project, the KNRM is taking an important step towards a sustainable future, in which safety and efficiency go hand in hand with environmental friendliness.