Bremer Cars, Hallum

“An environmentally-friendly business practice is financially attractive”

In 2009, Piet Bremer came in in second place in the BOVAG competition Universal Car Company of the Year. Part of his second prize package was a free ARN Environmental Scan. The scan was completed in August 2010, and Bremer Cars is now a certified car company.

Building according to the latest standards
In 1998, Bremer built its current premises from scratch. Even at that time, the environment was an important issue. During construction, Bremer took account of a whole series of environmental aspects for which no regulations were yet in place. This included installing a non-permeable floor, while certification was not even available at the time. As Bremer explained, “We opted to build everything according to the latest standards, even though there was no obligation to do so.”

Much research
It emerged during the environmental scan that Bremer was well ahead of his time. “We had to look into every aspect for the environmental scan. What route do waste flows follow? What do you spend on electricity, gas and water? Where do you make your purchases? It involved a lot of research,” explained Bremer. “However, it is good to know how things are organised and where everything ends up. We were certified in August this year.”

Reliable
According to Bremer, the ARN Environmental Certificate is an excellent tool for standing out from the competition. “For consumers, the environment is an important subject,” he explained. “If you are nominated twice for a BOVAG prize and are able to demonstrate that you operate an environmentally-friendly business, you come across as reliable to potential customers.”

The desire to do more
“We would like to do more, for example about energy costs,” continued Bremer. “The energy costs for our business are quite high, so we started looking into LED lighting two years ago.” Bremer decided against the switch because it was very expensive at the time. The company also investigated the possibilities for solar collectors and a wind turbine. “We are active on every possible front, although not always successful,” concluded Bremer.

No surprise
According to Bremer, the ARN Environmental Scan above all revealed just how well the company is performing. “Environmentally-friendly business practice is financially attractive,” explained Bremer. That makes it interesting to be involved in. We have been dealing with our environment in a responsible manner for years. That is why the result of the scan is no surprise.”