Imme Groet, our Senior Expert Sustainable Construction, was interview for VG Visie Zomer 2024 Wonen & Zorgvastgoed. She shares here vision on the sustainable future of the construction sector. And here experience of working as a young, intrinsically motivated professional in this sector.
This interview was previously released on: https://vgvisie.nl/2024/05/31/hedgehog-company-een-datagedreven-aanpak-brengt-duidelijkheid-in-kaart/
Interview: Hedgehog Company: A Data-Driven Approach Clarifies the Picture
Making the world better! Senior Sustainability Expert Imme Groet from Hedgehog Company embraces this challenge wholeheartedly by pragmatically implementing a data-driven approach for businesses and public organisations, mainly in the construction sector. Thus, integrating climate solutions and sustainability into business operations offers the possibility to become future-proof.
Hedgehog Company offers three services: sustainable construction, entrepreneurship, and sustainable financing. "We achieve sustainability through an entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary approach in business, construction, and finance. Reports don’t end up in a drawer, but we deliver feasible and affordable strategies starting with a baseline assessment. A data-driven approach clearly maps out where an organisation has the most impact. Subsequently, we jointly develop implementable strategies to reduce impact, ultimately contributing to a sustainable and future-proof organisation."
At Hedgehog Company, she works with a young team, consisting of the first generation of trained sustainability experts. Her specialty is in the construction and real estate sector. Groet aims to bridge the gap between her generation of green thinkers and the still quite conservative real estate world. "We need each other's expertise to be climate neutral by 2030."
Her interest in the construction sector started at a young age. Her grandfather was an architect and her father occasionally worked on projects for the architectural firm. "As a family, we preferred to do everything ourselves, including renovations. My work is a fusion of the physical and the practical approach in what I find important: working towards a more sustainable future."
She focuses on biobased materials, which are ecologically responsibly grown, harvested, used, or reused to reduce CO2 emissions and store them long-term in buildings. "Additionally, working with these materials offers many other benefits. For employees on the construction site, these materials are healthier to work with. Finally, during the use of a building, these materials provide a pleasant indoor climate because they are highly moisture-regulating. The green solution in the sector."
How difficult is it for a young generation of sustainability experts to navigate a traditionally conservative real estate sector?
"It's quite challenging in a complex and traditional sector. At the same time, the knowledge and experience of the older generation are essential for the transition to a sustainable sector. To implement a sustainable transition in the construction sector, the numerous links and the lack of policy are major obstacles. This is what makes change difficult.
Therefore, it's important to connect practice, vision, and policy. Certain policies are difficult to implement, and often the question arises: how do you approach this? For example, policy aims for a climate-neutral construction sector by 2050, but what steps should a company in the construction sector take now to work towards being climate-neutral in twenty years?
Hedgehog Company uses a data-driven approach to map out where the impact currently lies. We then build a strategy and approach with the company to reduce this impact and identify the low-hanging fruit. It's crucial to facilitate leaders who are motivated to do things differently. This way, you can also persuade others."
Will we achieve climate neutrality by 2050?
"That's going to be very challenging. However, it's important to commit to an ambitious long-term goal and try to achieve it. Otherwise, the sector moves minimally, and innovation has little chance."
Do you ever get discouraged?
"Sometimes, but I do notice that the sustainability movement is growing larger. That gives me energy. And, of course, I'm also in a green bubble with clients who understand the importance of sustainability, and that's very motivating."
What is needed now and in the future?
"Ultimately, we want to create healthy buildings where healthy and happy people live. Many technical solutions and good materials already exist. Sometimes, for example, a change in behavior is needed. I hope that people increasingly see the necessity and that awareness among both public and private organisations grows. Then together, we can go much further with the number of solutions we can apply."
