Involve stakeholders in the steps you take, that works best (podcast)

Reputation is about the spirit of the times, behavior and employer practices. These themes are discussed in conversation with Jan Dirks from GP Groot. Sustainability is also discussed, the question here is whether we have gone too far in communicating about sustainable ambitions. In any case: involve stakeholders in the steps you take, that works best.

In this edition of Reputatie Inside Jan Dirks from the West Frisian GP Groot about the issues of our time for a company that processes waste and sells fuel. Also Berlinda Harkinkreputation expert, joins us today. After studying at Nyenrode, Jan Dirks started at BakerstreetIn short: sandwiches at gas stations. The step into the world of fuel was then made, Jan has now been working at GP Groot for over 10 years.

Podcast Reputation Inside

Organizations with high reputational value are trusted and preferred by all their stakeholders. A high reputation value ensures, among other things, more and loyal customers, a sought-after position in the labor market and proud employees. Organizations that focus on this value achieve high social and financial returns. How does that work in practice? What role does the reputation of organizations play among CEOs?

Reputatie Inside provides insight into reputation issues in the Dutch government in this three-weekly podcast. Every episode (25 minutes), podcast host Stef Heutink questions CEOs and professionals about this.

Zeitgeist

Reputation is about the spirit of the times. We live in times of climate change, sustainability and CO2 reduction. How does a company like GP Groot deal with this? Jan: “We deal with this intensively on all our business pillars. Transitions are happening everywhere, if only on the theme of climate change. In waste processing, we are fully moving towards the new adage: waste does not exist, it is a raw material. Energy is completely moving towards sustainable fuels.”

Government driven

What we mainly see is that all transitions are government-driven, an example of which was the electric car. This works fine with subsidies, but without subsidies it is highly questionable. We also see it in the discussion this week about the zero-emission zones for the city center, with one councilor even arguing that workers should do their work in those zones by cart. The eternal discussion: we have to, but do we also want to?

Behavior

Reputation is about behavior. Berlinda: “The motivation to do business sustainably is now there, but in practice it is difficult. It is super important to include customers and other stakeholders in your intentions. It is not so much about what you have achieved, we see that communication a lot, but about communicating about the steps you are taking. And also be transparent about what is not yet possible.”

CSRD

Rules in procurement, CSRD legislation, ESG reporting: we all have to deal with it. The chain as a whole is then visible, for example when it comes to CO2 emissions. GP Groot helps companies with the steps that need to be taken. Jan: “Those rules are fine, but it must also remain realistic. Also in the chosen timeframe. That is not always the case.”

Work environment

An important reputation pillar is employership. The younger generation in particular is intrinsically motivated to work at companies with sustainable ambitions.

Research shows that this group really chooses companies with sustainable intentions, much more than previous generations’ – Berlinda

Crazy

Jan believes that we have gone a bit too far in communicating about sustainable ambitions. “Sometimes customers don’t even know what we really do anymore. In America you also see that more and more people are digging in their heels when it comes to reporting and regulations, after all, profit has to be made. This is under pressure due to the increasing time pressure on regulations. We will see if that will spread to Europe.” Berlinda rightly states that it is not just about sustainability for companies, themes such as diversity or equality of opportunity are just as important.

Innovation

Whichever way it rolls, innovation is an increasingly important driver. Jan: ‘Think about it Neste MY synthetic diesel (90% less CO2)you can now see these ultra-modern stations being built in the Alkmaar region. More expensive, and that remains difficult, but super relevant for the municipality of Amsterdam, for example. This is important for tenders alone. There is also a lot of campaigning for this and that works well, people come up with ideas, it solves problems when it comes to requirements that are now being imposed on companies in mobility chains.

Reputation

Finally about the reputation of GP Groot himself. Reputation is about trust. Jan: “We are very strong in that: we score high on reliability, for us it is mainly a matter of doing, practice what you preach. That’s not just an empty statement. The motto ‘a deal is a deal’ is deeply rooted in the DNA of our company.”

Listen to the Reputatie Inside podcast with Jan Dirks here iTunes, Soundcloud or below via Spotify: