Woodgate & Clark. A company with a new name, but not less experienced for that reason. Director Erwin Dijkhuis has formed a knowledgeable team around himself since the launch of the expertise firm’s new name in 2019. He shares his take on the Sustainable Damage Restoration Manifesto and explains the steps taken within his agency to actually work toward a more sustainable future.
Erwin strongly supports a sustainable approach. “If we continue like this we will not leave our world very tidy for our children. That’s why I like the manifesto. Sustainable recovery as the new norm, nice! I expect we will also see more craftsmanship as a result; carpenters are allowed to practice carpentry again. Of course, not everything can be repaired. That’s not always justifiable from a technical standpoint either, but I think it’s a very good starting point.”
At Woodgate & Clark, the concept of sustainability has been in play for some time. “There are several initiatives being taken to reduce our carbon footprint,” Erwin continues. “To a certain extent, of course, you are driven by your client and have to deal with the desires of a policyholder. Then sustainable replacement has to be justifiable and that’s where you see that it also comes down to your communication skills. We have to make it clear to everyone that a sustainably repaired ‘product’ is not inferior to a new product, and also that it is a lot better for our planet to repair rather than replace.”
Reducing CO2 Emissions
But sustainability, of course, doesn’t just have to refer to reparations. “It’s also in our CO2 emissions. Increasingly, we are looking at whether it is actually necessary to physically send an expert to a damage. Sometimes we can also solve small-scale damages with photos or via Teams. Of course you have to keep an eye on the injured party, but when a damage can be handled remotely it is more advantageous for everyone. Furthermore, with the exception of one hybrid, our fleet now consists only of fully electric cars. Our parent company implemented that at a time when it was not so self-evident. That makes me proud. It seems like small steps, but when added together they can really make quite a difference.”
Erwin explains how he tries to get the sustainability concept in the minds of his employees. “I see the transition to sustainable damage restoration as a big change. And when I want to make a big change within Woodgate & Clark, I start organizing meetings. Small-scale, because it’s about knowledge transfer, not networking. I think this approach could also work well for NIVRE: visit companies and speak to the teams responsible. Tell them the direction we want to go in and how we are going to do it. Nowadays, everyone is bombarded with newsletters. If you really want to get the message across, it’s a lot more effective to organize physical meetings.”
Less Emailing
“Email traffic is also something we have managed to reduce within Woodgate & Clark which has resulted in a substantial CO2 reduction. A report is normally emailed back and forth several times because of our four-eye principle. We have several folders within our Sharepoint environment where those responsible can make changes to reports. In this way, we have already reduced email traffic by about 100,000 emails on an annual basis, which has a huge impact on the carbon footprint.” And that’s not all. Woodgate & Clark has a partnership with Trees for All and has a tree planted for every new file.
And what about the requirements for restoration companies? “Basically, we don’t hire them ourselves so we have little to choose from; insured parties are leading on that. However, it is our job to take policyholders by the hand and guide them. Therefore, we are able to recommend sustainable parties. Of course, then again, everything depends on how you present it.”
Investing in Education
Erwin would also like to issue another call to the industry. “Invest in education! Anyone can learn about how a policy works, or take a course to become an NIVRE Registered Expert. But that’s only part of your job. How nice would it be if we could teach experts more construction knowledge, for example about sustainable insulation materials? And the same goes for content experts. What can you still do with a closet that is half burned down, or a floor that has suffered water damage? Teach your people how to deal with these things in a sustainable way. Training employees is more than learning on the job. It simply doesn’t work that way. They also need to be able to provide justification for the content of a report. Moreover, if experts understand why a pipe suddenly starts leaking, they can prevent future damage. People are sometimes able to look a little further than they are used to. In my opinion, that still happens too little.
Source: Woodgate & Clark – Visie op een duurzamere toekomst – NIVRE
