Digitalization in the green sector: a new era for NL Greenlabel

Over the past two years, NL Greenlabel has made great strides in the digitization of its processes. On the basis of large amounts of geodata and calculation models, a variety of themes can bes scenarios and simulations are created to make sustainability predictable, measurable and scalable. A real gamechanger for anyone who wants accurate insight into climate risks in a short period of time. "With digitization, we can not only fulfill our mission to double the value of green by 2030, but also make it affordable," says Frank Del Gatto, general director of NL Greenlabel.

"Our vision is to balance man and nature, and for that sustainability must be measurable," Frank explains. Digitization helps to make processes more efficient and accessible. This allows sustainable solutions to be applied on a larger scale. A big advantage here is the possibility of making sustainability labels for products and plants, but also for areas and sites affordable and widely applicable. Instead of having to request a lot of information from the client and other stakeholders, a label suddenly becomes a tool that provides information and therefore saves time, where it previously took time. In addition, digitization offers the opportunity to analyze data on a large scale and thereby take more targeted and effective measures. "After all, data provides insight and thus an action perspective." 

Through the Sustainable Living Environment Register, environmental scans can be requested at various levels, from private lots and sites to entire areas. Using geodata and predictive digital twins, we can analyze any area - from large to small - based on 70 different data sources.These digital twins of reality help predict flooding and heat stress, among other things. And with it we comply with the 3-30-300 rule and immediately look at biodiversity, mobility,air quality and noise pollution. "Through these digital twins we can proactively look at future scenarios and take measures."

A digital twin is a digital representation of the physical world used to perform simulations and calculations. "Our digital twins make use of enormous computing power and can create simulations of flood risks, for example," Frank says. This helps design environments that are more resilient to climate change. 

To increase the sustainability of lots and sites, a number of steps are taken. After an initial screening, the first step looks at what specific measures are needed, depending on the area. "What you actually want is to clarify for each theme how it scores and then summarize that in a label score from A to G, so it's understandable to everyone," says Frank. "In step two, you want to make clear how to go from a D label to a C or B label, where we also give suggestions for general measures that are always applicable. We can also calculate the costs and benefits in the process. The realization phase, the third step, involves our extensive partner network of landscapers and producers of innovative materials that are demonstrably sustainable through product and plant labels. Then in step four comes the delivery phase, in which a certification is carried out by external assessors. This ensures independent verification that all promised facets and chosen ambitions have actually been fulfilled. The final step, step five, is the monitoring phase, in which an annual monitoring can be done to see if the ecological value has increased."

EN Terrain Label Experts
NL Greenlabel, together with IPC Groene Ruimte, has established the NL Terreinlabel Expert training course. This training is designed to help professionals learn to think and act integrally. The trained experts work with the Sustainable Living Environment Register and can perform the NL Environment Scan. They work with geodata and the NL Terrain Label to arrive at their analyses. An NL Terreinlabel Expert can guide a client in making a terrain more sustainable. The NL Terreinlabel Experts are employed by all kinds of companies and organizations across the country. There is always an expert close by. Check out www.nlgreenlabel.nl

A new feature developed by NL Greenlabel in collaboration with Tygron and Heijmans is the NL Design Validation. This allows design plans to be validated in advance on various sustainability themes. "Where previously months went into performing various studies, we can now use the design validation to quickly show the effects of certain choices. We do this by making configurations in the design plan," Frank explains. This significantly speeds up the process of sustainable design and ensures that nature-inclusive choices are integrated directly into the design.

Recently, NL Greenlabel has developed the ability to analyze data on a larger scale, which is especially useful for banks, investors, housing associations and large developers. "We can now analyze entire portfolios and create dynamic dashboards that provide quick insight into vulnerable areas on themes such as heat stress and flooding," Frank said. This scalability ensures that even large organizations can work in a more focused way on sustainability.