Caglar Yilmaz Speaks
Sustainability as a Lifeline
A.Hak’s Commitment to Climate, Circularity, and Social Responsibility
Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword; it has become a lifeline for companies committed to a greener future. A.Hak holds sustainability in high regard, especially as a leading company in the energy sector. Caglar Yilmaz, sustainability coordinator at A.Hak, explains how the company is committed to social sustainability, circularity, and reducing CO2 emissions.
As the sustainability coordinator at A.Hak since early 2023, Caglar addresses sustainability issues and ensures the company complies with laws and regulations. A.Hak is committed to the EU’s goals and aims for a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Caglar is a driving force within the sustainability team and emphasizes that A.Hak plays an active role in the industry, pursuing joint CO2-saving actions. “We have the ambitious yet realistic goal of reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 55% by 2030 compared to 2019.”
Three Core Themes
A.Hak has established concrete themes to achieve its sustainability goals: climate-friendliness, circularity, and social sustainability. These guide the various measures and steps the company takes to achieve these goals. “An important tool we use is the CO2 performance ladder. This tool assesses the company on CO2 targets. We are now at the highest level with A.Hak.”
Caglar emphasizes the importance of the annual audit, which not only looks at achieved goals but also at the efforts and progress made to reach them. “This approach ensures that A.Hak is continually encouraged to improve sustainability. It also provides various tools to keep doing better.”
Project Stede Broec Sets a Good Example
“A beautiful and inspiring example of how we improve and monitor sustainability in projects in practice. A.Hak was awarded this project partly because of the sustainability promise, namely to demonstrate significant CO2 reduction. Just looking at the month of September this year, the project achieved an impressive 90% demonstrable CO2 reduction. These are, of course, huge numbers. These results are supported by various measures, including the use of alternative fuels such as HVO, a biodiesel made from vegetable fats. This is just one of the many innovations A.Hak implements to promote sustainability.”
Sustainability in Practice
In addition to fuel innovations, the project also includes the use of hybrid generators, bicycles at the worksite to reduce transport movements, and even the deployment of a combination of a generator with a battery pack, which significantly improves efficiency. This practical approach shows that sustainability is not just a concept but something A.Hak puts into practice. “It’s great to see that we more often take the bike from the workplace to the cabin instead of a car or even an excavator. It also turns out to be much faster.”
What is HVO?
HVO stands for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, or hydrotreated vegetable oil. HVO is a biofuel produced from vegetable oils, such as rapeseed oil, soybean oil, or palm oil, through a hydrotreatment process. This process reduces the content of unsaturated fatty acids in the oil, resulting in a cleaner and more stable fuel comparable to diesel.
HVO is considered a sustainable fuel because it uses renewable resources and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional diesel fuel. It is often used as an alternative fuel for diesel vehicles and is sometimes blended with conventional diesel or used as a full replacement.
