Latest news from Kiwa

Is your industrial organisation ready for the energy transition? Many Dutch industrial companies are facing increasing pressure to reduce energy consumption, driven not only by societal expectations but also by stricter regulations. With the ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and a CO₂ reduction of 55% by 2030, the government expects companies to actively contribute to decarbonization. The question is: how can your business prepare and what role can hydrogen play in this?   

The energy transition involves significant changes: phasing out fossil fuels and switching to sustainable, clean energy sources. Hydrogen plays a key role in this shift. Although hydrogen has long been used in industrial processes, it is now gaining attention as a clean energy source. But why is hydrogen so vital in this transition? Let’s dive in.

Today, we celebrate World Quality Day 2024, a global initiative organized by the Chartered Quality Institute, dedicated to championing excellent quality management. This year’s theme is ‘Quality: from compliance to performance’. Here to tell us more is Eugène den Elzen, Quality Manager at Kiwa’s Corporate Services.

Elk jaar op 14 oktober vieren we wereldwijd World Standards Day, Wereld Normalisatiedag. We staan die dag stil bij de inspanningen van experts die internationale standaarden ontwikkelen en daarmee zorgen voor een veiligere, duurzamere en efficiëntere wereld. Kwaliteitsstandaarden beïnvloeden bijna elk aspect van het dagelijks leven, van de kleding die we dragen en de auto’s die we besturen tot de apparaten die we gebruiken.

Every day, dozens of electric bicycles are stolen in the Netherlands. The high value and limited security of e-bikes make them attractive targets, even in enclosed spaces such as garages and sheds. In response to this, vehicle security specialist Kiwa SCM has launched the 'Electronic Security Systems for Two-Wheelers' certification mark, aimed at the independent certification of bicycle GPS tracking systems.

Testing, inspection and certification specialist Kiwa and assurance and cybersecurity expert Securance have announced a strategic partnership to jointly enhance their services in the fields of risk management and cybersecurity. This collaboration combines Kiwa's extensive certification and compliance expertise with Securance's innovative risk management and cybersecurity solutions.

In the application of hydrogen excess hydrogen inevitably occurs. To prevent its release, it is essential to equip vehicles and hydrogen networks with a boil-off management system (BMS) capable of efficiently venting excess gas. Kiwa's hydrogen expert Hans de Laat wrote an article on this topic.

In architecture, the focus often lies on aesthetics, innovation and quality. However, safety also plays a significant role in this field. For Utrecht-based Zecc Architects, safety is an integral part of the company culture, both in terms of social safety in the office and safety on construction sites. Kiwa recently awarded Zecc Architects a Step 2 Safety Culture Ladder for their safety endeavors. Mario van Kooij, Zecc's associate project leader-architect, elaborates on this achievement.

Dutch energy distributor Alliander asked Kiwa to research and visualize the combustion of hydrogen at low concentrations. Kiwa developed a special test box and recording. The video shows that at low concentrations, the probability of ignition of hydrogen is lower compared with natural gas.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) took a historic step on 23 February 2024, by incorporating climate change into a wide range of management system standards. This means that climate change is now a mandatory component of no less than 31 system standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, and ISO 50001. The changes took effect immediately upon publication.