Shading industry calls for more laws and regulations

Review of the Industry Day Sun Protection

There are undoubtedly more conclusions to be drawn after the Zonwering Branchedag held on March 18 in Spant! theater, but the most striking was the fact that about three-quarters of the manufacturers, suppliers and dealers in the sun protection industry would like to see more laws and regulations. These could give a positive boost to the industry... Read: more turnover euros! 

It was perhaps the most surprising outcome, practically at the beginning of the well-attended meeting in Bussum. Especially since you would expect entrepreneurs to want to keep the government out as much as possible. But on the other hand, there is also a commercial interest, namely the sale of awnings! Because if these were made more mandatory due to stricter laws and regulations - coupled with the challenges of combating global warming - that would definitely give a push toward more sales for the industry. 

Consensus?

However, the question was - and thus began the first discussion - is there a consensus within the industry about the existence of global warming? According to Jos Stoit, president of VeRoFaLe, there is. "Because the industry wants more regulation, you can conclude that there is consensus on the story of global warming," he asserted firmly from the panel table. 

But does it? Because, not every Dutch person believes the story of global warming, and so there is a chance that industry professionals also have their doubts on content. After all, aren't they simply arguing for more stringent regulations because they ultimately generate more revenue? Therefore, isn't it therefore important to know what the constituency thinks about it anyway to find out if the support base for the lobby is large enough? And, whether everyone in the industry is telling the same story? Eddy Hillebrand, president of industry association Romazo, acknowledged that when asked if there is consensus in the industry there is "still a way to go. But fair is fair: stricter legislation helps us in sales!" 

Counterforces

The issue around more legislation also proved to be a topic of conversation in the corridors afterwards. A trade dealer from the middle of the country pointed out that Frans Timmermans' Green Deal has been pushed aside by the European Commission and that the Netherlands is heading for a much more right-wing cabinet, which is less concerned with climate goals. "It is therefore not an unnecessary luxury to be aware of the opposing forces as an industry organization," she stated. "VeRoFaLe may then have to be able to tell the story about global warming even more convincingly in order to achieve the intended goals - obligations regarding the installation and fitting of solar shading systems. And sure, these obligations will not hurt us: we will end up selling more and thus earning more! But I think that the creation of those obligations is only going to become more difficult in the years to come, due to the rightward trend in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe." 

Online sales

Another topic was whether online sales of awnings are a threat to the industry. About 78% of the audience said "no. Toon van Osta of ROMA emphasized that the industry will have to continue to emphasize the quality aspect. "Online suppliers simply cannot deliver the desired quality yet," he stated. Another interesting topic of discussion was the desired profile of the industry as a whole. Are we an "industry of passive cooling," "shade makers" or an "industry of shading. One of the trade professionals in the audience stated that ultimately only the consumer can give the answer. 

Accelerating with obstacles

After the event, at least it became clear that "accelerate with hurdles" - the theme of the industry day - could be the only right theme for the event in these turbulent times and that sitting back and waiting to see what happens is not an option anyway. Conclusion: it is the industry's move anyway.  

'Shading needs to be higher on the agenda'

Visitors Jeroen Elsenga and Obed Rupert of Schmit Zonwering from Dronten, looked back on the industry day with a good feeling. "It was pleasant to meet suppliers and fellow retailers as well as to share experiences. The guest speakers also had good stories, especially Floris van Alkemade, the former Chief Government Architect. His talk was inspiring. The story of Sven van Witzenburg, Managing Director Somfy Business Northern Europe, was not as strong. It was unfortunate that he did not give a direction on where we as an industry need to go." 

"The sun protection product needs to be higher on the agenda anyway. From builders to architects and from municipalities to other governments, simply because solar shading contributes to a better living environment. Therefore, we all need to continue to work well with manufacturers, so that we can all correctly inform, serve and help consumers to improve their own living environment."