A few of our projects

Ministry of Agriculture | Narrative and magazine

In 2020, the ministry published the policy document The National Protein Strategy (NES), with the vision to develop a strategy to make the Netherlands less dependent on imports from outside the EU and to set up a healthier and more sustainable protein chain. The ministry wants to be able to tell this strategy in a way that does justice to all facets of the protein strategy. Het Portaal wrote a narrative and tested it with almost 50 stakeholders from the food system.

We also wrote Grensverleggers [Pushin Boundaries], a magazine with seven stories that embody the protein transition. The magazine was published in December 2023 and is publicly available.  You can read it here.  (note – this publication is in Dutch) 

Het Portaal | Expertmeeting Ultra Processed Food

Thanks to constant innovation, we are increasingly able to process, produce and preserve food on an industrial scale. This is partly desirable given the growing world population. But it also has its negative effects: some of this food has led to an obesogenic society. We are getting fat from a very tasty and affordable supply. An industry focused on profit maximization and a government that mainly stimulates a liberal market economy are the results. A healthy lifestyle is therefore under considerable pressure.

The accusing finger is increasingly pointing at Ultra-Processed Food, that is to say industrial formulas, usually with more than five ingredients. According to many nutritionists and food technologists, this is too simplistic. After all, this group also includes products that are indeed healthy. The classification based on the degree of processing, with regard to health claims, is therefore disputed.

We discussed this with a broad group of stakeholders. About the scientific world of UPFs, the health effects of plant-based dairy and meat substitutes and what a food system including large-scale technology looks like.

Read the report of the expert meeting here

Cosun | Storytelling and community

Agricultural cooperative Royal Cosun has been processing its potatoes, sugar beets, chicory, and, more recently, field beans into everyday products since 1899. The goal is to unlock the full potential of plants in order to create sustainable and innovative solutions for both current and future generations.

The business groups Aviko, Cosun Beet Company, Duynie Group, and Sensus are part of Cosun. Together, they tap into a network of 11,000 growers facing challenges related to yield, soil health, plant health, biodiversity, and societal appreciation. Royal Cosun works alongside these growers to improve the future sustainability of cultivation.

In the Cosun-community Groeikracht, growers share their knowledge and experience both online and offline. The Portal supports Groeikracht by using storytelling and building the community

 

Nederland Voedselland | storytellingplatform

Nederland Voedselland is a storytelling platform established to showcase what is happening in the food sector to policymakers, opinion leaders, influencers, and stakeholders. With a focus on the change-makers and transformations in the food chain, Nederland Voedselland publishes stories about topics such as reformulation, protein transition, and sustainability. It also covers issues like fairer prices for farmers and clearer information for consumers. Have a look on the website.

Dan Saladino | Stakeholder Dialogue

Every day, 8 billion people need to be fed, and to meet this immense challenge, we use about 44% of the Earth’s usable land area. A hyper-focus on maximizing production and resistance has enabled modern humanity to establish a food supply on a scale never seen before. This is an impressive achievement. However, despite the appearance that we are eating more diversely (and more frequently) than ever, the reality is that the foundation of our food system is becoming increasingly narrow.

Author and BBC journalist Dan Saladino describes in his book Eating to Extinction which species and breeds, as well as knowledge and cultural elements, have been lost in our “race to the bottom.” He explains why it is not only worthwhile but even essential to protect them from extinction.

In response to this passionate plea for the preservation of biodiversity on our plates, Het Portaal organized a Stakeholder Dialogue with about twenty experts. It led to the realization of how dominant super-productive varieties already are in our diet, how we depend on existing seed banks to diversify our eating patterns, how biodiverse food contributes to the preservation of culture, and how storytelling plays a key role in raising awareness about biodiversity on our plates.

FRIESLANDCAMPINA | COMMUNITY

The dialogue platform The Milk Story brought the narrative of sustainability in the dairy sector to the forefront. Commissioned by FrieslandCampina, we engaged in conversations with farmers, consumers, and other stakeholders to collectively seek insights for a sustainable future for dairy. The project was awarded a Digital Communication Award in the Blog category in Berlin in 2016!

Over the course of five years, The Milk Story saw more than 270 external contributors, published over 900 articles, and fostered vibrant communities of fans and followers on Twitter and Facebook. As of April 13, 2017, Het Portaal handed over editorial responsibility to FrieslandCampina.

PepsiCo | storybook

With five stories from passionate stakeholders, we highlighted PepsiCo’s sustainability vision. From the grower to the factory, and ultimately to the supermarket shelf: behind Lay’s chips lies the extraordinary journey of the potato. The storybook “From Tater to Your Favorite Chips” not only tells the story of potato cultivation and processing but also focuses on reducing CO2 emissions and lowering the salt content in potato chips.

View the book here.

KW1C | positionering en corporate story

The merger between De Leijgraaf and Koning Willem I College in 2022 led to the creation of one of the largest and most prominent vocational education institutions (MBO) in the country. The MBO programs in Brabant continue under the name Koning Willem I College, now the most sustainable MBO in the Netherlands. In collaboration with Horizons, Het Portaal co-wrote its forward-looking story with students, teachers, staff, and external stakeholders. Buutvrij then created this beautiful video.

ACCEZ | communication and transition processes

Sustainability of business parks, the nitrogen issue, and the transition to a circular economy: accelerating sustainability transitions requires a radically new way of working. ACCEZ offers a collaborative approach to explore and overcome the resistances (which are always present in transition processes) by experimenting within a growing network of people. To achieve this, they create bold combinations of individuals from diverse backgrounds—ranging from entrepreneurs to researchers, policymakers to artists.

Het Portaal supports ACCEZ in the areas of communication and guiding transition processes. For more information, visit www.accez.nl.

FVO | Analysis and Positioning

For the Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Organizations (FVO), we analyzed the themes and expectations that will shape the future of the glasshouse vegetable sector. We translated this into an appealing positioning for the sector and a strategy to reach and engage stakeholders. The aim is for FVO to ensure that Dutch growers can continue to sustainably produce our peppers, zucchinis, eggplants, cucumbers, and tomatoes in the future.

NN Group | Community Investment report

Together with Impact Institute, we made it clear how and why NN Group contributes to the well-being of people in the communities where they are active. Using a combination of facts, figures, and impact stories, they share insights about their Community Investment activities and their stakeholders.

In 2021, NN Group allocated about 0.4% of its corporate profit to social projects through its Community Investments. The goal is to invest 1% of the profit in 2022.

Have a look at the report!

BAM Wonen | Positioning and corporate story

BAM Wonen is the market leader in the Dutch residential construction market with successful, residential concepts for both new construction and renovation projects, with the goal of ‘a sustainable home for everyone’. BAM Wonen does everything in its power to build affordable, circular, climate-adaptive and nature-inclusive housing. People are central to this objective.

Het Portaal supported BAM Wonen in its positioning, corporate story and recording of its important transition themes.

Drenthe In Transition | Community

For the province of Drenthe, Het Portaal developed the online and offline community Drenthe In Transition. Online, our editorial team published stories and videos about green initiatives within the province, while offline, sustainability pioneers in the region came together to exchange experiences and help each other move forward. In this way, we mobilized a broad network of stakeholders to actively shape the energy transition in Drenthe.

ABN AMRO | Stakeholder dialogue

Het Portaal assisted ABN AMRO in initiating collaborations with stakeholders to make the housing stock more sustainable. ABN AMRO finances over 10% of the total square footage of built environments, giving it a unique position to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions in the Netherlands. A key step in ABN AMRO’s sustainability process was exploring the value network and establishing connections between different stakeholders to generate concrete ideas and workable concepts.

Havensteder | Documentary Series

The Rotterdam neighborhood of Vreewijk was on the verge of a major intervention in 2008: housing corporation Havensteder planned to renovate, restore, or replace over 1,300 homes in the area. The director of Havensteder believed the process should be transparent and welcomed Het Portaal‘s initiative to document it visually in collaboration with BuroB . The goal was to allow residents, the corporation, the municipality, and experts to honestly and authentically learn about each other’s wishes, dreams, and resistances in order to ensure the success of the restructuring. This led to the unique 38-part film series Vreewijk: kroniek van een herstructurering.

De Meeuw | Corporate film

In the summer of 2020, we created a corporate film for construction company De Meeuw to showcase the benefits of their circular and modular building method. The film provides potential customers with a unique behind-the-scenes look at the company, both inside and outside the production process. Together with the filmmakers from Buro Zip, we visited the designers at the office, followed the modules through the factory, and experienced the buildings as end users. View the corporate film here.

De Meeuw | CSR report

In early 2021, construction company De Meeuw published its first unnual CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) report! With this report, De Meeuw demonstrates how sustainable modular construction is and the actions being taken in the area of socially responsible business practices. These include the use and reuse of solid building modules, an efficient production process, and significantly less construction waste, setting a strong example.  Read the CRS report here.