The greenest leasing company
So, what does MUD Jeans have in common with a car leasing company you may wonder? Well. We both aim for a more sustainable future. That is why Kyotolease customers now get a pair of Lease Jeans as a welcome present. Just a little different from the more common giveaways such as a free carwash or a car cleaning kit.
We spoke to Sales Manager Niels Braamse to learn a little more about Kyotolease. A company on a mission. They envision a green change in the Netherlands and hope that sustainability will go to a higher level.
So how to stand out in this competitive market? There are many leasing companies in the Netherlands, around 400. For Kyotolease it is simple. People that have something with sustainability are attracted to Kyotolease. They finance with Triodos bank and only lease green cars. That is how Kyotolease started 15 years ago and that is still what it is like today.
For the ones a little unfamiliar with car vocabulary. Let’s get it straight. When talking about greener options we have electric, hybrid and low-emission cars. Electric cars use rechargeable batteries, hybrid cars use two or more engines i.e. an electric motor and a conventional engine (either petrol or diesel) and are becoming more popular and more common. A low-emission car is a motor vehicle that emits relatively low levels of motor vehicle emissions. All of the options have their advantages and disadvantages.
According to Niels, 100% electric is the most green and sustainable option. In 10 years time he hopes that 1/3th is electric 1/3 th is hydrogen and 1/3th biogas.
Driving electric is better than many people think. “You don’t pollute. With an electric car you just have the just a battery, so it’s also more convenient and comfortable to drive. The acceleration is nicer, smoother. If everyone would drive electric it would also be less problematic to live next to a highway. You only have the sound of the tires, not of the engines.”
How do you envision a sustainable future in car transportation?
“People should be more conscious about what they do. We should inform people better, and obviously with the correct information. The average car user for example still has the misconception that electric cars are not handy because the restriction in the amount of kilometers. But, nowadays you can get electric cars suitable for many people.” At Kyotolease we like to put emphasis on the positive side of things. We especially highlight the pride people feel when taking more sustainable actions. For us the ‘Vegetarische Slager’ is a great example. With a passion for good food, they just came up with a perfect alternative for meat. So perfect that there is no need to make people feel guilty when eating meat.
"I think we should all do our share. I really like to be busy with sustainability. I'm really into a lot of green stuff. I didn't know jeans are one of the biggest polluters in the world. With cigarettes there is always the packaging, but that should be a normal thing among more businesses. That when you purchase something, you can see how it has been made. Then people will make different choices. I truly believe many people don't know about the possibilities of circular jeans. It's beautiful that we; a lease company and a denim brand have the same goal; getting this circular economy rolling. And we schould involve everybody."
At last we asked how Kyotolease is different from other lease companies. “Well, you can pay with the sustainable ‘United’ a currency from the United Economy. We take our role as the greenest lease company of the Netherlands seriously and allow people to share their car. Nine out of then lease companies don’t accept car sharing. We accept that. We enjoy that people share their cars.”
The coming years the goal is to make the Netherlands greener by electric cars and finance it in a green way. Furthermore, the team of Kyotolease keeps living as green as possible and enjoy wearing their MUD Jeans.
