From one electric car to international cooperation

Minister for Transport

‘When we got this car, we decided to organise a themed event on electric transport in Mozambique,’ explains Climate Change and Energy Expert Ataide Sacramento. ‘It was attended not only by representatives of a range of countries and organisations, such as car importers, but also by the Minister of Transport. We gave him a lift to his office in our car. His interest resulted in the Netherlands and Mozambique starting a joint project to promote electric transport. This also ties in with Mozambique’s energy transition strategy.’

It just goes to show what small steps can lead to. And it’s what Elsbeth hopes to see. ‘We want to lead by example when it comes to sustainability,’ she says. ‘This was a great way of raising awareness in the country,’ added embassy controller Peter Zwart. ‘Hopefully it will result in more locals, and other embassies in Mozambique, making sustainable choices.’

Social and economic sustainability

Pense verde, aja verde, meaning ‘think green, act green’, is the slogan the embassy uses for activities designed to reduce emissions. But for the embassy, sustainability is a much broader concept. Peter: ‘It’s also about social sustainability, such as gender equality, and economic sustainability. For example, we’re also talking to our service providers about the salary they pay their employees. What our security staff earn, for instance, is simply not enough to make ends meet here.’

This broad concept of sustainability plays a central role in almost everything the embassy does. This is in line with the belief that all of the embassy’s activities should be aimed at creating a positive impact on the local environment and on future generations. That is one reason why young people are at the heart of the embassy’s ‘mission sustainable’. ‘We’re really investing in these young people,’ Elsbeth explains. ‘Through education and by helping them to discover their talents. We also include them in our programmes, getting them involved in our activities and plans as part of an advisory panel.’

Baseline study

The Walk our Talk support voucher allowed the embassy in Maputo to take new steps. Some of the money was used for a baseline measurement, which gave a clear picture of the embassy’s carbon footprint, its efforts in the area of sustainability and scope for making sustainable choices. These insights will help make waste management more sustainable. The report also considered social and economic sustainability.

Recommendations made in the baseline measurement report, presented in July 2024, have helped shape various sustainable projects. ‘All the initiatives we’re now starting up resulted from the baseline measurement,’ Peter explains. ‘It shows us what we’re doing, and how effective our efforts are.’

The embassy’s current carbon footprint is almost 350 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent a year. And that, in itself, is an important source of inspiration. ‘In less than two years our carbon footprint will be calculated again,’ Elsbeth says. ‘By then it should in any case be lower than it is now. It’s good to have that pressure. Call me again in two years’ time and I’ll tell you how we did.’