The Digital Environmental Pass: a new step in convenience and safety
In May 2023, VConsyst, a supplier of total solutions for waste collection and the design of public outdoor spaces, announced a collaboration with Kiwa Digital Certification to develop innovative solutions for access systems. The first step was digitizing the environmental pass so that residents could open an underground container with their smartphone.
VConsyst and Kiwa have worked intensively on developing infrastructure, apps, and the new Chiplock© Hybrid Access update. In addition to technical development, compliance and standardization of this technology are essential for success. Rudo Hoekman, development director at VConsyst, envisions a future where the Digital Environmental Pass can be used throughout Europe: ‘It offers significant advantages for the market to adopt the same standard used throughout Europe for digital documents, namely ISO 18013-5. By doing so, we adhere to the same strict standards regarding data security applied across Europe. A major benefit: the secured passes can also be used in areas where our collection facilities are not yet present; there is no vendor lock-in.’
Independent and reliable
Although any party can implement ISO 18013-5 and issue this type of digital document under its own name, VConsyst consciously chose a highly reputable partner, Kiwa Digital Certification, to act as an independent entity in the European market. Martin Dupuis, digital certification sales manager at Kiwa, explains: ‘Many parties have entrusted Kiwa with issuing documents for many years. We provide documents such as pilot licenses, VCA certificates and other certificates for professional activities. These documents are highly secured. Our infrastructure and workflows undergo periodic assessments by external parties. Additionally, the platform can be used to verify the identity of the recipient before issuing the document. This ensures that the document is indeed issued to the intended recipient.’
Transaction with monetary value
Such a high level of security may seem excessive for an environmental pass. However, Johan Dörper, product manager software and electronics at VConsyst, is convinced of its necessity. ‘It's important to realize that every deposit is a transaction representing a monetary value. More and more municipalities are implementing Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) systems. This means residents pay per deposit. As a supplier and municipality, we need to guarantee that the deposit is indeed made by the respective resident. That's why we consider security one of the fundamental principles of the digital environmental pass and opt for this high-quality standard.’
Secure access
Both Apple and Google, with the Android platform, embrace this digital form of documents. Both parties have implemented the ISO standard in preparation for the introduction of, among other things, the digital driver's license announced by Europe. Kiwa and VConsyst are confident that this is the right answer to a long-desired feature: securely accessing collection facilities or environmental parks. In the coming period, both parties will continue working towards the first public pilots. Several municipalities and waste collectors have already shown interest in this environmental pass. We expect to unveil the first participating parties within a few weeks.
Are you interested or do you have questions about the digital environmental pass? Please contact us at NL.E-License@kiwa.com or call us at +31 (0)88 - 998 4705.