From Pioneering to Professionalisation: Chair Freerk Potze on CA+ Certification

Launching a new concept in the market

Freerk Potze has been active in the world of secure data destruction for more than thirty years. Today, he is Commercial Director at Reiswolf, combining that role with his position as Chair of the CA+ committee. In his private life, he is married and the father of two young adult children, both pursuing careers in completely different sectors. “But,” he says with a smile, “data plays a role everywhere these days.”

After completing his study HEAO, Freerk joined Virol in the 1990s, a waste paper and metals company that decided to take a new step: treating confidential paper not as a residual waste stream, but as a separate collection and destruction process. A dedicated facility was created and machinery purchased, and Freerk was given the task of bringing this concept to market at a time when it was far from common practice.

It proved to be true pioneering work. “Confidential paper simply went in with regular waste paper. Suddenly you had to explain to clients why they should pay for this. It was not about price, but about responsibility.”

From waste to security

From the outset, raising awareness was central to Freerk’s approach. Organisations needed to understand that information deserved protection regardless of the residual value of paper. To underline this, he even used two separate business cards in his client presentations: one for waste paper and one for confidential destruction.

“We wanted to move away from the image of waste and towards security and service.”

Keeping things simple for the customer was another key principle. Freerk advised organisations not to distinguish between confidential and non confidential office paper. “If you ask employees to decide what is or is not confidential, you place a responsibility on them that actually belongs to the organisation. That does not work. My advice was always: treat all office paper as confidential.”

The same principle applies to product destruction. As a service provider, they do not decide what is destroyed. That decision always lies with the client, based on their own considerations.

The value of the contract is greater than the invoice

In the years that followed, Freerk helped build the growth of REISSWOLF in the Netherlands and became responsible for national coordination and international alignment. At the same time, he remained committed to improving quality across the sector.

According to Freerk, the value of confidential destruction is still often underestimated precisely because the costs are relatively low. Procurement departments tend to focus on larger contracts where the greatest savings can be made. “Our invoices are usually not very large. But the value of the contract is enormous. It is about risk management. A single data breach can cause significant consequential damage.”

Legislation around privacy and data breaches has strengthened this awareness. Where he once had to rely mainly on conviction and persuasion, he can now refer to clear regulations and oversight. That helps in discussions with clients. Even so, there is still work to be done, particularly among smaller companies.

“Large organisations generally have things well organised. In smaller businesses, you still see confidential material ending up with regular waste paper.”

Why independent certification matters

This strong focus on quality led Freerk early on towards independent certification. He firmly believes in external assessment. “You can say yourself that you are doing things properly, but it is far stronger when a third party confirms it.”

Through international certification schemes such as NAID, he eventually became involved in the Dutch CA+ certification scheme, an initiative of the Federatie Nederlandse Oudpapier Industrie. CA+ has since grown into a recognised quality mark that is increasingly requested in tenders.

“In major tenders, CA+ now appears almost as standard. That was very different ten years ago, and I am quite proud of that.” For Freerk, CA+ is about safeguarding quality throughout the entire chain: from collection to destruction, fixed or mobile, paper or digital media.

Beyond paper

The sector continues to evolve. Paper volumes are declining, while digital media and product destruction are becoming increasingly important.

“Phones, laptops and other data carriers contain ever more sensitive information. That requires the same level of care.” In response, CA+ has expanded in recent years to include certification for mobile destruction, data destruction and product destruction. There is also a framework for companies that only collect materials and outsource the destruction process.

“Not everyone wants to or can handle destruction themselves. With this structure, companies can still work in a certified way, as long as the processing takes place with a CA+ certified partner.”

At the same time, Freerk sees a clear challenge: CA+ is still not consistently specified in tenders for product and data destruction. “That is one of our strategic priorities. We want CA+ to become as self evident for products and data as it is now for paper.”

Collaboration as the key

Freerk also hopes to involve more companies from other sectors, such as the metals industry. “The first movers are always the hardest. But once several companies join, the market starts asking for it.” He sees collaboration as a key theme for the future. With declining volumes and growing sustainability investments, companies increasingly seek cooperation in both collection and processing.

“That makes the sector stronger. CA+ is designed as a collective approach: setting standards together, building awareness together, and presenting a united front to clients.”

The role of Lejeune

Within this collaboration, Lejeune Association Management plays an important role as independent secretariat. Freerk emphasises that most work within the committee is carried out alongside members’ daily responsibilities.

“It is voluntary work, and professional support is essential. Coordination, communication with certification bodies, marketing, secretarial tasks: without that, you lose momentum.”

That support also requires commitment from the members themselves. “You need to be willing to invest in it. Otherwise you do not move forward.”

Looking ahead: broadening CA+

For the coming years, Freerk has a clear ambition: to position CA+ as a broad certification scheme, not only for paper destruction but also for product and data destruction.

“That is what I would like to leave behind. But I cannot do it alone. We have to do it together.”

For that reason, he intends to remain active as Chair of the CA+ committee for the foreseeable future. The sector continues to evolve, and with that comes ongoing work. And throughout it all, he returns to the same core principle: “Creating awareness has always been the foundation of what we do.”

Text: Ria Luitjes
Photo: Freerk Potze