Gebr. van Kessel, SamenCO2Wegwerken: campaign brand for the innovation lane on the A58 by Schwung
The CO₂ reduction sits under the asphalt. We brought it to the surface.
"An innovation lane on the A58, how do you tell that story alongside the road?"
– The communications challenge
The construction sector is in the middle of a transition. Rijkswaterstaat wants to work climate-neutral and circular by 2030, and on the A58 that gets put into practice: the innovation lane near the De Kloosters service area is a full-scale testbed for CO₂-reducing techniques. Gebr. van Kessel won the tender. A high-profile project with plenty of visibility, so it called for solid communication.
The problem: the innovation sits in the asphalt, in the equipment, in the technology. Invisible to anyone racing past. We gave that story a face: SamenCO₂Wegwerken, a campaign brand that makes the climate mission tangible.
Innovation you can’t see.
A contractor is not a communications agency, and CO₂ reduction is not an easy subject: it happens in the make-up of the asphalt, in cleaner equipment, in smarter logistics. Each of these is invisible to the road user, the surroundings and the sector. At the same time, with this project in particular there was every reason to make it visible: an innovation lane for Rijkswaterstaat, a showcase for the construction of the future. The brief: make the progress towards climate-neutral 2030 visible, credible and with one recognisable face.
From tender to campaign brand.
Already in the tender phase
Good communication doesn’t start when the spade hits the ground, but at the bid stage. As early as the tender phase, we delivered a communications plan with a stakeholder analysis: who has a stake in this project, and what do they need to know? That way the foundations were in place before the work began.
- Stakeholder analysis for the bid
- Communication as part of the tender
- Strategy before tools
SamenCO₂Wegwerken
We put CO₂-neutral working at the heart of it and captured it in one brand: SamenCO₂Wegwerken. A name with a double meaning. There is literally work being done on the road, and at the same time CO₂ is being cleared away. 'Samen' (together) refers to the partners who do it together.
- Payoff: visibly on the way to climate-neutral by 2030
- One brand for road user, surroundings and sector
- Together: Gebr. van Kessel, KWS and Rijkswaterstaat
A CO₂ cloud full of road
The logo is a CO₂ cloud in which the road runs into the landscape: from emissions to a clean horizon. Around it, a cheerful, illustrative style with road workers and equipment, in the yellow, aqua and blue of Rijkswaterstaat. Optimistic, and instantly recognisable as this project.
- CO₂ cloud as the brand mark, with road and landscape
- Illustrations of the work in progress
- Colour use that ties in with Rijkswaterstaat
Visible alongside the road
One brand, applied everywhere. We translated the concept into a complete toolkit, with the construction signage as a kind of customer journey along the works: anyone passing here reads the story of the innovation lane step by step.
- Construction signage as a customer journey
- Kennislab (knowledge lab) with digital pillar, newsletters and brochure
- Geofencing, animation and a campaign website
One word, two meanings.
The strength of the concept lies in that one word: wegwerken. It describes the work and the mission, without needing any explanation. That made the message land with everyone along the A58, from the road user to the professional in the supply chain.
The payoff
Visibly on the way to
climate-neutral 2030.
The animation
The whole story in one minute.
The beating heart of the campaign: an animation that shows what happens on the innovation lane. From local supply-chain collaboration and material delivery to the CO₂ reduction beneath the asphalt, in the recognisable visual language of SamenCO₂Wegwerken.
Animation ‘A58 Kloosters innovation lane’ · made for Gebr. van Kessel
One brand, at every touchpoint.
The campaign brand had to work on the construction site, online and across the supply chain. So we translated it into a toolkit in which every element tells the same story, in the same recognisable style.
A task you take on together.
In collaboration with
An invisible story, made visible.
Where CO₂ reduction was once a technical detail, somewhere in the make-up of the asphalt, with SamenCO₂Wegwerken it became a story you see and understand alongside the road. A contractor that doesn’t just build, but also shows where it is working towards. Proof that our method works just as well in the civil engineering sector as it does in healthcare and government.
Client, role, year.
Client
Gebr. van Kessel
Role
Communications plan, stakeholder analysis, concept, campaign brand, visual language & toolkit
Project
A58 innovation lane, in collaboration with KWS & Rijkswaterstaat
Year
2020–2021
Frequently asked questions about the Van Kessel case
What did Schwung do for Gebr. van Kessel?
Gebr. van Kessel won the tender for the innovation lane on the A58, a high-profile Rijkswaterstaat project centred on climate-neutral and circular working. Schwung delivered a communications plan with a stakeholder analysis as early as the tender phase, and then built a complete campaign brand: SamenCO₂Wegwerken, with its own visual language and a toolkit from construction signage to animation. That turned the abstract story of CO₂ reduction into something visible and tangible alongside the motorway.
What does SamenCO2Wegwerken mean?
SamenCO₂Wegwerken is the campaign brand, with a double meaning. 'Wegwerken' (working on the road) is literally what is happening, road works are under way, and at the same time it is the mission: clearing away CO₂. 'Samen' (together) stands for the partners who do it together: Gebr. van Kessel, KWS and Rijkswaterstaat. The payoff makes the direction explicit: visibly on the way to climate-neutral by 2030.
What is the innovation lane on the A58?
The innovation lane is a stretch of the A58 motorway, near the De Kloosters service area, where Rijkswaterstaat and the construction sector trial new, CO₂-reducing techniques in practice: from more sustainable asphalt to cleaner equipment. It is a full-scale testbed with plenty of visibility, which is precisely why it needed solid, strategic communication.
Why is this case a counterpoint to healthcare and government?
Much of our work is in healthcare and government: sensitive, people-centred brands. This case sits in the civil engineering sector: asphalt, equipment, men and women in hard hats. A different world, but the same method. Here too we made the abstract tangible, and gave a technical, almost invisible story about CO₂ reduction a face that sticks.
What deliverables did the campaign produce?
A complete campaign brand with logo, visual language and colour use, and a toolkit to carry it along the road and across the project: construction signage as a customer journey, a Kennislab (knowledge lab) with a digital pillar, newsletters, geofencing for mobile advertising, a brochure, an animation and a campaign website. All in one recognisable style, so the message held true everywhere.
Will the next case be yours?
Do you want to set a transition in motion too, and need the communication to match? Whether it’s healthcare, government or an innovation lane, we make the abstract tangible.