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A delegation from Royal Hibin, led by chairman Pieter van Leusden, came to VELUX Netherlands in Utrecht to present the Manufacturer of the Future award.
The public (working in construction supply and executive construction) could judge eight innovations by manufacturers of building materials through an independent survey conducted by USP Marketing Consultancy. These eight were previously nominated by a professional jury. The innovations could be assessed with scores from 1 to 10. VELUX Netherlands achieved an average final score of 7.6, with 55% giving a score of 8 or higher. Clickbrick from Wienerberger (7.5 average), Afbouwpakketten from Gyproc (7.4 average) and Greenline from IsoBouw Systems (7.4 average) were in a neck-and-neck race with the eventual winner until the last moment.
At VELUX Netherlands, the broad appreciation was welcomed. Ronald Bal, Sustainable Development Improvement Manager at VELUX Netherlands: “A recognition like this is good for internal energy. We already knew that the initiative is really appreciated from the market. This helps to take the initiative further. Our challenge lies in reaching contractors. For that we need the help of the wholesalers. If they participate enthusiastically, it will be easier for the contractor to participate as well. We want to make the take-back service more accessible.”
VELUX Netherlands has created the take-back service to make reuse of raw materials a reality. Used VELUX skylights are collected and disassembled. The recovered raw materials are reused at a high-quality level. Ronald Bal: “These are roof windows that we have sold ourselves. So we know exactly what was sold and can calculate the potential return flow. We now see skylights coming back from the period 1988-1992. Of what of that is processed by major contractors, about ten percent is now coming back. We want to double the volume every year.”
The take-back service is a not-for-profit service. VELUX Netherlands earns nothing from it. The contractor has a small financial advantage over disposal of materials such as demolition waste. Ronald Bal: “The service is not free. Collection but also processing costs a lot of money. We are honest about that. But despite the cost, it is attractive to contractors. It is a cheaper alternative than disposing of materials as construction demolition waste. That's because there is also raw material revenue in return. You hardly have that with construction demolition waste, due to low-grade application. But it's not just about the financial component. For example, we see housing corporations prescribing in their contracts to maintenance companies that as much material as possible must be saved and that companies must also be able to demonstrate that. With regard to the take-back service, the aspect of social return also plays a role with housing corporations. Furthermore, we are seeing the development that larger national contractors in particular are pursuing an active sustainability policy, because it allows them to distinguish themselves in the market.”
Disposing of skylights as construction and demolition waste provides up to 30% of raw material recovery. Through the take-back service, 95% of the raw materials remain in the chain. VELUX Netherlands is actively involved in finding new uses for the recovered raw materials. “That is perhaps the most complex piece,” says Ronald Bal. “It's not just about saving the raw materials. You have to get actively involved as a producer in the follow-up process, otherwise the flywheel won't turn and the reclaimed material will stay in storage, and there won't be a healthy business model. If you want to achieve circularity, you can't avoid doing it as completely as possible and organizing supply and demand at the same time. It comes down to taking responsibility at the end of life, not only for your product, but also for the raw materials. In that philosophy, a product is the temporary phase of a raw material. We foresee a future where fully circular products are preferred over products produced from virgin raw materials.”
The approach of the Manufacturer of the Future election is in line with Hibin's strategy set in 2019. That strategy is based on four social tasks that are part of the daily practice of members (Data for streamlining the construction sector, Fewer primary raw materials, Accelerating the construction and renovation task and Nuisance-free construction logistics). These are tasks to which construction supply can contribute by deploying its knowledge, position and role. The Hibin strategy is based on transparency and cooperation. Hibin therefore expressly manifests itself as the Network of Building Supplies. The election of the Manufacturer of the Future gives extra attention to innovations that can bring the common goals closer.
