'Sustainable facades we make together'

To ensure a fair, healthy and livable world for ourselves and our (grand)children, a strong and impactful sustainability strategy is essential. Both at the employee, customer relationship and product level. LJ Solutions is leading the way in this. The specialist in smart façade solutions is betting high on quality and sustainability, with humanity and agility being the key principles. "In the market we still too often see sustainability as a sales or marketing strategy for greenwashing," emphasizes Roel Tromp, owner of. "This undermines truly sustainable initiatives. This is not only damaging to the trust of clients, residents and users, but also to our planet. As an organization, we are happy to change this. Sustainability is firmly embedded in our DNA and fundamentally shapes the way we work together. At every level."

LJ Solutions has been committed to healthy, beautiful facades since 2012. Founder Roel Tromp was a consultant and manager in the field of facade stucco, exterior facade insulation and ventilated facade systems for many years. He did his work with great pleasure and success, but ran into a moral challenge. "As a person, you are shaped by your environment and experiences," he says. "But this does not always correspond to who you really are. For example, I was placed on a pedestal where I didn't really feel senang. So when I started my own company, I made conscious choices when it came to being human and agile. Construction is a beautiful but also hard industry. LJ Solutions is happy to change that. Instead of cold product sales, warm information sharing is our focus. In a human way and with respect for our environment."

Sustainable work environment

LJ Solutions now has ten employees. The daily management is in the hands of Roel Tromp and Corine Schoonderbeek, who, thanks to a bottom-up approach, flexible working hours and room for their own initiatives, relaxation and exercise, ensure maximum support and involvement. This keeps the company in balance. "New employees go through a three- to four-month process as standard, during which various interviews are held and they have lunch with us once without obligation," says Tromp. "After all, following the right competencies, we find it very important that new employees fit into our team." Lunch is an important social moment for LJ Solutions, where colleagues get to know each other better and in a different way. This creates more understanding and trust, as well as a sustainable working climate in which everyone can excel.

Sustainable partner relationships

In addition to its own employees, LJ Solutions' partners also think beyond sec products, Tromp emphasizes. "Our partner relationships are really our extension. For example, when it comes to how you treat each other as people, in every phase of a project. By keeping each other on their toes and educating each other, we build a better world together."

Fair production

At the product level, Tromp believes it is especially important that products are made in an honest way. "In the Netherlands, unfortunately, we still too often see sustainable initiatives being prompted by the labels or certificates people want to obtain. Especially to boost sales, while in countries like France, Norway and Sweden the intrinsic motivation prevails," he says. "It is precisely with these companies that we like to work."

Natural wood composite

As an example, he cites France's Neolife®, which produces cladding based on its patented VESTA® material, made from wood fibers from European forests. "Depending on the cladding chosen, Neolife® contains approximately 80% of natural wood fibers, 12% of minerals and 8% of clean PVC. This ingenious combination produces an utterly stable, durable and strong product that is ideally suited for WELL and BREEAM projects. Because the mineral salt does not leach out, we can guarantee fire class B for a long time. In addition, VESTA® offers excellent shock and earthquake resistance. The product can be recycled several times without losing its strength." Meanwhile, Neolife® has an LCA and the cladding has been added to the National Environmental Database with a Category 1 product card and a very low MKI value, also making the product eligible for an MIA/VAMIL subsidy.

100% recycled aluminum

With Norway's Aulinvent Fasade, LJ Solutions supplies facade panels made of 100% recycled aluminum, which comes primarily from old beer and Coke cans. This gives an important waste source a sustainable second life, Tromp said. "What is special is that Aulinvent Fasade has a fire class A1/A2 and is 100% upcyclable after use. The facade panels in foamed aluminum are also easy to process."

Ceramic facade tiles

Finally, with Spain's Favemanc, LJ Solutions supplies a ventilated facade system of ceramic facade tiles. "The facade tiles and accessories are manufactured from extruded clinker clay obtained through local partners," said Tromp. "This keeps the ecological footprint low. Moreover, the material is very lightweight, fully detachable and easy to assemble. Thanks to the high capacity of Favemanc with ceramic extrusion, there are infinite possibilities in volume and development." Favemanc has an A1 fire rating.

In 2025, LJ Solutions' product range will be expanded to include a new and fully circular ceramic facade system with a luxurious appearance, beautifully combining aesthetics and health. More on this later.