The greenest steel in the Netherlands

"As Reijrink, we cannot claim the future without taking responsibility for it. This is why we want to lead the way in the field of sustainable and green steel constructions." Speaking is Frank Reijrink, Technical Director at Reijrink. He explains that the company envisions a green future.

We steel the Green future

"Every minute counts to combat global warming and consumption. The Steel Construction Agreement has been embraced by us, in order to guarantee a green future. We won't leave it at that, with a new division 'Reijrink Greenline' we want to market a more sustainable product for sustainable constructions." The Brabant family business has already invested a lot in sustainability over the years. "We want to expand this further with the Greenline, by offering perhaps the greenest steel constructions in the Netherlands."

What is a green steel structure?

Reijrink: "The process for green steel construction starts as early as engineering. We design with the idea of design to re-use rather than design to recycle. By developing steel structures in advance, parts of which can be reused in the future, the impact on the environment is reduced. Internal research has shown that we can reuse 80% of the steel structures if they are 'green' engineered by us."

The steel structure calculated by the main structural engineer is detailed, produced and assembled by Reijrink Greenline as green as possible. "We can help create a more sustainable design at an early stage. Demolition and reuse must now be included in this process. The earlier this process starts, the more sustainable the overall design becomes." Sustainability is also already taken into account in the day-to-day process, many structures have already been assembled with an average reusability of 35%. 

Green operations

"Since September, all fuel-powered vehicles have been switched to HVO100, reducing up to 89% of CO₂-emissions from these vehicles. The transport is for the entire chain from purchase material to finished product. We also have the possibility to assemble Green steel constructions also Green, for this we use electric platforms and cranes as much as possible. At our sites we are green by using solar panels, which keep the environmental impact as low as possible. In addition, the plant is completely gas-free through the use of a heat pump."

MKI

To quantify all these sustainable investments and make them usable for the customer, Reijrink had an Environmental Cost Indicator (MKI) calculated. Says Reijrink, "We had this score calculated in collaboration with LBP-Sight and it can be found in the National Environmental Database as product card category 1. The score showed that we are currently the greenest steel builder in the Netherlands." 

Circular project

This year, the company completed its first fully circular project. "On behalf of Gerritsen Group from Goirle, we completely dismantled a factory in Switzerland and rebuilt it in England. The concrete sections that could not be reused were replaced with steel structures. We are also working on other green projects. For example, for the Dutch Design Week we supply and assemble a construction on which solar panels will be placed. They will also remain in use after the event."

DGBC

In addition to embracing the Steel Building Agreement, Reijrink has also become a member of the Dutch Green Building Council. This national social organization is committed to rapidly making the built environment future-proof, something that fits well with Reijrink's interests.