Heijmans will start a trial in Friesland in 2024 with the cultivation and application of biobased building materials made from fiber hemp. In this way, the construction company not only wants to make its housing concepts more sustainable, but also examine whether the cultivation of these raw materials can serve as a business model in the agricultural sector.
For this trial, Heijmans is starting a collaboration with a farmer from the municipality of De Fryske Marren and the company GreenInclusive. The cultivation takes place on more than 6,5 hectares of agricultural land owned by Heijmans. Together with GreenInclusive and the tenant farmer, we examined whether the cultivation of natural raw materials within his company is possible. The farmer himself is curious about the sustainable crop and wants to integrate the cultivation into his company next year. An important aspect was the guarantee of purchasing the 6,5 hectares of raw materials. This can be achieved through the collaboration between Heijmans and GreenInclusive.
GreenInclusive provides cultivation guidance and the processing of raw materials into bio-based building materials, such as insulation or sheet material. Heijmans will purchase the end products for its own Horizon housing concept. These homes are being built in nearby Heerenveen in the Heijmans timber frame factory.
Continue more sustainably
This test is part of Heijmans' sustainability policy, which should result in fewer CO2 emissions during the production of the raw material for insulation or plate material. Hemp fiber is a raw material for biobased building material. The crop grows quickly, is good for the soil, has a high yield per hectare, with a relatively low input of water, nutrition and labor. In addition, pesticides and fertilizers are not necessary. In short, ecologically responsible grown, harvested, used and reused.
“Our goal is to make a positive impact on the planet with all our work by 2030. By then, we will only use sustainable solutions and working methods to actively contribute to a better climate. We do this with the entire chain in which we work. Heijmans helps tenant farmers to make their business more sustainable. In this way, we support future-proof agriculture, the restoration of nature and contribute to a livable future for everyone, people and animals," says Harwil de Jonge, specialist in nature-inclusive construction at Heijmans.
CO2
The most common building materials such as steel and concrete still have large CO2 emissions. Plants and trees absorb CO2 during the growth process and retain it in the building material. The farmer himself not only learns what the cultivation of biobased material means for him, but is paid by GreenInclusive for both the sale of the raw material and the CO2 reduction. Sowing is expected to start in March/April and harvesting will take place at the end of August 2024. A fiber hemp plant grows up to 2,5 centimeters per day up to three meters high.
'Own country to own building'
Biobased building material made from hemp fiber is not new. Experimenting by owning almost all steps in the chain, the so-called 'from your own country to your own building approach', is not common. This is a broader approach than simply purchasing raw materials elsewhere. The location of the Heijmans factory determined the choice to grow in the area. In this way, Heijmans reduces the required transport movements of the building materials.
About GreenInclusive
GreenInclusive develops and makes products from natural and local raw materials in which CO2 is stored for the long term. By developing and applying these products, she actively contributes to transition tasks. “Circularity, CO2 storage, social sustainability and economic development are central to us,” says Marthijs Roorda, general manager of GreenInclusive. “The collaboration with Heijmans covers the entire chain; from encouraging cultivation to purchasing building materials. Together we can make (agriculture) construction more sustainable and capture CO2 on a large scale.”
Photo: The collaboration was signed in the stable of farmer Hooijer (middle), with Harwil de Jonge (Heijmans, left) and Marthijs Roorda (GreenInclusive)
Source: Heijmans
