Eight housing corporations in Haaglanden pledge 30% biobased construction by 2030
Residents in the Haaglanden region can expect greener homes as eight housing corporations commit to using sustainable, biobased materials in 30% of new builds and renovations by 2030. This move aims to cut CO₂ emissions and tackle housing shortages while preparing for future regulations like a potential CO₂ tax.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Housing Corporations | Arcade Mensen en Wonen, Haag Wonen, Rondom Wonen, Staedion, Stedelink, Wassenaarsche Bouwstichting, Vidomes, WoonWest |
| Region | Haaglanden, Zuid-Holland |
| Commitment | 30% biobased materials in new construction and renovation by 2030 |
| Baseline Year | 2024 |
| Total Homes Managed (SVH) | 125,018 (mostly in Haaglanden) |
| Supporting Organization | Building Balance (knowledge, tools, experts) |
| Provincial Support | Subsidies and collaboration from Province of Zuid-Holland |
The Province of Zuid-Holland plays a key role in facilitating sustainable housing initiatives by providing financial support and fostering collaboration among housing corporations. Sociale Verhuurders Haaglanden (SVH), the umbrella organization for these corporations, drives regional efforts to innovate and meet sustainability targets in housing.
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8 housing corporations in Haaglanden commit to biobased construction and renovation
On March 27, eight housing corporations from the Haaglanden region, together with Jan Willem van de Groep, director of Building Balance, signed the 30-30-30 commitment declaration. By signing, the housing corporations Arcade Mensen en Wonen, Haag Wonen, Rondom Wonen, Staedion, Stedelink, Wassenaarsche Bouwstichting, Vidomes and WoonWest commit to using biobased materials in 30% of their new construction and renovation projects by 2030. A significant sustainable step.
In the presence of Deputy Anne Koning, the board members of the corporations, affiliated with Sociale Verhuurders Haaglanden (SVH), signed the commitment declaration. SVH is a collaboration of 18 housing corporations in the Haaglanden region. The signing corporations are frontrunners in the region and aim to take further steps through this collaboration.
Key agreements at a glance
- Collaborate on 'biobased, unless' with 2024 as the baseline measurement.
- Fulfill individual performance ambitions and actively address obstacles.
- Annually share which biobased projects have been completed and which are upcoming.
- Building Balance provides support with knowledge, tools, and experts.
- Parties act as ambassadors for biobased construction within their own organizations and supply chains.
- Jointly explore how the biobased supply chain can be scaled up—from land to building.
What does biobased construction and renovation entail?
This means that during the construction or improvement of buildings, materials are primarily used that come from natural, renewable sources. Think of materials that grow in nature (such as wood, hemp, flax, and straw) and can regrow, instead of materials derived from fossil fuels or those that emit a lot of CO₂ during production. Thus, biobased construction and renovation contribute to addressing the housing construction challenge and achieving sustainability goals.
Province supports housing corporations' commitment
The province wholeheartedly supports the collaboration of the housing corporations. Anne Koning: “Together, we are solving the housing shortage. It is crucial that housing corporations learn from and with each other. This way, we can innovate faster, deliver better homes, and build more quickly. As the Province of South Holland, we naturally support this, for example, with subsidies.”
Learning from the past
Yvette van den Tol, board member of Rondom Wonen and SVH's administrative driving force behind biobased initiatives: “The corporations in Haaglanden face a major challenge in renovation and new construction. They want to learn from the past, where insufficient action was taken on current bottlenecks such as nitrogen and grid congestion, to move forward. Corporations see a future CO₂ tax or ban as a potential threat to achieving their goals. That is why they are now taking low-threshold steps with biobased materials to prepare for the material transition, where cost and speed remain leading factors.”
Building the new normal together
By signing the commitment declaration, these eight corporations are giving concrete form to the goals outlined in the National Approach to Biobased Construction(opent in nieuw venster).
The SVH corporations manage 125,018 homes in the Netherlands, most of which are located in the Haaglanden region. With their signatures, these housing corporations join the growing national movement of builders, developers, housing corporations, municipalities, investors, and architects who are collectively building the new normal: biobased, unless...
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In the photo: Yvette van de Weyer on behalf of Rondom Wonen, Mohamed Baba on behalf of Haag Wonen, Wilfried Stribos on behalf of Arcade Mensen en Wonen, Jacques Thielen on behalf of Staedion, Janny van den Berg on behalf of WoonWest, Isis Desumma on behalf of Wassenaarsche Bouwstichting, Jacco Maan on behalf of Vidomes, and Zakaria El-Khetabi on behalf of Stedelink. Jan Willem van de Groep from Building Balance and Deputy Anne Koning also signed.