Sustainable solutions, a must.

New building, new opportunities
Sobinco recently completed a major expansion project. This expansion will impact our energy consumption, therefore controlling energy consumption was already taken into account during the design phase of the project. 
Sobinco also aims to keep focus on the efficient management of installations and their corresponding energy consumption by collecting data from various energy flows and linking this data to a building management system.
A 564 KVA solar panel system was already in place on the current buildings. With the recent expansion, this was extended by 880 KVA. The new installation (3,456 panels, producing 1,572.48 kWp) was put into operation in 2024 and results in a reduction of more than 26.55% of our total energy consumption.

The new buildings have several features to ensure an energy-efficient operation:

• They are very well insulated and heating and air handling systems are in line with the most recent regulations.
• A heat pump is used for heating and cooling a large part of the new buildings. Additional insulation has been added wherever possible.
• In the new warehouse, four dock shelters have been installed. This will reduce heat loss in the winter.
• LED lighting is used throughout every new unit and will also be installed during the renovation of the older buildings.
• The lighting control has also been optimized with timers, photoelectric switches and/or presence detection. 
• No-regret measures are consistently implemented. For example, heat recovery from the compressed air compressors has been performed and annual leak checks on compressed air pipes are carried out. Both the primary main compressor and the backup compressor are frequency-controlled.

The switching on-and-off of systems and utilities has been optimized. Frequent control has been added to motors of pumps and fans. 
 

Extra environmental focusses
Sobinco invested in environmental themes such as waste treatment. This includes the introduction of new waste streams to sort more selectively: food scraps, solvents, oil-contaminated absorbent textile, extra containers for green waste, etc. 
In addition, employee awareness has been increased by initiatives about proper sorting.
Environmental concerns related to air quality are also being addressed, initiated by studies carried out to improve extraction and filtration systems on certain machines.

Water management is closely monitored through periodic sampling of wastewater, groundwater, and well water. 
Current machines are also being optimized to reduce their impact on wastewater. 
A new water cistern has been installed for sanitary purposes.
Where possible, green buffer zones have been established and hard surfaces have been reduced to optimize water infiltration.

In terms of packaging, the amount of cardboard has been reduced in collaboration with external consultants. 
The packaging filler material is now recycled cardboard. The packaging waste is carefully sorted. A part of the pallets is also being reused. Additional studies regarding packaging are ongoing. 
We are a member of the Belgian knowledge center for corporate packaging (Valipac). They guide us with several packing improvement projects.
One of the services we use is their take-back system for packaging materials, which ensures these materials will be recycled according to environmental standards. This way we can ensure that 90% of our packaging in Belgium is recycled.

CSRD
Sobinco will focus strongly on various environmental themes over the coming years through the CSRD analysis. This analysis will serve as the foundation for a pragmatic yet efficient approach to addressing these environmental issues. By leveraging the insights provided by the CSRD analysis, Sobinco aims to implement targeted, effective measures that contribute to long-term sustainability while ensuring compliance with evolving environmental standards.