Focus on sustainability

Construction of a purpose-built factory for the Dutch company Jeurgens Banket-, Biscuit- en Chocoladefabriek BV has started on the newly developed Bemmer industrial estate in Laarbeek.

Jeurgens is specialised in the manufacture of high-quality bakery products including sponge fingers, chocolate butter fingers, meringues and coconut biscuits. The popularity and excellent reputation of these and other products has enabled the company to secure a strong position, both on the Dutch and international market. Thanks to its strategic location, the Bemmer industrial estate forms an excellent base from which Jeurgens can serve all of its current sales markets.

'New factory being built family business from Brabant'

Three generations

Jeurgens, located in the Dutch province of Brabant, is a unique family business that is currently run by the third generation. Karel Jeurgens from Aarle-Rixtel started baking biscuits and selling them locally back in 1921. His endless creativity ensured that the company grew and expanded. His son Frans continued that growth and the company moved to premises on Torenakkerweg, which is still home to some of the company’s operations to date. Growth and construction seem to be recurring themes for Jeurgens: under the current management, a second facility was set up in the town of Beek en Donk in 2003.

Sustainability

Nowadays, social awareness of sustainability has become  increasingly important so businesses can no longer afford to ignore it. Jeurgens experiences this on a daily basis, in terms of both customer expectations and the consequences of increased focus on the topic for the manufacturing process. Sustainability is set to play an important role in the new factory too; the third generation of the family made a conscious decision to build it in accordance with the BREEAM method. By complying with BREEAM standards, Jeurgens meets the stringent criteria of retailers at home and abroad.

BREEAM

BREEAM is an internationally recognised method of assessing and certifying the environmental performance of new and existing buildings, developed by the British Building Research Establishment (BRE). In The Netherlands, the scheme is implemented by the Dutch Green Building Council.

In addition to a building’s energy consumption, the methodology also evaluates the building materials used, the construction method and the effect of the building both on its users and its environment. Important assessment criteria within the BREEAM programme include energy use, the internal environment and responsible construction methods. Once finished, the new Jeurgens facility is expected to attain the BREEAM rating of ‘very good’.

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