Sustainable entrepreneurship: leading the way

Making sustainable choices is not always easy. In this ‘Long Story Short’ video series, business owners from a variety of sectors shed light on some of the choices and decisions they have made. Plus the key takeaways. They also share tips for taking those initial sustainability measures in your own business.

Rob Dunk of coffee bar Black Brew in Utrecht uses coffee cup lids made of 100% biodegradable sugarcane in his business. They also use plastic-free disposable cups. From July 2023, you are no longer allowed to give disposable plastic cups or single-use food packaging to your customer for free. In addition, you have to offer a reusable alternative. Coffee bar Black Brew in Utrecht is preparing for these new rules.

In the town of Schinnen in the province of Limburg, Jean Thoma, owner of the Aan Sjuuteeänjd restaurant, has been working on building a sustainable future. This involved taking a critical look at his business process and making a number of high-risk, sustainable choices. “You just need to take the plunge,” says Thoma, who was one of the first recipients of a Michelin Green Star.

Eindhoven is home to Peels Haarmode, the first energy-neutral hair salon in the Netherlands. Jeroen Peels, the salon’s owner, remodelled his building in 2018 and talks about the sustainable choices he made during this process. He explains how you can make your building energy-efficient and how to quickly recoup your investments.

During the transport of paint, paint manufacturers emit large quantities of CO2. Willemijn Wortelboer, owner of RAW Paints, soon came up with a solution to this problem. Wortelboer adjusted the production process for her paint and developed paint powder to which you add water only while you are using it. This adjustment is a major step forward in improving sustainability in the paint industry. Wortelboer shares tips on how you too can make your production process more sustainable.

In 2019, Kees Schellevis took over the Wijn & Whiskywinkel shop on Utrecht's Biltstraat. He decided to immediately make his shop more sustainable by purchasing a heat pump, replacing lighting with LED, and arranging delivery for short distances with electric transport. His shop is now energy neutral. As of 1 January 2023, all office buildings, unless they fall under the exceptions, must have at least energy label C.

Hans van der Helm, director of Tuin&Park – Van den Berg Machines, bought an electric car back in 2016, seeing that it would allow him to reduce his CO2 emissions. When 3 years later a suitable electric van also came on the market for transporting his machines, he bought it immediately. With this purchase, Van der Helm is well prepared for upcoming environmental laws for transport in urban areas. In fact, from 2025, at least 30 cities in the Netherlands will establish emission-free zones for inner-city transport.

Every other week, Jop Bröcker roasts coffee beans together with his colleagues at Brute Bonen. These beans are sourced directly from small-scale agroforestry areas. Once the roasting process is completed, he packages the beans in sustainable packaging which is compostable and consists of natural materials. In doing so, Bröcker and his business comply with the law prescribing that by 2025, a minimum of 65% of packaging must be recycled.