Our mission is to make sustainable construction more accessible and affordable for building owners, governments and architects.
“Each construction site offers opportunities for self-sufficient and circular processes. With a tailored approach, we can reduce the ecological impact to the absolute minimum and take maximum responsibility as a sustainable contractor!”
Martha, Adviser Circular Economy
What is the self-sufficient building site?
The self-sufficient building site is a construction site that could provide itself with all the water and energy needed during the entire construction process, without being dependent on purchased electricity or city water.
Today, this is still highly ambitious in practice. But with this goal in mind, we can already significantly reduce the consumption of many construction sites. We limit the energy and water needed with construction techniques and use machines that are consumption-efficient and actively prevent the waste of resources and materials. We also create many of our own renewable resources to use on site.
Water
Water is essential during a building process. To be able to do construction work, a lot of water is involved in materials, finishing, cleaning and excavation works. At Democo Green Desk, we invest in innovative construction processes that are less water consuming, and create our own sustainable resources on site.
For example, many of our own systems use groundwater and rainwater – and we’re also giving water back to the neighbourhood. The groundwater we pump up during excavation works is stored in containers to offer to local residents, city services and neighbouring companies.
Water for the neighbourhood
“At Laurelle's construction site in Laken, we collected water from source dewatering in a 40 m³ container. We reused that water on the site itself and offered it to the neighbourhood, city services and local businesses!”
Réginald, site manager Laurelle
Energy
A building process requires lots of energy. Both to build or demolish, the machines that are used consume a great deal of electricity. Democo Green Desk is looking for ways to implement as much green energy as possible during construction.
We also actively combat energy waste by reducing unnecessary standby consumption and increasing overall efficiency, using new techniques that are more cost and consumption efficient. The less energy is consumed on site, the closer we can get to running entirely on green energy!
Solar energy from the very start
“For the construction site of Auguste in Brussels, we were able to install solar panels on a neighbouring residential building before construction started. This enabled us to use green energy from the very start and throughout the entire construction process!
It’s very important to us to have a positive impact on a neighbourhood. After construction finished, Auguste's neighbours bought the solar panels from us at cost, to keep using green energy."
Jorden, project leader Auguste
Waste
A construction site involves lots of waste, from demolition waste during urban renewal to general construction waste such as leftover materials, cuttings, moulds, packaging… Democo Green Desk focuses on waste policy, waste prevention and increasing both the quantity and quality of construction and demolition recycling.
We select high-quality materials that can be reused as raw materials in the future and implement sustainable building techniques, actively opposing the traditional disposable culture. We work hard to get the most out of every resource and raw material.
How we reduce waste
“The Belgian construction sector is already doing much better than the European average, but 16% of our construction and demolition waste still ends up in landfill. That adds up to more than 3 million tons of waste every year.
At Democo Green Desk we are aware of our responsibility in this matter. We try to produce as little waste as possible with a tailored waste and repurposing plan for each construction site. In the last year, we’ve succeeded in turning more than a hundred tons of material from waste into raw materials. And this is only the beginning!”
Frederik Bijnens, CEO Democo
CO₂ performance ladder
In 2022, Democo achieved the CO₂ performance ladder Level 3. We’ve mapped out our carbon footprint and are focused on rational energy consumption within every branch of our business, striving for maximum energy savings and new, sustainable energy sources.
Along with our self-sufficient and circular principles, the CO₂ performance ladder offers us a targeted approach to reduce emissions within our entire business chain. For each step of this ladder, clear requirements are defined for the CO₂ performance of our organization and projects. The ultimate goal is climate neutrality.
The CO₂ performance ladder is a sustainability tool of the SKAO (Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement & Entrepreneurship) to help companies and governments reduce their CO₂ emissions, with the goal of achieving a climate-neutral business community. You can find more information about the CO₂ performance ladder on the SKAO website.
You can find our certificate here.
You can find our previous certificate here.
Insight
To measure is to know! In order to purposefully reduce our carbon footprint, we need to have a clear and full idea of our emissions throughout the entire construction process. When we know the actual impact of every step and choice on and off the construction site, we can reduce our footprint efficiently and across the board.
A thorough measurement of all our activities in 2019 taught us that we emit 3,500 tons of CO₂ annually: 43% comes from our vehicle fleet, 23% from machines and generators on sites, 16% from electricity, 12% from heating and 6% from waste.
Duurzaam stadhuis 't Scheep
We verlagen niet alleen onze eigen CO₂-voetafdruk tijdens het bouwproces, maar zetten ook gebouwen neer met een minimale impact tijdens hun levensduur! Stadhuis 't Scheep in Hasselt is hier een mooi voorbeeld van. Dit project ontving een zilveren medaille op de International Property Awards in London en daarbij speelde duurzaamheid een grote rol.
't Scheep draagt het BREEAM-duurzaamheidslabel Excellent. Het gebouw is uitgerust met geothermische warmtepompen en zonnepanelen en zorgt voor een optimaal hergebruik van regenwater. Die systemen hebben een merkbaar en meetbaar resultaat: het energieverbruik en de CO₂-uitstoot van de stadsdiensten is sterk gedaald sinds de verhuis uit de oude gebouwen. Kortom: de missie om met het nieuwe stadhuis een "duurzame voorbeeldfunctie" in te nemen is méér dan geslaagd!
Reduction
It is our ambition to see an absolute decrease of 16% in our CO₂ emissions by 2025, compared to 2019. To achieve this goal, we have identified clear, achievable steps across site borders. We want to:
- Electrify our fleet as much as possible
- Lower energy consumption on sites by reducing standby power to zero with smart timers and LED lighting
- Focus on green energy: since fuel oil emits 6x times more CO₂ than electricity, we are switching to electricity as much as possible – and we obtain as much energy as possible from renewable sources.
Transparency
All experts, stronger together! At Democo, we realize that we are stronger as a team, in which every player knows and takes their responsibility. This vision is also reflected in our reduction policy: we regularly inform our stakeholders and employees about the progress of our objectives and the concrete steps within each industry.
Our transparent approach ensures that everyone within Democo is aware of what we are doing to reduce our emissions and what everyone's part is in this mission. We make sure that all information about our objectives and step-by-step plans is available and up to date, for example via this website.
Participation
We are convinced that we can make a positive change as a major player in the construction industry – not only on our own construction sites, but also on those of our partners and competitors. We want to play a pioneering role in the construction sector, by focussing on research and evaluation, and converting that knowledge into innovative living lab projects that can inspire other players.
As a sector, we can grow faster together than alone. We learn from our partners and participate in sector-wide initiatives and development projects related to the reduction of CO₂ emissions. By sharing a sector-wide vision on sustainability, we can build the future together!
We actively participate in:
- ADEB-VBA Green board
- FAAST
- Green Deal Circulair bouwen (Flanders circular)
- WTCB - CTC Smart & Sustainable Constructions (Working Group Circular Economy)
What is circular building?
Circular building is a sustainable alternative to a traditional, linear construction process: the ambition to recycle and reuse as much as possible within the construction cycle – both during construction and during demolition.
A fully closed construction cycle without any waste is still very ambitious today, but it is a clear target. The principles of circular construction can provide guidelines to harmoniously develop and improve for people, nature and the economy.
A circular approach to building affects the entire construction cycle, from design to demolition. At Democo Green Desk we develop circular mechanisms for every phase: production, usage and end-of-life.
Production
From the very beginning, we think about the future of a building and all of its components. With this in mind, we consciously consider the choice of materials and the way they are assembled and processed during construction.
We design and build flexibly, so our buildings leave room for different possibilities and can move with the times. We also use high-quality, sustainable materials and ensure structures can be dissembled in the future. Democo Green Desk builds added value for today and tomorrow.
Turning back time
“Small decisions in the building process have a major impact on future possibilities! During construction, we make sure the materials we build with can be dissembled. Different techniques can have the same immediate result, but a different impact on the future of the building and its materials.
A few examples: when possible, we use screws instead of glue. We also prefer dry-building instead of using screed. This way, every step can easily be undone in a next chapter of the building.”
Martha, Advisor Circular Economy
Usage
We construct sustainable buildings that are energy efficient and have a minimal impact on the planet during their lifetime. We also ensure that our designs and construction techniques allow for easy maintenance, repair and renovation, which significantly extends our buildings’ lifespans.
Sustainable construction does not end when construction is completed. Maintenance and repairs have a huge impact on the life of a building. That’s why Democo Group also offers maintenance and servicing after completion. And when necessary, we provide qualitative renovations to achieve new standards and fully restore buildings with new, sustainable materials, thus “resetting” the use phase.
Build and maintain
“Together with Democo, we are developing a new branch of maintenance services. We’ve noticed an increasing demand for specialized maintenance and repair after the completion of projects.
By opting for a maintenance service, clients can avoid unnecessary defects and wear & tear. This improves both the quality of life of the residents and the sustainability of the installations. Because if something doesn’t break, it doesn’t have to be replaced!”
Patrick, technician Demtec Services
End-of-life
When repair or renovation is no longer an option, materials can often still be reused for new projects after demolition or recycled into new materials that can re-enter the cycle.
Before the demolition phase, we select all materials and installations that can be fully or partially repurposed. Salvageable materials are made traceable and stored – so they can be found and used for new projects in the future. We also encourage various forms of recycling (from upcycling to remanufacturing) so we can give as many materials as possible a new life in various forms.
From old to new
“On the construction site of Belliard in Brussels, we were able to repurpose 10 tons of demolition material – high-quality materials that would have been thrown away on a traditional construction site.
At Jules Bordet in Everen, we optimized this repurposing process and were able to give as much as 100 tons of material a new life!”
Martha, Advisor Circular Economy
360° positive impact
By focussing on self-sufficient construction and circular principles, our clients are taking up a role in a sustainable story with a positive impact on the planet, their employees, their image and their wallet. We help them get the most out of sustainable construction.
- A positive impact on planet and neighbourhood
- Reinforcement of a sustainable image
- Economically founded: payback models
- Part of a sustainable employer branding
- Obtaining subsidies & certificates