BREL SMART BUILDING takes an important step towards sustainable care!

BREL SMART BUILDING signs Green Deal Sustainable Care 3.0: Together towards future-proof care buildings

At BREL SMART BUILDING, we believe that smart technology and sustainability go hand in hand. We are proud to announce that we have joined the Green Deal Sustainable Care 3.0. An important step in our commitment to making buildings not only smarter but also greener and healthier.

Foundation C23 helps care organizations achieve the goals of the Green Deal Sustainable Care 3.0 (GDDZ 3.0). Together with partners like Foundation Lucrum, result partners, and educational institutions, C23 develops practical tools and programs to accelerate sustainability, focusing on health, energy, circularity, and mobility. 

Foundation C23 helps care organizations achieve the goals of the Green Deal Sustainable Care 3.0 (GDDZ 3.0). Together with partners like Foundation Lucrum, result partners, and educational institutions, C23 develops practical tools and programs to accelerate sustainability, focusing on health, energy, circularity, and mobility. 

Emma Rijpstra, Director of Foundation C23, explains how this approach works in practice and what concrete results have already been achieved. She shows how care institutions, together with suppliers and regional partners, can structurally embed sustainability in their organization.

There are three pillars in the approach. Activate: the introduction of the sustainability compass, connecting sessions with the chain, and repeat and reflection moments. Inform: webinars, round tables, and a knowledge library, as well as the exchange of practical experiences between care and suppliers. And finally, budgeting: sustainability depot through supplier contracts, the use of subsidies, loans, and the provincial energy fund, and impact analyses on themes such as real estate, mobility, and waste. 

The sustainability compass: direction and structure

The compass helps care institutions gain structured insight into:

• Policy
• Energy
• Real estate
• Mobility
• Waste & circularity

The approach consists of four steps:

1. Interviews and baseline measurement
2. Drafting the sustainability compass
3. Business case (not everything pays off immediately)
4. Monitoring over the long term

Results from pilot participants show clear growth in multiple themes, with peaks both upwards and downwards. Due to the accessible and pragmatic approach, institutions experience clear direction and action perspective. One of the most underestimated but powerful instruments for sustainability is the sustainability depot. Foundation Lucrum, a large purchasing organization for care, has set up this mechanism in collaboration with suppliers. The operation is simple: with each purchasing contribution, the supplier deposits a small percentage into a joint depot. This budget is then used for sustainable measures within care institutions – think of the installation of charging stations, energy measurements, or the deployment of a sustainability coach. 

Suppliers like Renewi and Huuskes actively participate. Thanks to this collaboration, the depot has now grown to an available sum of nearly 2 million euros – ready to finance sustainable steps in the care sector. The province of Overijssel also plays an important role. Through the energy fund, a construction has been set up allowing smaller institutions to obtain lower interest rates and more accessible financing for sustainable real estate.

Examples from practice

Carel Lurvink (purchasing organization) develops an impact score for materials, making it easy to see which more sustainable alternative is available – often cost-neutral or even cheaper. Waste coaches and COâ‚‚-measurements via Renewi provide insight into waste streams and reduction opportunities. Employees are trained in the sustainable use of products. The effect is visible: knowledge grows, behavior changes, and institutions work together with suppliers towards a more sustainable care chain.

Emma concludes her story with a clear call to both care organizations and suppliers: do not wait, but take responsibility and make sustainability concrete. The tools are there – it is up to the sector to use them. With two powerful statements, she emphasized the urgency én the action perspective: “Give your Green Deal meaning – start now with the sustainability compass. Make an impact where it matters. Care requires cooperation – and you can make the difference!” When asked if Foundation C23's approach will be expanded to other provinces, Emma answered affirmatively: “Certainly, we want to expand – and this session is immediately an invitation to others to join.”The ambition is clear: the successful approach in Overijssel deserves to be followed, so that sustainable care goes from paper to practice in other regions as well.

Together building a better future

With knowledge, technology, and a shared ambition, we want to help the care sector become more sustainable together with our partners. Every smart building we realize is a step towards a healthier living environment and a more sustainable world.

We look forward to working together within the Green Deal Sustainable Care 3.0 and thus actively contributing to a future-proof care sector.