The blue economy has shaped the way Carmans works since the 1990s. Not a marketing term, but the starting point for every process, every investment and every product. And the question is always the same: how do we make this more ecological without touching quality or affordability?
Carmans works with the Cleantech definition it developed together with KU Leuven, drawing on Prof. Carlo Vandecasteele's course Industry and Sustainable Development. In short: producing goods, delivering services and running processes with as few raw materials and as little environmental impact as possible, with high energy efficiency and minimal waste, maximum use of renewable materials and energy and economic added value as the outcome.
A low environmental impact on its own is not enough. The end result also has to beat what it replaces: technically better, easier to use and certainly not more expensive.
At Carmans, these principles are anything but theory. Our soil remediation now runs entirely on solar power, and 80% of the material we treat goes back into the loop as high-quality building material. The target is 100% reuse – and with targeted investment in scientific research, Carmans is convinced that is within reach. What comes in as waste today is tomorrow's high-quality raw material.
BLUEBLOCKS are where the blue economy becomes tangible. These certified concrete stacking blocks are made from recycled secondary raw materials and produced with renewable energy that Carmans generates itself. Their round studs make for fast, straightforward placement and a clean, tight finish.
Circular. Certified. Affordable.
Carmans generates 100% of its own energy, with 2,2 MW of solar panels and 6,15 MW of wind power. That cuts CO₂ emissions by 14,000 tonnes a year. To put that in perspective: it is enough for around 10,000 households to drive 15,000 km a year (< 100 g CO₂/km), or for some 25,000 passengers to fly from Brussels to New York. All that energy goes straight into our own production, so the loop stays closed on the energy side as well.