Kiwa hands out Consortium Grensmaas CSC bronze
Kiwa awarded CSC bronze to Consortium Grensmaas on 2 October. The CSC certificate (Concrete Sustainability Council) provides producers with proof that concrete products, concrete mortar and raw materials for concrete are produced in a sustainable and responsible manner. Consortium Grensmaas is the first gravel supplier in Limburg with CSC.
Consortium Grensmaas - including gravel companies, contractors and Natuurmonumenten - has been working since 2008 on a safer Meuse and the development of 1000 hectares of nature in Limburg. The Grensmaas project is the largest river project in progress and the largest public-private partnership in the Netherlands. The work extends over a 43 kilometer stretch between Maastricht and Echt-Susteren. The work has meanwhile progressed considerably.
In November 2017, the Consortium achieved, as agreed, the most important social objective. Tens of thousands of families along the Meuse are now at much less risk of flooding. At identical water discharges as during the floods of 1993 and 1995, villages and towns in South Limburg will now no longer be blank. To this end, the Consortium broadened the Meuse riverbed by some 300 hectares, lowered its banks and strengthened and raised dykes on a twelve-kilometer route.
The high water protection and the new nature cost 700 million euros, but are paid with the sustainable extraction and sale of 54 million tons of gravel. That way they do not cost the taxpayer anything.
The CSC bronze fits seamlessly into the pursuit of sustainable development, according to director Kees van der Veeken of Consortium Grensmaas. "Sustainable business is in our genes. The Consortium drew up a policy statement in 2005 that included the large-scale nature development and the flood targets. In addition, we work with many quality systems. It is quite logical that we score well on safety, correct land use and water use. The use of electric motors also contributes to the sustainable extraction of sand and gravel."
More information
For more information, contact Jan.Keijzer@kiwa.nl. For more information about the Kiwa CSC certification, have a look at this page (in Dutch).
Remco Kerkhoven (CSC-NL), Jan Keijzer (Kiwa) and Kees van der Veeken (Consortium Grensmaas).