Building a sustainable cleaning industry together
At Van Damme NV, we believe that innovation and sustainability go hand in hand. For more than 40 years, we have supported professionals in the cleaning industry with smart technology, powerful machines, and a personal approach. Our mission is clear: to combine innovative technology with outstanding service, enabling companies to rely on efficient, sustainable, and user‑friendly cleaning solutions.
Sustainability is woven into everything we do. We are firmly committed to a responsible and environmentally conscious approach within our company and in the solutions we offer. From reusing rainwater to investing in energy-efficient technologies, we strive to minimize our ecological impact without compromising on quality.
Together with our customers, we are building a clean, efficient, and future-oriented world. Discover how our innovative and sustainable cleaning solutions can strengthen your business. Read our story below.
Trends and challenges
The world around us is changing rapidly, and this change is also affecting the industrial cleaning sector. New environmental legislation, a shortage of technical personnel, rising energy prices, increasing social expectations regarding sustainability, and geopolitical uncertainties have a direct impact on our operations and strategy.
We want to seize these challenges as opportunities for innovation. That is why we carefully analyze market trends and ESG developments and look at how we can respond to them based on our own strengths, short delivery times, inventory management, customer proximity, and technical expertise.
Our sustainability strategy: four pillars
We distinguish between sustainability through our products and services for our customers and the sustainability of our own business operations. For us, sustainability means improving the added value for as many stakeholders as possible while minimizing the waste of raw materials, energy, and materials, as well as pollution—in short, minimizing our impact on the environment.
Our sustainability policy is based on four pillars:
- Sustainable value creation
- Climate action
- People-oriented entrepreneurship
- Good governance
You can read all about it in our sustainability report: HERE click
Our sustainability policy is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 3 – Good health and well-being: Our ergonomic, safe systems improve working conditions for customers and our own staff.
SDG 6 – Clean water: We are strongly committed to water recovery and closed cycles, both in our own processes and in our solutions.
SDG 9 – Industry, innovation, and infrastructure: Our robust, modular installations promote sustainable industrial innovation and reduce waste.
SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production: We avoid waste through eco-design, waste separation, and local sourcing.
SDG 13 – Climate action: CO₂ reduction and electrification are structurally embedded in our policy, including monitoring of scope 1–3 emissions.
SDG 15 – Life on Land: Biological cleaning agents prevent damage to water-related ecosystems.
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals: We work structurally with local suppliers, certified waste processors, and technology partners to collectively achieve sustainability goals.
Pillar 1: Solutions for satisfied customers
Our ambition is clear: we want to offer solutions that really make a difference for our customers. This pillar rests on three interrelated foundations. We strive for sustainable systems and products that offer demonstrable added value in terms of the environment, ease of use, and service life. We guarantee technical quality and robust engineering in every design, with an eye for reliability, ease of maintenance, and performance throughout the entire life cycle. Above all, we focus on the customer and their context: not with standard products, but with customized solutions based on a thorough analysis of needs in the field.
Pillar 2: Climate action
We are committed to a structured and coherent climate and environmental policy, focused on structural emission reduction and economical use of raw materials. The approach is based on five strategic pillars: decarbonization, sustainable procurement policy, circularity and waste management, water management, and environmental protection.
Together, they form a technically sound and measurable framework. We reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all scopes, consciously choose local, repairable, and energy-efficient purchases, limit material losses through reuse and separation, optimize water use with closed systems, and embed environmental protection in design and maintenance.
Pillar 3: People-oriented entrepreneurship
Sustainable entrepreneurship starts with people. Van Damme NV is building an organization where employees work safely, develop themselves, and feel connected to the team. This human approach forms a strategic foundation for our operations. Three themes are central: safety and well-being, growth and development, and team spirit.
We invest in prevention, training, and recognition, not as separate initiatives, but as a coherent policy that focuses on job satisfaction, craftsmanship, and long-term commitment. In this way, we create a working environment that performs and connects.
Pillar 4. Good governance
We are building an organizational culture in which integrity and social responsibility go hand in hand. As a family business, we attach importance to doing business correctly, transparent decision-making, and caring for the region in which we are rooted.
We pursue an ethically based policy with a focus on combating corruption, fair competition, data protection, and clear responsibilities. At the same time, we invest in local employment, cooperation with schools, and support for associations and charities in the neighborhood.
You can read all about it in our sustainability report: click HERE