More Than a Decade with Us: Plospan Bio-Energy B.V.

More Than a Decade with Us: Plospan Bio-Energy B.V.

Over the course of the past 13 years, ENplus® gained popularity and became a symbol of wood pellet quality. Throughout this journey, many pellet producers, traders and service providers applied for certification but we would like to pay special attention to those who were among the first to join us and remained certified for more than a decade.

It is a pleasure, today, to share with you the story of the first certified wood pellet producer from the Netherlands –  Plospan Bio-Energy B.V.

The company was founded over a hundred years ago – in 1922 in Vinkeveen (Netherlands) and opened its location in Waardenburg in 1988. Today, it is still one of the largest family businesses in the province Gelderland / Holland.

Expanding and evolving through all these years made Plospan one of the leaders in the wood pellet market in Holland. The company also produces animal bedding for the local market and exports to all around the world.

The entire factory and internal transportation like the forklifts are powered by solar energy generated by 9240 solar panels placed on the roofs since 2015. In this way, the CO2 footprint is as good as 0 because the panels produce more energy than the plant needs. Raw materials are clean untreated wood residues from sawmills instead of A-class round wood.  This also eliminates the need for extra drying processes and minimises the use of excessive amounts of energy.

This way we use wood the way it is supposed to.”, shares Henk-jan van Goinga, sales and quality manager at Plospan. “Building materials is our first choice if we think of wood. Only the wood(residues) that can’t be used for such purposed are used in our production lines. Plospan calls this up-cycling so nothing goes to waste. The packaging of the bags also contains more and more recycled plastic to meet new standards.

Plospan has a large fleet of trucks for flexible delivery as well as a in-house machine shop to maintain and (re)build machines. The company develops its own methods to enhance existing machinery to a higher level.

The company has been an ENplus® certified pellet producer since 2013 and they admit the certification serves as a selling point for them.

When we asked them if they feel like there’s enough support for the wood pellet market at a national or EU level, they admitted that such support was missing in the past decade.

All changed when the EU decided that biomass is considered a 100% green fuel source and that it has to be used as an alternative to fossil fuels to meet the climate goal for the next 20 or so years.”, adds Henk-jan van Goinga.

Looking into the future, Plospan’s management expects that wood pellets will get their place in the European energy transition as a good alternative to fossil fuels as a backup and extension to wind and solar energy.

 

More Than a Decade with Us: Plospan Bio-Energy B.V. – Enplus (enplus-pellets.eu)

Better Biomass certified: RED & RCVB

Better Biomass

Better Biomass is an international certification system for solid, liquid and gaseous biomass. The Better Biomass certificate is used to demonstrate the sustainability of biomass for energy, fuels and bio-based products. The underlying sustainability criteria have been set up by a broadly composed working group with representatives of market parties, government and social organizations, and published in the NTA 8080 standard. The criteria contain important values ​​for nature, the environment and society (People, Planet, Profit).

Better Biomass is managed by NEN, the Dutch Standardization Institute, member of CEN and ISO. NEN is internationally accredited as a scheme manager and certification audits are carried out by independent, accredited certification bodies (CBs).

In March 2024, Plospan obtained the RCVB (regulation for conformity assessment of solid biomass for energy applications) extension of the RED certificate.

In addition to the RCVB certificate, Plospan also has the RED (Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (successor to Directive 2009/28/EC)) certificate.

Jumping Amsterdam!

Jumping Amsterdam

Plospan supplies high-quality bedding for stables that is produced in a sustainable manner. For example, Plospan has been supplying the bedding for the stables at Jumping Amsterdam for years. Animal welfare is increasingly important today. The Excellent wood fiber supplied to Jumping Amsterdam is not only a beautiful sight in the stables, but the horses also stand and lie extra comfortably on this floor covering. The horses therefore feel as comfortable as at home in their own stable and that contributes to their top performance.

“We have had a great collaboration with Jumping Amsterdam for years, the organization, the atmosphere, the total package, it is an extremely beautiful event with top sport, passion and fun that we are happy to be part of.” Said Lincy Plomp from Plospan.

“Jumping Amsterdam is a fantastic event that attracts many riders and this is a good showcase for Plospan to experience our wood fibers in the stables. We hope to continue our collaboration for many years to come and to organize a high-quality event every year where Plospan is part of the horse and rider.”

‘Well-being is our number 1 priority and we also want to give everyone a warm welcome. What better way to do that than to welcome the horses to a stable filled with high-quality Plospan ground cover. Plospan is a company with a clear vision and sustainable attitude and therefore fits perfectly with the vision of Jumping Amsterdam. We have had a very pleasant collaboration in recent years and we are happy that we can continue this collaboration with another 3 editions.’

If you would like to know more about this ground cover, take a look at the Plospan webshop now.

Plospan has been supplying Jumping Amsterdam for many years. We hope to do this for many years to come.

Jumping Amsterdam 2017 – © Luifoto.nl

100 Years strong! 1922-2022

Plospan 100 years strong (1922-2022)

The 100th anniversary of the Plospan family business!

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