LabMakelaar does circular business in the lab world

Not only environmental organizations, but also the Dutch government is now promoting the circular economy. LabMakelaar Benelux started years ago to give used equipment, furniture and consumables a second life within the laboratory market. We spoke with Kees de Rijke, CEO of LabMakelaar, about the circular activities of this company.

Demand for circular lab products is growing

LabMakelaar started in 2002 with a focus on circular entrepreneurship, says De Rijke: “We have been around for twenty years now. We now employ twelve people. They are involved in, among other things, technical service of equipment and the dismantling and installation of lab furniture. But we also have warehouse employees and marketing/sales staff, in short, the complete range needed for business operations.”

In those twenty years, the founder saw his company grow further and further: “There is a constant growth in demand for circular lab products, but the supply is also growing all the time. You can also see that in our turnover and profit growth over the past twenty years. Circular lab products are being used in more and more labs. Circular entrepreneurship is therefore something that is becoming more popular.”

Growth accelerated even further during the corona crisis: “In the life science sector, we have had a few very good years due to COVID-19. We have supplied many biological safety cabinets and PCR equipment. We also sold a lot of furniture because labs had to create more space. But start-ups and companies that are located in multi-tenant buildings are also our customers. The cost aspect plays an important role in this, but the aspect of circular and social entrepreneurship is also becoming increasingly important for labs.”

Inspiration

De Rijke was inspired by the concept of circularity early on, he says: “In the past, when I was still working for other companies, I saw that a lot of equipment and furniture was being scrapped. I thought that was a crying shame. Later, more attention was paid to circularity and producing less waste. For example, companies that focus on reusing lab equipment and furniture emerged in the US and Europe. I then decided to tap into and develop this market in the Netherlands and Belgium. At LabMakelaar, we now supply both companies and government institutions.”

He continues: “Initially, suppliers of lab equipment saw me as a competitor, someone who wanted to infiltrate the market with used equipment. Now they see that customers are increasingly opting for circularity and a longer lifespan of equipment and they have started working with companies like LabMakelaar. So they are scrapping less and less and that is of course a positive development.”

Quality over price

However, supplying used equipment to the lab sector requires a lot of attention: “The biggest challenge in circular entrepreneurship in our business is that you provide a guarantee. You have to be able to respond quickly and have stocks for that. For operational reliability, we provide a six-month guarantee on products from our own warehouse. Because quality is still more important than price.”

Sustainable Lab Challenge

LabMakelaar is one of the initiators of the Sustainable Lab Challenge. With the Sustainable Lab Challenge we call on laboratories and suppliers to share their sustainable solutions, ideas and tools. With the collected stories others learn how they can also take steps. Read all about this challenge here and also submit your own initiative.

Or participate in the Sustainability workshop in the Lab on Wednesday morning, September 28. During this workshop we will work on the theme together in an interactive way. You will receive tips and tricks to take the first steps towards sustainability in your own laboratory. Registering for a visit to the WoTS and this workshop is free and possible via this form.