Celis must make room in his trophy case
With Orbix, Tectum Group and Soltech as nominees, it was certain that the 2023 Innovation Award would move to Genk. And… drum roll…. in the end it is Orbix who can call himself the proud laureate! The developer of sustainable materials and technologies for the construction and steel sectors, founded by entrepreneurs Serge Celis and Danny Vanschoonbeek, is receiving the Innovation Award from Voka Limburg for its sustained investments in the patented Carbstone technology.
Orbix has been developing and marketing sustainable raw materials and technologies for the construction and steel industries since 1994. They also offer their customers and partners supporting logistics services. The company name they have been using since 2016 was not chosen by accident either: a reference to the Latin word “orbis” meaning circle, a symbol fully in line with the belief in the circular economy.
The Genk-based company – known for processing metal slag from steelmaker Aperam – has been focusing on so-called Carbstone technology since 2004. The company provides the know-how and raw materials for building materials produced without cement or additional energy, but by binding CO2. Because of this technology, the materials have a very low and even negative carbon footprint, making them highly sustainable. In this application this technology is quite unique in the world.
“After years of dedication to research and development, Orbix has successfully completed the first commercial realizations of this Carbstone technology in 2023 with the Limburg companies Gubbels and Vandersanden. A milestone for the company and for Limburg,” says Johann Leten, managing director of Voka Limburg.
“These new and sustainable building products consist of at least 80 percent recycled material from Orbix,” adds Cathérine Dreesen, Director of Innovation. These realizations are thus the result of a strategic and far-reaching innovation process in which the company, in cooperation with knowledge institutions and universities, applied all possible means of support and opportunities to valorize this Limburg innovation. Orbix thus positions itself not only as an innovative leader, but also as an inspirer and facilitator of corporate social responsibility in Limburg and beyond. It is for this reason that we are rewarding this Genk company with our Innovation Award 2023 that we present together with VLAIO.”
The company received the award Tuesday from the hands of Governor Jos Lantmeeters and Bart Soetaers, vice president of Voka Limburg.
Source: Made In Limburg, Jan. 31, 2024