Demonstrably durable fasteners

Fasteners are generally homogeneous mass products. Yet STAFA knows how to distinguish itself in this market. Not only with an extensive and high-quality product range and many additional services, but above all with demonstrable durability. On all levels. Director Joep van Gool talks to us about the distinctive and progressive role which the family business fulfills as a leading supplier for the steel construction and manufacturing industry. 

"Sustainability is in our DNA," Van Gool begins. "And we have been making that known to the world for a number of years." STAFA does not just take the easy way out. "Of course we have our roofs covered with solar panels, we drive electric and we take our responsibility regarding corporate social responsibility, but we consciously go one step further in our sustainability ambitions. We focus not only on making our own organization more sustainable, but also on making the entire chain more sustainable. For us, sustainability is not a catch-all term, but a mission."

STAFA conforms to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as established by the United Nations. "With the STAFA Green Team, with employees from all levels of our organization, we are committed to achieving improvement on these sustainable development goals in our organization and throughout the supply chain," Van Gool explains. "We find it important that everyone in our company contributes to a better world and thinks along in solutions. The Green Team has already achieved the necessary successes. For example, we separate all our waste, the consumption of wrapping film has been reduced by 30% and recycled plastic is used. In addition, we have completely mapped out our own CO2 footprint, accompanied by improvement actions. We are also increasingly using paper bags instead of plastic (LDPE) packaging material for our assembly kits. Since early 2024, all of our own trucks and buses have been running on HVO100 biofuel, saving 90% in CO2 emissions. We are additionally an ambassador for an HVO100 route at our main external transporter."

STAFA also sets high standards for its suppliers. "Our goal is to be CSRD-compliant in the short term, even though we are not yet required to be as a company," Van Gool states. "For now, this directive requires only large companies to report on their impact on people and the environment, but as an SME we are already sorting for that. We are intrinsically committed to this issue and want to make a difference. That is why we also make demands on our suppliers. Via a 'supplier assessment' we map out the supply chain and assess our suppliers on various topics. In this way we jointly try to bring the chain to a higher level. In this way we challenge our suppliers to meet the criteria set by STAFA and (inter)national legislation and guidelines."

STAFA has also already committed to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). This European regulation, which will take effect from Jan. 1, 2026, is designed to correct carbon emissions released from the production of certain goods outside the EU at the border. "The aim is to create a level playing field and to encourage Asian players in particular to start becoming more sustainable," said Van Gool, who expects this regulation to have a real impact. Anyone importing CBAM goods into the European Union will be required to report how much CO2 was emitted in their production from October 2023. "By the way, we are also sourcing more and more products from manufacturers within Europe. For example, we are working with a European manufacturer who produces SB bolts from coiled wire made from recycled steel by a European steel producer in an electric arc furnace. It leads to a demonstrable 92.4% savings in CO2 emissions. We supply these SB bolts, which are widely used in steel construction, in the size M12 to M24. We will also set up a similar sustainable program for other product groups."

STAFA's ambition is to meet the goals of the Climate Agreement well before 2050. "We are extremely motivated, together with our suppliers, to make the sector more sustainable. We have already achieved great demonstrable results in this, but also still have plenty of ambitions," Van Gool concludes.