A Boeing taxiing over your old roof? Certainly not unthinkable!

Reducing CO2 emissions is also at the top of the agenda in infra. The road construction industry is constantly innovating to be as circular as possible. The use of circular bitumen in asphalt makes a substantial contribution to achieving the climate goals. The company Roof2Road is a supplier of circular bitumen to the infrastructure sector. What is special about this is that these bitumen have first been on roofs ... a shining example of circular thinking outside defined circles. Owner and director Gerben Bijker says: "Circularity knows no boundaries. We do it for the sake of BV Nederland. Bitumen that we take off the roofs are high quality and can replace the 'virgin' bitumen that comes from the refinery."

Pilot project in Friesland

Bijker studied business administration and has been involved in several sustainable projects. "At one point that resulted in a pilot project in Friesland, where we used bitumen that came off roofs in new roofing materials in a circular way. We liked that so much that my company Roof2Roof became a reality. The prerequisite for the circular use of bitumen from roofs is that they come from modern roofs, i.e. bitumen laid by the roll. So old tar roofs do not qualify, in fact it is forbidden to reuse them," Bijker explained. "The switch to Roof2Road was quickly made, because in infra there is also a need for circular bitumen. So on the one hand we supply new roofing materials, and on the other we supply circular bitumen as a binding agent for new asphalt. As a circular supplier we work across industries, myself I think that should happen more if we want to meet the climate goals together."

Processor of the material

Roof2Roof and Roof2Road operate fraternally side by side as the processor of the material. With a new factory currently under construction in Amsterdam, they are "pushing the envelope. "Our goal is to close the loop," says Bijker. "Circularity can hardly be demonstrated more beautifully than with the work we do." When we ask how the market is responding to circular bitumen, the answer is, "It could be better. It also makes sense that circular bitumen is looked at with suspicion. Roofing bitumen used to have a bad name, one that many people remember. People don't understand that it can now be done in a clean way, based on our new bitumen chain. There is still a lot to be gained in that area, by providing good information and showing beautiful reference projects."

Bitumen processing companies can squeeze their hands with Roof2Roof and Roof2Road. After all, the circular alternative is cheaper than new bitumen and is also much more sustainable. "By working with it, you achieve a better MKI (Environmental Cost Indicator) score without extra effort. For example, the MKI value of a ton of new bitumen is € 106 and that of Roof2Road bitumen is only € 3.25. When you realize that the MKI impact of asphalt is determined for almost 50% by the bitumen, the environmental benefits of Roof2Road bitumen are unprecedented. In addition, it is a PAH-free product, completely clean. When you look at those benefits, you might wonder if it is still environmentally responsible not to use it. Personally, I see that the market is ready for it and there are really companies that prefer this circular product. I think a very good example of circular work is the use of circular bitumen in the construction of the new asphalt runway for crash tenders at Rotterdam The Hague Airport. There, not only are circular bitumen used in the asphalt, the source of this bitumen is the roof of a logistics center ... at Schiphol Airport! How circular do you want it to be?"