Ballast Nedam Development is once again taking a historic step towards making the construction sector more sustainable. After becoming the first developer in the Netherlands to financially value CO₂ storage from residential construction projects, the company is now offering the corresponding Carbon Credits on the market. A world first took place during the Provada 2025 real estate fair: the very first Carbon Credit from a residential construction project, the Natuurhuis, was auctioned off. The proceeds – no less than 3,000 euros (current market value approximately 100 euros) – will be donated by the buyer to the Climate Cleanup Foundation, the foundation that took the initiative for construction stored Carbon Credits.
“ This auction is not only historic for our company, but for the entire construction and real estate sector,” says Onno Dwars, CEO of Ballast Nedam Development and auctioneer during the event. “For the first time, CO₂ storage through bio-based construction is being given a transparent economic value. We are the first, but we hope that many in our sector will quickly follow suit. This is the beginning of a new reality. ”
Ballast Nedam Development is once again taking a historic step towards making the construction sector more sustainable. After becoming the first developer in the Netherlands to financially value CO₂ storage from residential construction projects, the company is now offering the corresponding Carbon Credits on the market. A world first took place during the Provada 2025 real estate fair: the very first Carbon Credit from a residential construction project, the Natuurhuis, was auctioned off. The proceeds – no less than 3,000 euros (current market value approximately 100 euros) – will be donated by the buyer to the Climate Cleanup Foundation, the foundation that took the initiative for construction stored Carbon Credits.
Sven Jense, founder of Climate Cleanup Foundation, calls it one of the most important milestones in the organisation’s existence: “People have been talking about responsibility for future generations for years, but this is the first time it has really taken economic shape in the construction industry. Carbon credits from bio-based construction are now recognised by investors, pension funds and a wider audience. That is revolutionary. This is not a promise for tomorrow, it is happening now.”
Jim Teunizen, Founding Partner of Alba Concepts, is the proud purchaser of the first construction stored Carbon Credit. Promoting Carbon Credits is something he considers to be of great importance to the construction and real estate sector, both personally and professionally: “It’s not about costs, it’s about value.” Online registration for the first 100 Carbon Credits is now live. Jim challenges everyone to show how much these Carbon Credits are worth to them.
Climate-positive construction gains tangible value
The auction follows Ballast Nedam Development’s earlier announcement that it would certify and financially value CO₂ storage through bio-based construction. They are doing this through Oncra, the certification platform co-developed by Climate Cleanup. The Natuurhuis – a house that stores more CO₂ than it costs to build – is the first construction project whose CO₂ storage has been certified and is now also tradable via Carbon Credits. The goal: to use construction as a climate solution, not a climate problem.
By offering these credits, Ballast Nedam Development aims to scale up climate-positive construction and make it attractive to market players. Each traded Carbon Credit represents a demonstrable amount of CO₂ stored in natural materials such as wood, hemp and straw – materials that also contribute to biodiversity, health and circularity.
For more information and registration for the first 100 Carbon Credits: www.CarbonCredits.nu
Image sources: Ballast Nedam Development