Press Release: Green light for Side Stream Innovation Valley in Oosterhout

Last Tuesday, eight of the nine municipal council factions agreed: this is a wonderful addition to Oosterhout’s agri-food, bio-based, and circular business landscape, especially considering the potential for hundreds of additional jobs in the long run.

“I am very happy,” responded an elated director, Thijs Rodenburg, the day after the city council showered him with compliments. “This has been an exciting and lengthy process. We worked hard and engaged with many parties to arrive at this plan. We are eager to collaborate with others to promote plant-based products.”

Director Thijs Rodenburg

Sidestream Innovation Valley at Vijf Eiken

Rodenburg operates with around 40 employees on Denariusstraat in the Vijf Eiken industrial estate along the Wilhelmina Canal. The company produces biodegradable plastic from potato leftovers, peels, starch, chips, and discarded crisps. Additionally, it utilizes fruit and vegetable scraps, effectively adding value to organic waste streams—hence the name Side Stream Innovation Valley.

Rodenburg at Vijf Eiken

In a triangle of approximately 14 hectares of farmland between Vijf Eiken and the Dove Tower nature reserve, a campus is set to emerge where innovation, sustainability, startups, and education will go hand in hand. One component will be a factory where upgraded starch will replace polluting chemicals. Furthermore, the company aims to establish a research lab and foster collaborations with educational institutions.

Not Quick Money

This initiative has delighted the VVD party. “This is entrepreneurship at its finest,” stated Paul Wesel. “Research, knowledge sharing—everything comes together here. It’s not about quick money, but a long-term vision. This is a refreshing change from yet another distribution hall run by an unknown entrepreneur.”

Peter de Laat, chairman of the Heel Oosterhout group, personally toured the Rodenburg site earlier and expressed his admiration: “We were surprised by the excellent work they are doing. Compliments to them.”

Theo van Kuijck (D66) added, “Circularity and sustainability are all coming together here. Rodenburg is becoming the ASML of Oosterhout. Extracting raw materials from plant waste streams is something we should all be proud of.”

Sidestream Innovation Valley

The VVD also took a jab at the Environmental Association Oosterhout and Save the Dove Tower. Wesel remarked, “We can hardly understand their objections. Rodenburg’s circular activities hold great significance, especially for the environment. We shouldn’t focus on every local blade of grass. This company has the potential to become Oosterhout’s largest employer. Count your blessings.”

We were surprised by the beautiful work they do. Compliments. Peter de Laat, party ‘For All of Oosterhout’

Research indicates that the infrastructure in Vijf Eiken can handle approximately four hundred truck movements per day. However, the municipal council has requested an investigation into the feasibility of electric transport from the Beneluxweg bus stop to Vijf Eiken. Currently, three thousand people are employed there, and that number is on the rise.

Thijs Rodenburg concluded, “We will develop plant-based products, work on innovations, and bring them to market. In time, it is realistic to grow, alongside other parties, to six to eight hundred additional employees.”

Reposted from BN De Stem