Hotel de Baak Seaside and Landgoed de Horst are B Corp-certified

Hotel de Baak Seaside in Noordwijk and Landgoed de Horst in Driebergen, together with the de Baak training institute, have been officially certified as Certified B Corporations™. With this certification, the independent non-profit organisation B Lab™ confirms that the organisation meets verified standards in the areas of social and environmental impact, transparency and responsible governance. De Baak achieved a score of 121.5 points, compared with a minimum score of 80 points required for organisations undergoing the B Corp assessment.

Sustainability in day-to-day business operations

Landgoed de Horst and Hotel de Baak Seaside are the training institute de Baak’s own learning and accommodation venues. The venues are used for training courses, business meetings, conferences and events, and also feature hotel and restaurant facilities. The vision of founder Maitland, who traditionally regarded the environment in which people learn as an integral part of the learning process, forms the basis of this combination of learning and accommodation.

Both sites hold Green Key Gold certification. In day-to-day operations, decisions are made in line with the principles of the Green Key Gold scheme and B Corp certification, including in the areas of energy, procurement and waste management. For example, the venues use solar panels, gas-free kitchens and LED lighting, and there is a strong focus on responsible procurement and minimising waste and energy consumption.

Food, water conservation and social responsibility 

The restaurants at Landgoed de Horst and Hotel de Baak Seaside use local, organic and seasonal produce.

Since January 2022, both venues have been part of the Hotels for Trees scheme. Guests who opt out of room cleaning during a stay of several days contribute to the planting of a tree through the scheme. In this way, the venues have now facilitated the planting of 15,000 trees. 

In addition, both venues work in partnership with the MadeBlue Foundation. A QR code on a door hanger informs hotel guests about taking shorter showers and reusing towels. Since joining the project, the venues have together saved over 10 million litres of water and used the savings to support charities.  

In the B Impact Assessment of De Baak as a whole, the pillars of ‘community’ and ‘staff’ were assessed alongside ‘environment’, ‘customers’ and ‘governance’. Both sites offer learning and work programmes for young people, enabling them to gain work experience and further their personal development.

Gijs Goijaerts, Director of Hospitality at Landgoed de Horst and Hotel de Baak Seaside: “At Landgoed de Horst and Hotel de Baak Seaside, our social responsibility is very tangibly reflected in our day-to-day hospitality. We aim to offer our guests a thoughtfully curated experience. From cooking with local and seasonal produce and making our buildings and kitchens more sustainable, to providing learning and work programmes that give students the opportunity to develop. B Corp certification is an important benchmark for us and helps us to continually reassess how we can increase our impact and link hospitality to a more sustainable and socially responsible future.”

To view all of De Baak’s B Corp scores, visit the website from B Lab
For more information about De Baak’s B Corp certification, please visit the website
For more information about Hotel de Baak Seaside, please visit the website
For more information about Landgoed de Horst, please visit the website