LRM as SDG Ambassador

Sustainability is part of our mission, vision, and strategy. In everything we do within the LRM group, we therefore use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework. The SDGs are 17 objectives set by the United Nations to address global challenges by 2030. Together, the 17 SDGs form a sustainability agenda focused on society, economy, environment, human rights, and world peace.

The fact that we also translate our sustainable ambitions into reality is evidenced by the achievement of the sustainability label ‘SDG Ambassador’, awarded by UNITAR, affiliated with the UN. At the end of 2023, the LRM group became one of the first in Belgium to attain this prestigious label.

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SDGs on which LRM focuses extra efforts

With our sustainability initiatives, we actively contribute to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, we have selected 6 material goals on which we focus extra efforts, as we believe that, specifically within LRM, we can achieve the greatest impact in these 6 areas.

Click on an SDG to learn about the initiatives undertaken by the LRM group for that particular SDG.

Affordable and Sustainable Energy (SDG No. 7)

LRM invests in innovative and impactful climate projects and eco-initiatives. We have the expertise and resources to undertake strategic impact projects in green energy production: wind turbines, solar energy, energy storage, and more. Therefore, we develop projects where economy and ecology go hand in hand.

Some achievements

Kristal Solar Park Lommel

The Kristal Solar Park in Lommel comprises 303,000 photovoltaic panels and covers an area equivalent to 200 football fields. In total, it generates 100 megawatts of electricity.
Learn more about the largest solar park in the Benelux region on VRT News.

Watch video.

Watch the video

Floating solar panel park

At the border of Mol and Dessel, in 2020, we inaugurated the first floating solar panel park in Flanders. Covering five hectares, it is the largest in Belgium. Annually, it will generate electricity for approximately 2,000 households, contributing significantly to renewable and sustainable energy generation.

Read more about the opening on VRT News..

Lommel wind(t)

Limburg Win(d)t

Limburg Win(d)t NV is a Belgian producer of green energy located in the province of Limburg. It was established in 2009 by Aspiravi NV and LRM.

Limburg wind(t)

100% Belgian green electricity at all our sites

LRM works together with BEE: Belgian Eco Energy, which offers local energy solutions and assists companies in their sustainability efforts. More specifically, BEE’s focus is on producing and supplying renewable energy: green power and green heat.

We cooperate with BEE at all our locations and received certificates for this in 2025. In fact, according to BEE, LRM is a leader in this market.

 

Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG No. 8)

In everything we do within the LRM group, we aim for economic growth, increased employment, and greater prosperity in the region.

Some examples

Corda Campus

By 2030, we aim to expand our Corda Campus in Hasselt, situated on the former Philips site, from 14 to 23 hectares. The existing 250 companies on the Corda Campus are projected to increase to 350 by then, with employment potentially growing from 5,000 jobs to 7,500.

Read all about it on VRT News..

Terhills

Terhills

With LRM, we are investing in the transformation of the former industrial mining site ‘Terhills’ into a sustainable tourist and recreational destination with international appeal and high experiential value. In total, 219 hectares of former industrial land have been converted into nature (100 ha) and recreation (119 ha). From an economic perspective, the highlights at Terhills include the Terhills Hotel, Terhills Cablepark, Elaisa Wellness, and Terhills Resort, a sustainable holiday park with 250 vacation villas.

Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG No. 9)

The LRM group is transforming the economic landscape by developing innovative real estate and infrastructure projects.

Additionally, we provide venture capital to companies with promising projects, enabling them to increase their positive impact.

Innovative real estate:

Thor Park

Thor Park in Genk, spanning 93 hectares, is a comprehensive redevelopment project on the former Waterschei coal mining site in Genk. It is a business, technology, training, and science park with the ambition to become the leading competence center in three domains: energy transition, smart manufacturing, and smart city applications.

TVL aired the opening of FacThory at Thor Park. You can watch it here.

Corda Campus

With over 250 companies and 5,000 people, the Corda Campus in Hasselt is one of the largest business campuses in Europe. The mix of start-ups, scale-ups, and corporate companies creates a unique ecosystem. By 2030, LRM will expand the campus by 9 hectares, enabling more than 2,500 additional people to work there. With the arrival of the Corda Arena in 2025, the campus will have the largest digital experience arena on the continent, ideal for events hosting up to 4,000 people.

DronePort

DronePort provides a state-of-the-art testing environment for drones. It hosts a vibrant ecosystem of researchers, startups, and entrepreneurs in the drone industry, as well as a specific incubator for young companies.

In 2023, an unmanned passenger drone transported medical cargo, marking a European first. You can watch this event again on Kanaal Z.

Venture capital, investing in innovation:

Dispogroup: sustainable innovator in the packaging industry

Dispogroup, supplier of packaging solutions for the food industry, presents a concept of innovative devices combined with packaging that significantly increase the freshness and shelf life of food products. In addition, the company focuses on packaging materials that are 100% recyclable. At the same time, Dispogroup uses packaging made of recycled materials as much as possible, which is produced by sister company Impacked International. For the further roll-out of this sustainable story, Dispogroup is joining forces with VLAIO via the SME growth subsidy and with LRM, which is granting the company a Breakthrough loan.

Hippo Dx Raises €4.4 Million in Funding

Hippo Dx has developed an innovative device that enables hospitals to conduct allergy tests faster, cheaper, and more accurately.
To scale internationally, the company has raised a total of €4.4 million from existing investors as well as from LRM and the American Allerfund Ventures.

Breakthrough Loan of €250,000 for Recybuild

Recybuild, a family-owned company specialized in sustainable, recycled plastic products, has received a Breakthrough Loan of €250,000.
The Breakthrough Loan is an initiative by VLAIO Team Business Trajectories, UHasselt, and LRM to support companies with Limburg connections in their ambitions to internationalize, digitize, and/or become more sustainable.

Blooloc

BlooLoc Raises €2.2 Million for Digital Revolution in Logistics

BlooLoc specializes in indoor positioning solutions for the healthcare sector and logistics industry. Through their digital co-pilot, they make forklifts smarter and safer.

Following an initial capital raise in 2019, BlooLoc successfully completed a second round of funding totaling €2.2 million in 2023.

LRM, an early investor, reaffirms its confidence in this rapidly growing scale-up, alongside Brahim Boulbahaiem.

 

Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG No. 11)

LRM invests in experiential real estate to help enhance the appeal and tourism potential of our province while creating sustainable jobs. Currently, LRM is working on the redevelopment of the former mining site of Beringen under the banners of be-MINE and be-NATURE. We are investing specifically in tourism projects that have a positive long-term impact on the region. Similar to what we did at Terhills, we aim to transform be-MINE into a tourist destination with numerous attractions that draw visitors from across the region.

In the realm of mobility, we also play a pioneering role with our innovative mobility projects. For instance, since the spring of 2023, self-driving shuttles have been operating at our Terhills site, without onboard safety stewards. This is a first for Belgium!

Some examples

Redevelopment mining sites

LRM invests in experiential real estate to enhance the appeal and tourism potential of Limburg while creating sustainable jobs.

Currently, LRM is working on the redevelopment of the former mining site of Beringen under the banners of be-MINE and be-NATURE. We are investing specifically in tourism projects that have a positive long-term impact on the region.

Similar to what we did at Terhills, we aim to transform be-MINE into a tourist destination with numerous attractions that draw visitors from across the region.

shuttle Terhills

Pioneering in Mobility

LRM also takes a pioneering role in mobility with our innovative mobility projects. At our Terhills site, for example, self-driving shuttles ran until the summer of 2025, without safety stewards on board. This project was Belgium’s first and only fully self-driving transport system, and was one of the most complex operational projects around autonomous transport in Europe.

This project highlights the importance of parties like LRM, who dare to take risks to boost new technologies and markets. Although this innovation project ended in the summer of 2025, it had a huge impact on Flanders. For instance, it led to the creation of an Autonomous Transport Taskforce by former Flemish minister of mobility Lydia Peeters, in cooperation with the federal government and various stakeholders. That Taskforce is paving the way for allowing self-driving vehicles on public roads.

The autonomous shuttles at the Terhills site also put Flanders on the map as a pioneering region for innovative mobility solutions and self-driving vehicles. In addition, this project has given over 300,000 passengers a first experience of self-driving vehicles, showing them that self-driving vehicles are no longer science fiction. Research shows that this is essential to build support for such new technologies.

IncubaThor
IncubaThor interieur

Sustainable Incubators

Another example showcasing our ambitions to contribute to sustainable cities and communities is our focus on sustainable businesses within our incubators:

  • Greenville: focusing on circular economy
  • IncubaThor: focusing on Smart Energy, Innovation & Technology
  • Agropolis: fostering innovative companies in agriculture and horticulture

Climate Action (SDG No. 13)

With LRM, we undertake impactful climate projects that contribute to both Flemish and international climate objectives. We strongly emphasize the sustainability of our own sites by installing features such as solar panels and charging stations.

To ensure streamlined operations and effectively translate ideas into concrete actions, we have established an internal team called ‘LRM Climate.’ One of our ambitions is to equip our own LRM sites with a total of 20,000 solar panels and 500 charging points by 2026.

Some achievements

Battery Project at Terhills (sold)

On the SME zone of Terhills, we have installed 140 large batteries. This provides a sustainable alternative to using gas-fired power plants for balancing the electricity grid. In 2024, we sold this project to Centrica (England).

You can watch the report on TV-Limburg.

Watch on TV-Limburg

Terhills Solar Park

In May 2021, Terhills inaugurated two brand-new solar panel parks. The two parks—one on land and one on water—span a combined area of 3 hectares, featuring 7,000 solar panels and producing a total of 3MWp.

Watch the video

Pumping surface water

LRM prevents flooding by pumping surface water that no longer finds its natural path due to subsidence in former mining areas. This water is directed towards the canal. It’s important to emphasize that only surface water is pumped, not drinking water or mine water.

This is not considered water wastage. Groundwater expert and VUB professor, Marijke Huysmans, confirms this. The water downstream serves various purposes such as irrigation, drinking water supply, infiltration into neighboring soils, and maintaining stream levels. Constructing reservoirs requires significant investment and is not economically viable.

Initiatives from LRM Climate

With LRM Climate, we are committed to the sustainability of all LRM locations. This includes initiatives such as installing solar panels, charging stations, promoting sustainable mobility, and other energy-related projects.

For example, our Corda Campus features 218 charging points and a fast-charging station for 24 electric vehicles. There are currently 88 charging points at Terhills and we also installed a lot of charging points at our incubators.

The total number of charging points we have realised with LRM Climate so far: 400.

Watch on TV-Limburg

Good Governance (SDG No. 16)

With LRM, we offer ‘smart money’: in addition to financial support, companies can also rely on our expertise, experience, and network to further professionalize themselves. Furthermore, we provide them with innovative real estate and they can benefit from a strong community network. To give you an idea: in 2024, we invested 51 million euros in Limburg companies and projects.

Download here our corporate governance charter.

Some achievements

International talks

In both 2024 and 2025, we were able to inspire stakeholders from EU coal regions! Our CEO Tom Vanham went to the political conference in Poland and shared his experiences with LRM during the impressive transformations of Terhills and be-MINE NV. Among other things, he zoomed in on how to attract private investment in Coal+ regions.

With its 100,000 m² of existing building heritage, the historic mining site be-MINE is the largest industrial heritage site in Flanders and unique in Europe. At Terhills we also realized a handsome transformation of the dark gray site into a beautiful green place where we have already welcomed more than 3 million guests.

Both transformations are a long-term project, but with so much positive impact for the neighborhood and for the region.

Sustainable Entrepreneurship in collaboration with UHasselt

To better understand how we can assist companies at every stage of their growth and how we can get more companies on board with sustainability, we have established a Chair of entrepreneurship in Sustainable Entrepreneurship in collaboration with UHasselt. This chair focuses on three pillars. In addition to sustainable investments and investing in long-term partnerships, the focus is on sustainable growth to ensure that those who start can also sustainably scale their businesses.

Read on VRT

Organising an international inspiration conference

LRM organised a conference where it shared its experiences of the past 30 years in turning a former (mining) site into a beautiful place with a positive impact on employment, sustainability and economic growth. With Hasselt’s Corda Campus, be-MINE in Beringen and Terhills in Maasmechelen, LRM can present 3 concrete transformations of former mining sites and companies. A topic that attracted a very international audience: among the 80 attendees, ministers, ambassadors and representatives from Zimbabwe, Nepal and Ghana were present.

Impact-driven investments

At LRM, we are not only making our own sites more sustainable; we also extend our commitment to sustainability to the companies in which we invest. That’s why ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors and sustainability are standard components of all our investment processes.

To make informed investment decisions, we have implemented an ESG screening process. This ESG screening assesses factors related to the environment, social engagement, and corporate governance. In other words, it evaluates Environment, Social, and Governance aspects, abbreviated as ESG.

The insghts gathered are critically reviewed by both our investment team and the management and Board of Directors of LRM. This approach provides a clear picture of a company’s sustainability and identifies risks and opportunities. We also actively engage with portfolio companies on these topics through annual follow-up discussions and offer support to help them advance on their sustainability journey.

Furthermore, our sustainability apporach takes into account certain exclusion criteria. Companies with connections to or presence in North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Sudan, or Syria are excluded. Additionally, financing is not provided to companies involved in the following sectors/activities: gas and oil industry, tobacco products and commodities, gambling companies, sex industry, production activities related to asbestos fibers and PCBs. This list is non-exhaustive and subject to change by LRM.

Why an ESG assessment?

This creates awareness about the environment, social engagement, and proper governance within companies.

It serves as the perfect starting point for integrating sustainability into the corporate strategy. Based on the ESG results, our portfolio companies can set targeted goals and develop concrete action plans.

Our ESG approach includes annual discussions with portfolio companies, ensuring continuity and supporting long-term progress.

LRM as a sustainability driven organization

As an organization, LRM is committed to embedding sustainability into its core operations and investment philosophy. As part of this ongoing commitment, we recently conducted an in-depth Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) to further refine and strengthen our sustainability policy. We closely monitor and measure our carbon footprint, and we power our operations entirely with 100% renewable energy. Through these and other initiatives, LRM aims to lead by example — demonstrating that environmental responsibility, economic development, and solid financial returns can go hand in hand.

Expertise and capital to power sustainability in your business

Are you looking to invest in sustainability in your production processes, infrastructure or business operations? Are you interested in geothermal energy, wind energy, energy storage or EV charging but you don’t have the time or know-how to get started? Request an obligation-free meeting with one of our experts.

At LRM, we offer more than financing – we bring the right expertise and network to help you achieve your sustainability goals. From permits and subsidies to market research and legal guidance.

Interested?
Feel free to contact us at r.engelen@lrm.be.

Would you like to brainstorm with us about energy transition in your company and explore the associated financing options? Schedule a appointment with us.

Roeland Engelen
Head of Investments
r.engelen@lrm.be
Luc Driesen
Senior projectmanager Klimaat
l.driesen@lrm.be
Tim De Ceunynck
Tim De Ceunynck
Projectmanager mobiliteit
t.deceunynck@lrm.be
Team Climate
Robin Vaes
Investment manager
r.vaes@lrm.be

The LRM Climate Team

Our colleagues Roeland Engelen, Luc Driesen, Tim De Ceunynck, and Robin Vaes form the LRM Climate team. Together, they are spearheading sustainability efforts across all LRM locations. This includes initiatives such as the installation of solar panels, charging stations, sustainable mobility, and other energy projects.

Do you have any questions or suggestions for our LRM Climate team?

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