Social responsibility - Prinses Máxima Centrum

The Princess Máxima Center’s drive to excel extends to sustainability. That ambition fits our goals regarding development-oriented care, scientific research, training and education, and social development. We look for sustainable solutions throughout our work chain, with the aim of promoting future-proof healthcare. Sustainability is an aspect of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR), which is an important principle for the Princess Máxima Center.

Every business decision we make is based on careful consideration of the potential social and economic effects. We also consider the interests of our stakeholders, as every business decision will have an impact on them. Besides patients or employees, these stakeholders may include the people living near our center, suppliers, investors and—last but not least—wider society. We therefore see CSR as an integrated approach that focuses not only on running the Princess Máxima Center in a sustainable way, but also on sustainable healthcare for the good of children and society.

The Princess Máxima Center has signed the Green Deal Sustainable Care. In doing so, the Máxima Center has committed itself to the four goals of the Green Deal: reducing CO2 emissions, working in a circular manner, reducing the amount of medicine residues in the water, and promoting a healthy environment in the health care sector.
Care innovator and Sustainable Care Ambassador Renske Karens-van Vliet is one of the driving forces behind the Máxima Center's sustainability policy. Read her story here.

Nutrition

Healthy food that above all tastes good and children like to eat, available whenever they want it: that’s the idea behind our food concept, which has been designed in collaboration with children. The Heroes’ Cart stocked with a wide range of food tours the center six times a day, offering something for children of all ages as well as their parents. Meals can be eaten in the Parent-Child rooms, the restaurant, or in the living/dining rooms, where parents can prepare a meal themselves.

The children don’t need to order food in advance; they can decide on the spot, choosing from an array of tempting meals that are presented as attractively as possible—perhaps an owl-shaped omelet for the little ones. Everything we serve is fresh and made with care, using seasonal products and paying a lot of attention to the nutritional value and protein content of each meal. We also focus on sustainability: our caterer Hutten pioneered the Verspillingsfabriek (‘Waste-not Factory), which turns leftovers into tasty meals.

Uniforms

Our healthcare professionals wear uniforms designed by children (the members of our Children’s Advisory Council) together with fashion designer Monique Collignon. The clothing is made from the most environmentally friendly material that’s available today: high-quality material made from recycled PET plastic bottles combined with tree bark. The material is unbleached and contains no cotton, which means it can be produced using far less water. We expect other hospitals to follow our lead in future, choosing this material for their uniforms instead of the stiff and environmentally damaging polyester that is currently used.

Our building

Our building is characterized by lots of natural light, warm colors and abundant use of natural materials. When we purchase goods and select equipment, we look closely at how long-lasting and energy-saving they will be, in line with our ambitious sustainability goals. We are installing solar panels and have a thermal storage system. Of course, we use energy-saving LED lighting; you won’t find a traditional light bulb in the entire building.

Working circularly

The Princess Máxima Center encourages circular working in both healthcare and research. Employees in the laboratory are concerned about the large amount of plastic waste that their work entails. They started the so-called Green Lab project.