Compensation scheme in practice
"The Compensation scheme does help to overcome the threshold for having your product registered in the NMD."
Interview with John Smits from Sam Panels about the compensation scheme Filling the Gaps
In this new section, we talk to producers and manufacturers who have used the Compensation scheme Filling the Gaps to register their product(s) in the Dutch Environmental Database. In this first edition, we spoke with John Smits, Managing Director of SAM Panels, about his experiences with applying for the Compensation scheme and the importance of the scheme.
How did you first learn about the Compensation scheme Filling the Gaps?
“That was quite some time ago, so I don’t remember exactly. It might have been through a newsletter from an advisor or via Building Balance. The Compensation scheme is highlighted in several places.”
What was your reason for using the Compensation scheme Filling the Gaps?
“We wanted to have an LCA drawn up for our products anyway, but the costs for verification are quite high. So the Compensation scheme does help to overcome the threshold for having your product registered in the Dutch Environmental Database.”
Was the compensation the reason for you to have your products registered in the Dutch Environmental Database?
“No, not really. Registering the product is a precondition because only published and validated environmental declarations may be used in the legally and contractually required environmental performance calculations. Without these declarations, the environmental performance of a project cannot be officially demonstrated. It is difficult to determine the impact of registering a product in the database. You can’t see that one-to-one, but it is necessary to be able to supply to many construction projects, which is why we did it.”
Which products are involved in the case of SAM Panels?
“Two products from SAM Panels have been included in the Dutch Environmental Database with category 1 data since autumn 2025: SAM Solid and SAM Pure, both for applications such as interior wall finishing. We are still working on other products, but since we produce those with other parties, it takes a bit longer. SAM stands for Sustainable Advanced Materia
"For years, we conducted research into how fibres in waste streams can be processed into sheet material. We researched and processed more than 150 types of fibres. Think of cow manure, roadside grass, hemp fibre, elephant grass, label paper, tomato leaf and down that remains in the dryer when recycling jeans. SAM Panels now produces around 300,000 m² of sustainable sheet material per year. The company mainly works with five different recipes: label paper, the residue from denim fabric, roadside grass, hemp fibre and cow manure. The sheet materials from SAM Panels are used for roof structures, walls, doors, kitchen panels, furniture and acoustic solutions. They are non-toxic, 100% biobased, lightweight and have properties such as water resistance and sound absorption. We do not use any glue or resin. We make all our products using only water, pressure, heat and fibres. This makes the panels reusable time and time again. We also sell all our sheet materials with a buy-back guarantee. As part of our circular process, we buy them back after use.”
What did you think of the application procedure for the compensation?
“It is not complicated to apply for the compensation. Most of the time is spent on having the LCA drawn up. What is important is that producers must pay attention to the conditions of the de-minimis declaration. The de-minimis aid has been increased to €300,000, but it is good to keep this in mind, otherwise applying doesn’t really make sense.”
The Compensation scheme Filling the Gaps
The Filling the Gaps programme of the Dutch Environmental Database has been set up to fill in missing environmental data in the Dutch Environmental Database. Manufacturers, producers, suppliers and component suppliers of construction products, construction work installations and industry organisations that have an LCA drawn up and publish the LCA data in the form of an environmental declaration in the Dutch Environmental Database can receive a compensation of €2,700 for drawing up an LCA and €1,100 for registering an environmental declaration in the Dutch Environmental Database.
