Partner laundry St. Jan
How family business Wasserij St. Jan works every day toward less environmental impact and better quality
In conversation with Kris en Fien Willems.
Wasserij St. Jan is not a company that grows for the sake of growing. What began over 66 years ago with the great-grandfather of Kris Willems is now a family business that brings together four generations. Kris runs the laundry together with his wife and four children, each of whom has their own role within the company.
That family foundation also shapes the choices they make. The ambition is not in more volume, but in working better: more efficiently, with less impact, and with consideration for the people on the work floor. Sustainability is therefore not a separate project, but part of daily practice.
Working together as colleagues
From the start of the collaboration between Wasserij St. Jan and Blycolin in 2018, it has not felt to Kris like a traditional customer-supplier relationship. “It is more like working together as colleagues. Not someone saying: you have to do this. We look at it together: how do we solve it? That works well and keeps us sharp.” That joint search for solutions is precisely what makes the difference. Complaints or deviations are quickly addressed, with quality always remaining the starting point. “It simply has to be right. Clean, correct, and on time. That’s what we work on together.”
Learning from each other instead of comparing
In January and December, Blycolin organized meetings with partner laundries from the Netherlands and Belgium. What stood out most during these meetings was the openness. “In the past, everyone kept their numbers to themselves. Now you share them. Not to show who is doing better, but to learn from each other.” According to Kris, this represents an important development for the sector. By gaining insight into each other’s processes and performance, there is room for improvement. Sometimes that improvement lies in technology, sometimes in small practical adjustments.
Measuring is confrontional, but necessary
Since mid-2025, Blycolin asks to share data on water use, energy, and gas consumption. According to Kris, working with this data primarily raises awareness. “You start to look at it differently. You spot consumption faster.” At the same time, it is also confrontational. “It’s never good enough. You always see that there is room for improvement.” That is precisely why comparing with other laundries is interesting. Not to compete, but to gain insight. “Then you know: are we on the right track, or do we need to make adjustments?”
Where is the real impact?
In day-to-day operations, sustainability is anything but abstract. “The greatest impact lies in water and energy. That’s where you need to look.” This places the focus on the most significant environmental impact within the laundry. In recent years, investments have been made in solar panels and, more recently, in a battery for energy storage. At the same time, new ways to better utilize water and heat are being explored. “We are continuously working on it: where is something still being wasted? What can we reuse? There is still room for improvement.”
A concrete outcome of the sessions is the choice of a new detergent supplier, Christeyns. This will help lower water consumption in the coming years. Not everything works perfectly right away. Kris refers to the battery, for example, as “not yet a success story,” but still a step that is building experience.
“We are continuously working on it: where is something still being wasted? What can we reuse? There is still room for improvement.”
– Kris Willems
Not bigger, but better
For Kris, the future of Wasserij St. Jan clearly does not lie in scaling up. “I don’t want to grow bigger in kilograms. Then you get other problems. It has to remain manageable.” The ambition lies in quality and efficiency. In a work environment that is better for employees and in processes that are designed to be smarter and more sustainable. “As long as we keep doing it well and can keep doing it together, that’s what matters to me.”
Pride runs in the family
When asked what he is most proud of, Kris doesn’t have to think long. “My children. That they are all involved in the business. I never expected that.” It shows where the real value lies. Not only in machines or processes, but in the people who carry the company. Employees often remain with the laundry for many years.
“I am proud of my children. That they are all involved in the business. I never expected that.”
– Kris Willems
Collaboration as the key
If the sector were to stand still, it is clear to Kris what would happen. “Then you would fall behind. The strength lies in improving together.” With that, he touches on the core of the development that is becoming visible: sustainability as a shared challenge. Not something one party solves alone, but something that emerges through collaboration.
“The contact with Blycolin helps. A quick call, looking at it together. And the knowledge that gets shared, that’s genuinely useful.” The contact with other laundries also plays a role in this. By visiting each other and exchanging experiences, momentum is created.
“You don’t have to figure everything out yourself. You help each other move forward.”
Kris Willems, Owner – Wasserij St. Jan