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16 August 2018 ... min read

Sustainability in the kitchen isn’t just about the food you eat. It’s also about how you prepare it. Entrepreneur Mark Suurbier explains how he came up with the idea to turn train tracks into sustainable pans.

“We are increasingly conscious about where our food comes from, but what about the tools we prepare our meals with? Can you trace back their origin?”, asks Mark.

In 2016, he set up his first company Combekk, to produce pans out of 100 percent recycled iron. Each pan bears a stamp of origin: the railway that it’s made from.

“We melt old Dutch railway train tracks at 1,500 degrees Celsius, mix it with sand and other materials and wait for it to solidify. Shortly after, cooking can begin!”

Mark and team have won various awards for their business, including the Orange Trade Mission Fund that allowed Combekk to grow internationally and sell 20,000 pans in nine countries.

“This is my way of making the world a better place,” he says.

We're proud to have Mark as client of ING. Thank-you for reminding us why we're here.

Every year, the Orange Trade Mission Fund helps 10 small and medium-sized enterprises achieve their international ambitions. Do you believe in your product or service and want to introduce it abroad? Enrol for this year’s edition of the Orange Trade Mission Fund. The deadline is 9 September.

‘Combekk’ is part of ING’s series of short films celebrating the courageous steps clients take in their life and/or business.

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