"We aim to be part of the solution, not the problem"
- Sebastian Heinzel, CEO of HEINZEL GROUP
Our products are not a part of the problem, they are part of the future solution: They are made from sustainable raw materials, and they can be recycled.
We care about the environment and cooperation in this matter is important to us. That’s why we strive for an eco-friendly value chain in our everyday life. We also seek to ensure sustainable cooperation among our employees, customers and within society.
Sustainable cooperation is our philosophy. We use our resources consciously and aim to avoid environmental impacts. By permanently optimizing production processes, we continuously reduce our consumption of raw materials and energy. Through close cooperation with the wood industry, we have committed to sustainable forest management. Our goal is to further enhance our eco-efficiency by using raw materials efficiently. Based on close cooperation with the wood industry, we have committed to sustainable forest management. We use recycled paper and work 99% waste free in our paper production.
OUR STRATEGIC MOVE TOWARD CLIMATE NEUTRALITY
We take the view that business and wider society will be shaped by the challenges of global climate change and by the increasing importance of sustainability in all its facets in the coming years and decades. The future strategy of HEINZEL GROUP is to make a positive contribution; to not only exist but to flourish in such an environment.
Global climate change will have a negative impact on our Group, yet it may also be a source of new opportunities. As part of the forestry value chain, we will likely be impacted by the damage forests suffer as a result of global warming. At the same time, we expect the importance of natural and recyclable products to increase in the future. We aim to play a leading role in the transition to the regenerative circular economy of tomorrow.
We at HEINZEL GROUP have been creating value since the outset, producing high-quality pulp, paper,
and green energy from waste wood. We turn recovered paper and old beverage cartons into new paper. We create new sustainable products and services for long-standing business partners. We develop industrial sites, revitalizing businesses and the surrounding communities. We recycle, regenerate, and reinvest. And yet the future demands much more from us. In our position as part of an industry that requires a lot of energy, we are committed to achieving climate neutrality before 2050.
Generally speaking, every industry can do three things to help decarbonize the economy: switch from fossil
fuels to renewable energy sources, change its processes to increase energy efficiency and conserve resources, and substitute fossil-based products with more climate-friendly alternatives. HEINZEL GROUP is making a strategic move in all three areas.
Renewable sources of energy
We are actively working to reduce the use of natural gas and to generate electricity from renewable sources at our pulp and paper mills. We have already made considerable investments at our sites in biogas plants, hydropower plants, and solar installations, and more are set to follow.
Increasing energy efficiency
In 2021, we started to reevaluate all the processes at our companies to see where energy savings could be made. We will continue to attach considerable importance to improving energy efficiency in the future by implementing new systems and looking at how processes can be optimized further.
Sustainable Products
Our natural and recyclable products have an important role to play in greening the value chain and building a robust circular economy. We are making a significant contribution to replacing fossil-based materials, such as plastic, a prime example of which is packaging papers. In 2021, we made the strategic decision to convert Paper Machine 11 at the Laakirchen mill, meaning that it will in future produce packaging papers using recovered paper instead of graphic papers.