WEPA

🎄 Our WEPA Seasonal Greetings Film 2024 - A Tradition Close to Our Hearts 🙏🏼  🎉 It’s here at last! Our seasonal greetings film has finally arrived! Each year, this special seasonal greetings film is created with immense passion and dedication - a true highlight that the corporate family creates for our entire European workforce. A tradition filled of warmth and solidarity, bringing us together and inspires us year after year! 🎄✨ And while the entire film exclusively dedicated to our WEPA colleagues, we invite all of you with this special feature, to take a look behind the scenes of the film. ⭐ This year we celebrate the unique stories and traditions of our 4,200 employees from over 50 nations.  A huge thank you to everyone who took part - you bring our special WEPA family business culture to life! ✨   #WeareWEPA #togetherforabetterlife Andreas Krengel

Behind the tissue: Walter Steinhoff, pensioner and temporary helper in paper making A nice relaxing time in retirement and nothing else? Not me! Granted, I’m already 65 years old, but I’m still going strong. I laugh, I learn and I like to do new things. When I retired from WEPA in August 2023 after 42 years of work I immediately threw myself into the next challenge: my older son was building a new house and the younger one was moving into a new house as well, so I was completely involved in the role of the “handyman dad”.  After a few months though, these projects were finished and my wife still had a few years to her retirement. I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing either and there was a risk that I’d also turn our own house topsy turvy, much to my wife’s chagrin. So I made an unexpected decision: I'll go back to work.  I started again on 1 January 2024, and I’ve been part of the team at WEPA in Giershagen since that date. Just a few days a month, nice and flexible, exactly as it suits me. So I decide for myself when I work, and they make sure that the physical side stays moderate – I lend a sturdy hand, but at 65 years old I no longer have to do every strong man’s job. Because of my many years of experience I can also help out in several different areas and roles, so that makes even the few shifts a month all the more varied. Why could I recommend this to everyone? It keeps you both physically fit and mentally alert! Thanks to the work I can regularly exchange ideas with colleagues of different ages on a wide variety of topics. And to be honest – who doesn’t like to feel wanted? When I come to work I know: I am needed, and I know that people are looking forward to seeing me. A little pocket money is also welcome of course, but I’m more interested in the change of scene than the money. And even after all these years there’s still things to learn.  In any case, I’ve found the perfect way for me to turn retirement into an active and fulfilling phase of life rather than a rest period – with exercise, coming together with people and, simply, a good feeling. #WeareWEPA #together #career

🚀 Where engagement meets inspiration: Perform & Transform Summit 2024   Last week, Düsseldorf became the stage for our Perform & Transform Summit 2024, bringing together the WEPA European Leadership Team to jointly work on the transformation journey of our company. This was no ordinary meeting – it was an energised event brimming with creativity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to contribute actively to our success story. From engaging keynote sessions and interactive workshops to inspiring marketplaces and dynamic discussions, the summit underscored one thing: at WEPA, we actively shape the future. With a clear focus on our upcoming performance, we celebrated the strides we’ve already made and mapped out challenging steps ahead, always guided by our strategy programme, our focus on sustainability, our ambition for technology leadership, and strong partnerships. At WEPA, we know that transformation isn’t a solo but a team effort. Together, we’re turning vision into reality, strategy into action, building on our successes, and shaping a future full of opportunity. A future in that we continue to provide well-being and a secure hygienic feeling for millions of people in Europe – everyday and everywhere, with our sustainable hygiene paper solutions. ✨ The marathon continues – let’s make it count. Ready to shape the future with us? #PerformAndTransform #togetherforabetterlife #WeareWEPA 

WEPA wins the German Sustainability Award! 🏆 What an unforgettable moment! Last week WEPA officially received the German Sustainability Award, Europe’s leading award honoring ecological and social commitment, in the category Paper, Cardboard, and Carton! The ceremony was a special milestone for all of us. On behalf of WEPA, Dr. Stefan Gräter, Director Group Sustainability, had the honour of accepting the award on stage. 🌍✨ Being honoured at such a remarkable event truly emphasises WEPA’s commitment to sustainability, while also recognising our role as a frontrunner in the industry. By submitting our progress in areas like recycling, climate, biodiversity, and water management, the jury acknowledged our efforts and courage to invest in innovative and sustainable solutions: from producing hygienic paper made from recycled cardboard to our engagement for the circular economy and our ambition to transform the entire value chain from raw materials to the consumers. This award validates our efforts and gives us great motivation to drive our sustainability journey forward. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed and look forward to continuing this path - together with our passionate WEPA team and our partners. Congratulations to all award winners, especially Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, honored for her tireless and impressive work empowering vulnerable communities to voice the impacts of climate change. Don’t miss some highlights from the ceremony in our video! 🎥 Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis

🌱 Our WEPA 2023 Sustainability Report is here! 🌱 Our sustainability journey continues - with clear milestones, concrete actions and diverse challenges. In our new report, you can learn about what we have achieved in 2023 and which ambitious goals we have set ourselves for the future.  Our highlights: 🍃 We are committed to following the net zero standard of the Science Based Target initiative and becoming climate neutral by 2040. This is a further step in our commitment, which has started in 2021 with the setting of our 1.5 degree target.  ♻️ We are driving forward the circular economy by increasing our recycling capacity and building a production facility for our alternative fibre miscanthus at our Dutch site in Swalmen. We are particularly proud to have won the German Ecodesign Award for our Satino Pure Soft tissue paper, which is made from recycled cardboard.  💼 We are taking our social responsibility seriously by joining the ‘Diversity Charter’ and further developing the WEPA Academy programme to promote the individual development of our employees.  Curious about these and further goals and initiatives? Find all details in our Sustainability Report - it's worth it! https://lnkd.in/eR9W-m-v A big thank you to everyone who has supported us in this important project!  Let's keep moving forward together! 🍃 #togetherforabetterlife

🏆 WEPA honoured with the German Sustainability Award 🏆 WEPA is one of Germany's 100 most sustainable companies! Winning in the Paper, Cardboard and Carton category, we’ve been recognised as a pioneer for driving transformation across our industry. 🎉🌱 The German Sustainability Award is Europe’s leading award honouring ecological and social commitment. Winning this award not only highlights our commitment but also reinforces our role as frontrunner in sustainability. This recognition affirms our efforts to fundamentally transform the entire value chain from raw materials to the end consumer, making it even more sustainable. 🌱 🌍 For us as a future-oriented European family business, sustainability is not just one of our core values, but an essential part of our business model and the basis for a sustainable economy. We integrate sustainability as a holistic strategy in all areas of the business and empower and motivate our employees, customers and partners to actively shape the future together with us.   📦 In our paper production we focus on recycled fibres and invest in alternative fresh fibres. With sustainable innovations like hygiene papers made from recycled cardboard, we have taken a major step towards achieving sustainable material cycles. Congratulations to all the award-winning companies committed to advancing sustainable transformation across industries. Let’s work together to secure a livable world for future generations! 🌍💪 Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis #togetherforabetterlife

Family businesses & startup investments: A success model for the future? 📈 💡    Last week, we at WEPA Ventures had the special opportunity to bring together leading family entrepreneurs, family offices, founders, VCs and business angels in our Düsseldorf office for an inspiring exchange together with the WEPA Foundation and the WHU Institut für Familienunternehmen und Mittelstand. This exchange focused on the topic of “family entrepreneurship”, which is supported by the WEPA Foundation, and provided new insights to promote even more successful cooperation between family businesses as investors and VCs or start-ups in the future. What was on the agenda? An exciting discussion about the increasing importance of startup investments by family businesses and family offices. With a focus on bringing family businesses that invest in start-ups together with VCs, business angels and family offices. The aim was to promote an exchange of knowledge between the various parties and to discuss the topic of venture capital as a valuable investment opportunity for family businesses.   In an inspiring atmosphere characterized by trusting conversations and honest exchanges, we discussed innovation potential and investment strategies together. Here are three key findings from the event: 💼 Diverse investment strategies: Many participants pursue multiple approaches to startup investments. This shows that the VC ecosystem in family businesses is evolving and becoming more professional.    🤝🏼 Family involvement as a key factor: Entrepreneurial families who are directly involved in the investment process create structures that are attractive to both founders and co-investors.  📖 Research meets practice: The keynote on Till Rösnick's doctoral thesis met with great interest and positive feedback. Stepping back from the role of interviewer made it possible to share research findings that fell on fertile ground with the participants.  A big thank you to all participants for making these discussions so valuable! 🙌 The conclusion: Start-up investments by family businesses are already a model for success if they are implemented correctly.  We look forward to continuing this exchange and hearing more perspectives. Are you interested? Get in touch with Till Rösnick! We look forward to the dialog! 💬

WEPA teams in France are committed to sustainability at their sites 🌱 As part of the European Sustainable Development Week, our WEPA teams in France have energetically organized numerous great initiatives. Each location has made its own contribution and implemented individual projects to raise awareness of sustainable behavior and responsibility: 🌍 Lille: Here, we not only rolled up our sleeves but also made donations! We donated three pallets of sustainably produced toilet paper to the organization Les Restos du Coeur to support those in need. Additionally, a "Clean Up Day" was held, during which the environment at our locations was cleared of waste. Workshops on repairing everyday items and engaging quizzes about waste management rounded out the program and promoted awareness of recycling and reuse. 🐝 Troyes: Bees are at the heart of a green future – without them, there are no plants, no food. We highlighted the importance of bees for the diversity of our ecosystem during an beekeeping workshop, where participants learned fascinating facts about protecting these vital creatures and were able to take home a jar of honey at the end. We also set up a composter and launched a competition for CO₂-reducing recipes – of course, featuring delicious, regional ingredients. 🤝 Château-Thierry: Here, solidarity was the focus: We donated food and sustainably produced hygiene products to the organization Les Restos du Coeur to provide those in need with access to sustainable products and support them. These initiatives are just a small glimpse into what our WEPA team is doing for a more sustainable future. We are incredibly proud of their commitment – and of making a difference together! 🌱#togetherforabetterlife

⭐️ German Packaging Award 2024 in the Sustainability category goes to Goldeimer, WILDPLASTIC®, Bischof+Klein and WEPA! 🏆   Together with Goldeimer, WILDPLASTIC®, and Bischof+Klein, WEPA, as the manufacturer of hygiene paper, designed the packaging for the well-known "social toilet paper" from Goldeimer 🤝 – packaging made from 50% wild plastic that is both hygienic and high quality. For years, WEPA has been the manufacturer of Goldeimer's toilet paper, producing it from recycled paper, and recently even from recycled cardboard. 📦   "Why wild plastic"? This refers to plastic waste that has so far been outside the recycling loop – for example, in illegal dumps, in nature, or on the streets. WILDPLASTIC® and local partners collect wild plastic in countries like India, Thailand, and Indonesia to give valuable raw materials a new purpose: a meaningful use in products like the new Goldeimer packaging. ♻️   Three years of development, four dedicated partners – and the result speaks for itself: Since February 2024, the Goldeimer packaging has provided a sustainable alternative in supermarkets. 🛒 A great contribution to environmental protection and a true example of a circular economy with social added value!

So proud of our Satino by WEPA team 🤩 for being honoured by the European Cleaning Journal with the European Cleaning & Hygiene Award 🏆 in the category „Sustainability - Best Practice (Manufacturer)“ 🌎📦