Great news from Riga!

Turnhout, February 1, 2022 | Van Genechten Packaging (VGP) are very proud to announce that its production site VG Kvadra Pak in Riga, Latvia, has been awarded Carbon Neutral Certification. The second plant after VG Angoulême that achieved this Carbon Neutral Footprint Standard in 2020.

This certification represents the next step in VGP’s long-term goal of minimising its impact on nature through continuous investment in CO2 reduction. With demand for sustainable packaging increasing exponentially within the FMCG sector, VGP’s focus remains on providing its customers with creative solutions that delight consumers whilst driving sustainability.

Meeting the growing demand for sustainable packaging

VGP’s world is based on using innovative, eco-friendly materials to provide inspiring packaging designs that delight their customers but also help them reduce their environmental impact. This spirit of partnership extends to helping customers calculate the carbon footprint of their packaging: eye-catching solutions that answer both commercial and sustainability needs.

VGP CEO Prof. Dr. Frank Ohle says: “First of all I want to thank the Riga team for their dedication in helping us strive towards our long-term vision. Their award-winning efforts are proving that, even in challenging times where we’re working hard on keeping everybody safe, we can still innovate. Even smarter packaging solutions enable us to work as a team with our customers to improve our eco-footprints, together. This certification will also open doors to other market segments and applications. It will help us keep answering the needs of the FMCG sector, provide an industry-leading sustainability vision and implement our long-term goals.”

Focus on Riga production site

VGP’s Riga organisation is well known to accolades, having already enjoyed 5 international and local industry awards in the last 2 years, as well as a Silver award for sustainable business and now the Climate Neutral Certification.

These are all testimony to the spirit of our Latvian team, who have consistently gone beyond expectations in VGP’s quest for constant improvement towards Carbon Neutral status.

Our operation in Riga provides high-quality, creative, and innovative packaging for premium spirits, beauty and cosmetics and confectionery amongst others and specialises in multi-component packaging and customised finishing techniques.

As part of the site’s continuous investment in sustainability, VGP is strongly investing into process optimization and technology as well as continuously monitors its progress in reducing its carbon footprint and offsets unavoidable emissions in partnership with a ClimatePartner programme which protects the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. These forests are not only a haven of biodiversity, they act as one of the Earth’s largest carbon reservoirs.

Roberts Vasilevskis, General Director for VG Kvadra Pak commented: “Sustainability has always been high on our agenda, but seeing recent climate developments has underlined that action is needed now, therefore we took a decision to act immediately and become a CO2 neutral company. I am delighted to say that thanks to great teamwork and support from our partners it was possible to complete the project successfully within just a few months and receive positive recognition from our employees and customers.”

In further good news for VGP, their production site in Angoulême, France has renewed its Climate Neutral Certification that it achieved for the first time in 2020.

The sum of VGP’s climate initiatives is a clear competitive advantage and enables the company to be part of the sustainability strategies of its customers: Environmentally friendly packaging solutions are part of VGP’s DNA.

Contact us
sales@vangenechten.com
Heidi Vanspauwen
Group MarCom Manager
Raadsherenstraat 2
B-2300 Turnhout
Tel: 0032 14 40 36 40

About Van Genechten Packaging (VGP)

Where people, brands and folding carton meet, that is where the magic happens at VGP, every single time. For over 180 years now VGP has believed in the unique impact of packaging for brands and products, for people and the planet, and made it work.

Today it remains one of the last truly independent European packaging specialists with HQ in Turnhout, Belgium, 10 folding carton sites and 1 extrusion site in 7 countries. Customers have come to value both this presence and independent spirit: typical is VGP’s ‘people first’ approach, where customer-centric collaboration is key to success. It has won the company many leading industry awards.

VGP generates an annual revenue of about 300 million euros. As a leading provider of packaging in European fast-moving consumer goods, the company continues to grow in printed folding cartons, offset laminated corrugated board, POS displays and a wide range of other packaging solutions.