Many participants (employees, partners, suppliers, public figures, journalists, etc.) gathered at the Blue Paper site in Strasbourg on 27 June to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this paper mill, which was founded in 1936 and switched to corrugated case material (containerboard) in 2013. It was then that the company became Blue Paper, a joint venture equally owned by Belgium’s VPK and Germany’s Klingele. Today, the site produces some 400,000 tonnes per year. In 10 years, some 3.5 Mt have been manufactured on this machine, and the 4 Mt mark will be passed in early 2024.
A true industrial and managerial success story, Blue Paper has invested not only €100m over the years in modernising the machine, but also €60m in energy and the environment, often with innovative and visionary projects. The Managing Director of Blue Paper, François Bru, and the chairmen of VPK and Klingele (Pierre Macharis and Dr Jan Klingele) recalled the site’s milestones and outlined a number of avenues for the future.
In particular, the plant is aiming to produce 440,000 t/year without altering its impact. Finally, during the ceremony, Blue Paper was awarded the “Alsace Excellence” CSR Label (photo) by Adira (Alsace Development Agency). This award recognises the company’s economic, social, societal and ecological performance.
Valérie Lechiffre
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