Trend recognized early

Automatically stored design

Ernst Brunbauer (69) has held a majority stake in the company, which now employs 200 people, since 2008.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Lenzing Papier (3))

Lenzing Papier used to focus on products for envelopes, but today envelopes are much less of an issue for the Upper Austrian company. Instead, the focus is on the production of material for exercise books, carrier bags and advertising folders. The be-all and end-all here: recycling know-how.

Lenzing Papier was already producing recycled paper when Ernst Brunbauer took over the majority of the company in 2008. At that time, however, products for envelopes still dominated, says the 69-year-old.

16 years later, the basis for envelopes is still produced in Werkstrasse 2, but today it is mainly rolls of recycled paper that are then processed into carrier bags, exercise books, annual reports, advertising folders and the like.

From 130 to 200 employees
The green trend was recognized early on: "We jumped on the bandwagon and tried to be at the front of the pack and are now the market leader in Europe," says Brunbauer, under whose leadership the company has grown from 130 to 200 employees.

The fact that the demand for paper is generally declining is also a challenge for Lenzing. "People are sending emails instead of letters - we have to live with that," says the entrepreneur, who also recognizes a trend reversal in times of digitalization: "Sweden wants printed school books again, for example."

The paper processed into exercise books and college pads at the Format plant in Gunskirchen is produced in Lenzing.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Paper mills are criticized for the high amount of energy required for drying. Brunbauer and his team benefit from the symbiosis with fiber producer Lenzing, which also holds a 40 percent stake in the company.

"We use the waste heat," says the boss, whose company places great emphasis on recycling paper waste. This also includes the leftovers from label production, he reveals.