Dunapack Rodina JSC will invest some 3.0 million levs ($2.0 million/1.53 million euro) this year in equipment upgrades aiming to improve energy efficiency and cut production time at its plant in Plovdiv, the country's second biggest city, the company's managing director said.
Dunapack Rodina's investment strategy for 2013 envisages upgrading the steam plant and reducing gas consumption by 10% annually, saving some 70,000 levs per year, Stanislav Razpopov told SeeNews in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of a business forum held last week in the capital Sofia.
The company will also expand and upgrade the compressor stations, which will bring down energy consumption, and will equip the plant with new dryers saving production time.
Over the last 10 years Dunapack Rodina has invested over 40 million levs in various upgrades that have broadened the technological lines of the company and made it more environment friendly, Razpopov added.
He, however, noted that even though investment volume is a major indicator of a company’s development, every investment project should be evaluated according to its environmental and social impact, as well as sustainability aspect. Yet environment protection and sustainability still rank low on the agenda of most local businesses.
To help change things the government should provide incentives for companies with a clear green vision and environmental consciousness, for example through tax breaks, Razpopov said.
“Bulgaria is still miles away from the other EU countries where there is significantly more visible promotion of green manufacturing and sustainable businesses,” he commented and pointed to the recent launch of a new thermal power plant in Germany as a clear example of green investment that balances between good environmental impact, sustainability of resources and positive economic effect. The 140 million euro plant in Eastern Germany, covers fully the energy needs of the company's plants in Germany, running on waste produced by them, households, and other business in the region. It can process a total of 210,000 tons of waste annually.
Dunapack Packaging is a producer and supplier of corrugated board and packaging, operating in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. The Bulgarian unit joined the group in 2002.
(1 euro = 1.956 Bulgarian levs)
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