Passionately innovative

The story of VPZ Verpackungszentrum began in 1982 as Helmut Meininger founded a company that sells food packaging in Graz, Austria. Our portfolio is still traditional – paper bags, films, nets and trays.

In 1989, Susanne Meininger took over the reins from her father and began working with him to introduce a new environmental focus to product development. This move was not borne of a financially driven business decision but rather from personal conviction, not to mention the continuous need to set new benchmarks in terms of quality. In March 2019, Markus Kainer was appointed as the second Managing Director of VPZ, heading up Packnatur®.

Besides the standard packaging range, VPZ also sells biodegradable packaging such as cellulose tube netting, natural fibre sacks, groundwood packaging, disposable tableware made from sugar cane bagasse, starch packaging, disposable wooden cutlery and an extensive range of paper packaging. Our creativity knows no bounds when it comes to developing new, environmentally friendlier concepts for product packaging.

Today, 92% of our products are – naturally – of biogenic origin. Deriving foam from seaweed, biopolymers from agricultural waste or netting from cellulose fibres has nothing to do with science fiction. These are actual research projects that VPZ has been working on since 1992.

Mother Nature offers a whole range of solutions that VPZ exploits, working in close cooperation with researchers, designers, technical experts and customers.

Today, VPZ unites a business-oriented concept with an environmentally focussed approach.

Numerous prizes and awards, publications and participation in international exhibitions are testimony to the success of this philosophy. 2013 saw a market breakthrough with the launch of cellulose tube netting made from LENZING™ Modal. Since then, the product can be seen on the shelves of leading supermarkets in Austria.

Bronze. Silver. Gold
.
Recovered paper.

Awards

2022

Austria´s Leading Companies, 11th Place, Styria

2022   

HONORARY PRIMUS BUSINESS AWARD by Kleine Zeitung

2022

Susanne Meininger nominated as FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

2022

INNOVATION AWARD STYRIA for Packnatur Neudau

2021

HIPE (High Performance) AWARD

2021

HANDELSMERKUR

2021

GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD for the Packnatur® Pop-up Bag

 

2021

VPZ ranked as „World´s 18th Best Designer, category Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design“ at the international A´ DESIGN AWARD

2020

Susanne Meininger nominated for the STEIRERIN AWARD

2020

WORLDSTAR PACKAGING AWARD for the Packnatur® Pick Pack reusable bag made from beechwood cellulose

2019

Nomination at the GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD

2019

SUSTAINABLE FOOD AWARDS / Category Sustainable Packaging / Runner-up

2019

RUSHLIGHT AWARDS commended 2018/19

2018

SMART PACKAGING STATE PRICE B2C

2018

WORLDSTAR PACKAGING AWARD for the Packnatur® cellulose net tubes and Packnatur® organic wineglass labels, category Food Packaging, Sustainable Award in silver, Presidential Award in bronze, Lifetime Achievement for company founder Helmut Meininger

2018

ENERGY GLOBE STYRIA AWARD, Category "International"

2017

GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD

2018

Susanne Meininger nominated for the STEIRERIN AWARDS

2017

EUROPEAN CEO ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD / Western Europe / Packaging Industry

2017

Nominated as "Sustainable Designer of Austria" by Lebensart Verlag (Lebensart Publishing House) / BUSINESSART

2023

Packnatur® Partner Jac.Vandenberg wins US Plastics Pact Sustainable Packaging Innovation Award with wooden nets

2016

GREEN PRODUCT AWARD

2016

6th PLACE IN THE GLOBAL RANKING of the last 8 years of A´ DESIGN AWARD entrants, in the 'Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design Award' category

2016

National Champion at the EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARDS 2016/17

2015

Nomination at the HANDELSMERKUR AWARDS

2015

Nomination at the TRIGOS AWARDS for Styria

2015

Nominated STYRIA'S FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

2014

TOP 7 GRAZ ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR 2014 in the 'Business' category

2014

AUSTRIA´S LEADING COMPANIES, Top 10 (ranked 8th) in the 'Sound small business' category in Styria, winner of the Austrian PWC SUSTAINABILITY AWARD in the 'Sound small business' category

2014

Top 10 STYRIAN OF THE DECADE – run by the Kleine Zeitung – in the 'Bright Minds' category

2014

GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD

2014

Silver in the 'Sustainable Products and Projects/Green Design Award' category at the international A´ DESIGN AWARD

2014

Nomination at the FRUIT LOGISTICA INNOVATION AWARD

2013

ÖGUT ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD

2013

International MATERIALICA DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY AWARD Best of CO2

2013

FAST FORWARD AWARD (Styrian business and innovation award)

2013

FIBRE PLUS (award presented by the Austrian paper industry for innovative cellulose products)

2013

NOMINATION at the ENERGY GLOBE AWARD AUSTRIA

2013

ENERGY GLOBE AWARD STYRIA

2012

Cellulose tube netting commended as an 'EXEMPLARY PACKAGING SOLUTION' at the AUSTRIAN PACKAGING AWARDS

2012

DAPHNE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY BRONZE AWARD for the cellulose tube netting

2011

Nomination for outstanding performance at the PRIMUS AWARDS hosted by Kleine Zeitung, the State of Styria and the Chamber of Commerce

2011

EUF AWARD for successful female company succession

2010

Nomination at the AUSTRIAN CLIMATE PROTECTION AWARDS

2008

The biopolymers project voted 'Excellent project' at the DAPHNE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AWARDS

2007

CREATIVE GRAZ AWARD

2006

ÖGUT ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD – nomination in the 'Innovative environmental technology' category

2006

2nd place at the international RIO AWARD for the Alginsulate foam project

2006

Nomination at the EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARDS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

2005

Nomination at the WRAP AWARD

2005

TRIGOS – Nomination for the Alginsulate foam project

2004

TRIGOS – award for the development of organic net bags

2001

Commendation as an ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS MANAGER by the Umweltschutz magazine

2001

ECO DESIGN AWARD

2001

ÖGUT ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD – recognition award in the 'Women and environmental technology' category

2000

Nominated for 'Exemplary packaging solutions' at the AUSTRIAN PACKAGING AWARDS

1997

EMBALLISSIMO/PRINTISSIMO (award from the Austrian paper industry)

1997

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AWARD FROM THE CITY OF GRAZ

1995

INNOVATION AWARD FROM THE STYRIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

1995

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AWARD PRESENTED BY THE STYRIAN STATE GOVERNMENT

1994

Susanne Meininger –TOP YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

1991

Commendation as THE MOST FAMILY- AND WOMEN-FRIENDLY BUSINESS IN STYRIA