Austria´s Leading Companies, 11th Place, Styria
Creative
NATURALLY
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
HONORARY PRIMUS BUSINESS AWARD by Kleine Zeitung
Susanne Meininger nominated as FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
INNOVATION AWARD STYRIA for Packnatur Neudau
HIPE (High Performance) AWARD
HANDELSMERKUR
GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD for the Packnatur® Pop-up Bag
VPZ ranked as „World´s 18th Best Designer, category Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design“ at the international A´ DESIGN AWARD
Susanne Meininger nominated for the STEIRERIN AWARD
WORLDSTAR PACKAGING AWARD for the Packnatur® Pick Pack reusable bag made from beechwood cellulose
Nomination at the GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD
SUSTAINABLE FOOD AWARDS / Category Sustainable Packaging / Runner-up
RUSHLIGHT AWARDS commended 2018/19
SMART PACKAGING STATE PRICE B2C
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
ENERGY GLOBE STYRIA AWARD, Category "International"
Susanne Meininger nominated for the STEIRERIN AWARDS
GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD
Nominated as "Sustainable Designer of Austria" by Lebensart Verlag (Lebensart Publishing House) / BUSINESSART
EUROPEAN CEO ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD / Western Europe / Packaging Industry
GREEN PRODUCT AWARD
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
National Champion at the EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARDS 2016/17
Nomination at the HANDELSMERKUR AWARDS
Nomination at the TRIGOS AWARDS for Styria
Nominated STYRIA'S FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
TOP 7 GRAZ ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR 2014 in the 'Business' category
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
Top 10 STYRIAN OF THE DECADE – run by the Kleine Zeitung – in the 'Bright Minds' category
GREEN PACKAGING STAR AWARD
Silver in the 'Sustainable Products and Projects/Green Design Award' category at the international A´ DESIGN AWARD
Nomination at the FRUIT LOGISTICA INNOVATION AWARD
ÖGUT ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD
International MATERIALICA DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY AWARD Best of CO2
FAST FORWARD AWARD (Styrian business and innovation award)
FIBRE PLUS (award presented by the Austrian paper industry for innovative cellulose products)
NOMINATION at the ENERGY GLOBE AWARD AUSTRIA
ENERGY GLOBE AWARD STYRIA
Cellulose tube netting commended as an 'EXEMPLARY PACKAGING SOLUTION' at the AUSTRIAN PACKAGING AWARDS
DAPHNE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY BRONZE AWARD for the cellulose tube netting
Nomination for outstanding performance at the PRIMUS AWARDS hosted by Kleine Zeitung, the State of Styria and the Chamber of Commerce
EUF AWARD for successful female company succession
Nomination at the AUSTRIAN CLIMATE PROTECTION AWARDS
The biopolymers project voted 'Excellent project' at the DAPHNE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
CREATIVE GRAZ AWARD
ÖGUT ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD – nomination in the 'Innovative environmental technology' category
2nd place at the international RIO AWARD for the Alginsulate foam project
Nomination at the EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARDS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Nomination at the WRAP AWARD
TRIGOS – Nomination for the Alginsulate foam project
TRIGOS – award for the development of organic net bags
Commendation as an ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS MANAGER by the Umweltschutz magazine
ECO DESIGN AWARD
ÖGUT ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD – recognition award in the 'Women and environmental technology' category
Nominated for 'Exemplary packaging solutions' at the AUSTRIAN PACKAGING AWARDS
EMBALLISSIMO/PRINTISSIMO (award from the Austrian paper industry)
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AWARD FROM THE CITY OF GRAZ
INNOVATION AWARD FROM THE STYRIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AWARD PRESENTED BY THE STYRIAN STATE GOVERNMENT
Susanne Meininger –TOP YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Commendation as THE MOST FAMILY- AND WOMEN-FRIENDLY BUSINESS IN STYRIA