CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

Since the start, when Stena Recycling Poland was a collector and processor of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, the company has grown rapidly, partly through acquisitions. It has expanded into new business areas such as processing of recovered paper, hazardous waste, and other production waste. 

“Both our volumes and number of customers are growing year by year which has a very positive impact on our financial results. After delivering red figures for many years, we’re pleased that during last three years we’ve delivered increasing profits, which is a positive development we intend to continue,” says Lars Ibsen, MD of Stena Recycling Poland for the past six years.

The processing and recovery of valuable materials from electrical and electronic equipment is an area that has been built from scratch in Poland. An electronics recycling and processing center has been established at the plant in Wschowa in the Lubuskie region. After Halmstad in Sweden, this flagship center, in which over 50 million PLN have been invested, is the second largest Stena Recycling branch of this type in Europe. At this state-of-the-art facility valuable metals are recovered. In addition, the processing of LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene Thermoplastic) packaging film, from which a finished raw material in the form of LDPE granules is produced, will soon start. A new battery center is also under implementation.

Stena Recycling has branches located in the vicinity of most large cities in Poland, employs over 500 people, processes approximately 800 thousand tons of waste per year, and serves over 2,000 customers. During the last years the number of A-clients has increased by 15% per year.

“I believe that our high competence and service levels are the main drivers for this growth. We’re servicing many large international brands and our clients really value our support and proactive engagement in improving their waste management and environmental footprint. Thanks to our new LDPE granulation line we have very interesting ongoing projects with some of our large strategic clients,” says Lars Ibsen.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY – THE MOST IMPORTANT TREND RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN THE COMING YEARS

For the next few years, one of the most important trends related to environmental protection will be the circular economy, in which effective and responsible waste management is key. In response to this, Stena Recycling Poland has for many years been active in education and promotion of appropriate behaviors, as well as promoting the development of economic models in line with the idea of a circular economy through various competitions. 

“We’re already observing the great importance of circular economy. Regulations introduced in EU countries, such as the Ecodesign Directive or the Green Deal, point in the direction of change and many large corporations declare their environmental goals. We stand by our customers in this change, supporting them and providing new solutions that help them reach their environ-mental goals and fulfill their stakeholders’ expectations,” says Lars Ibsen.

The Polish market for waste management is very fragmented without dominating players. Stena Recycling Poland only has 4% market share, which gives opportunities for growth by taking market shares from competitors. Stena Recycling is also able to grow both by revenues and earnings thanks to additional services offered to customers, and the general Polish growth which is above the EU average.

“The outlook is very positive for our industry as the awareness of and attention to sustainability and circular economy for our Polish clients is increasing, which is driving further growth for us,” Lars Ibsen ends.