Tissue and packaging strengthen its customer base
Tissue demand in the first quarter of 2023 proved to be extraordinarily resilient globally, thus ensuring a good performance as regards the sale of finished products amidst a scenario of favourable prices, and witnessed a 27% growth year-on-year.
On March 31, the acquisition of the Gomà-Camps Group “Consumer” business in Spain was completed. The integration of this new plant should allow Navigator to position itself as the second largest Iberian producer of Tissue, adding 35,000 tons of Tissue paper production capacity, reaching a total of 165,000 tons, and increasing the converting capacity by 60,000 tons to 180,000 tons.
The resulting company now bearing the name Navigator Tissue Ejea closed the quarter with a turnover in excess of €32 million. These results are not consolidated yet in this segment’s results for this quarter, as the company is registered as a financial holding.
As for the new packaging segment, and despite the unfavourable macroeconomic context, it keeps showing positive aspects, such as the acknowledgement of the quality of Navigator’s globulus eucalyptus fibre-based products and, so therefore, of the gKraft brand, serving brands with major exposure, in different sectors from fashion to food retail, e-commerce, industry or agriculture, resulting in an increasingly larger and more diverse client base willing to help deplastification of the word economy.
The client base has been steadily increasing, now exceeding 230 active customers (+ 45% year-on-year).
Among the various ongoing development projects, Navigator took moved forward in the first quarter with the development of packaging products for the food, construction and consumer goods industries.
The Company is further involved in the ongoing development of its investment project for the construction of the moulded cellulose container production plant to replace single-use plastic at points of sale in the food packaging and food service segments. Among the many operations underway, it is worth highlighting the construction works of the factory, the acquisition of production technology, and product development, with the strong involvement of RAIZ – Instituto de Investigação da Floresta e Papel, an R&D Laboratory of The Navigator Company, the recruitment of specialized resources and market research.
A bio-industry on the right side of the future
Navigator is one of the most sustainable companies in the world. It was awarded the top rating (“A”) for world leadership in combating climate change. This prize was awarded by CDP – Disclosure Insight Action, a non-profit organization managing the largest and most complete independent global system of dissemination of environmental information to companies, regions, cities and states.
The Company also participates in CDP Forest, focused on forest management and was acknowledged, right in the second year, for its performance in this category, with a rating of (“A-“), and has a leading position in this field.
And it is also worth mentioning the annual assessment by the rating agency Sustainalytics, published at the end of January, which again classified Navigator as a low-risk company for investors, and acknowledged its work as an ESG Industry Top-Rated company. Navigator’s rating and good positioning in this ranking are relevant facts that reflect the continuous work carried out by the Company as regards integrating sustainability as a priority in its business model, proving its ability to anticipate and manage ESG risks in its operations.
With a Corporate Object and a 2030 Responsible Management Agenda aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Navigator’s strategy is based on a strong investment to develop sustainable bioproducts, using raw materials from forests with certified management or controlled origin, reducing dependence on fossil resources and promoting the decarbonization of the economy.
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