In 2021, HEINZEL GROUP achieved the second-best earnings in the company’s history and defined strategic sustainability targets

For the first time since the record-breaking year 2018, HEINZEL GROUP exceeded the two-billion-Euro mark in terms of its revenues in 2021. Rising sales volumes and the high market prices led to an increase in net sales of 26.5% to €2,038.2 million. In total, HEINZEL GROUP generated EBITDA of €195.8 million in 2021 despite the challenging market conditions – with a plus of 55.4% compared to the prior year, this represents the second-highest result in the company’s history and an excellent basis for implementing its new strategic objectives.

This impressive overall result is due to the outstanding performance of HEINZEL GROUP’s production and trading companies. In total, HEINZEL GROUP increased its paper and cellulose production by 5% compared to the prior year to 1,687,939 metric tons. Group-wide sales volumes – 54.7% third party goods and 45.3% in-house production – also rose in 2021, by 26,000 metric tons to 3,712,092 metric tons.

Sebastian Heinzel takes over as CEO of HEINZEL GROUP
In April 2022, Sebastian Heinzel (formerly Chief Strategy Officer) succeeds Kurt Maier as Chief Executive Officer of HEINZEL GROUP. Kurt Maier is transferring to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) and remaining on the Management Board alongside CFO Barbara Potisk-Eibensteiner. In April, Sebastian Heinzel is handing over his former role as CEO of the trading company heinzelsales to the former COO of this subsidiary, Krunoslav Meic. “I have set myself the goal of making HEINZEL GROUP larger, better and fit for the future. This means placing a particular emphasis on sustainability,” is how Sebastian Heinzel describes his corporate vision.

Sustainability goals in the corporate strategy
A focus on sustainability was fundamentally anchored in the corporate strategy of HEINZEL GROUP in 2021. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations, the company has formulated clear sustainability objectives and defined non-financial key performance indicators. On its path to climate neutrality by 2050 and as part of its decarbonization strategy, HEINZEL GROUP aims to reduce group-wide CO2 emissions by 35% compared to 2021 levels by no later than 2030. Details of the company’s sustainability strategy can be found in the first-ever integrated annual and sustainability report published by HEINZEL GROUP at www.heinzel.com/en/2021.

Outlook: Growth trajectory to be continued despite adverse circumstances
The development of the 2022 financial year will be shaped primarily by the war in Ukraine as well as the ongoing pandemic, increasing inflation and high raw material and energy prices. Despite all of these adverse factors, HEINZEL GROUP still forecasts high demand for paper and cellulose and is striving to continue its growth trajectory in 2022. The company is also intensively working on its sustainability objectives.