A successful partnership enters the next round: WEPA and WWF Germany have extended their cooperation until 2030 and set new priorities. Together, the partners are pursuing the goal of making hygiene paper based on recycled fibers the standard on the market. 

WEPA and WWF have been working together on various projects and initiatives since 2017. In addition to circular material cycles, the focus is on climate, resource and freshwater protection. For the next seven years, three key areas of action will form the basis of the partnership: informing consumers about the benefits of recycled products, promoting the circular economy within the industry and at a political level and continuing our existing commitment to protecting the local environment.  

"With the long-term partnership with WWF, we are continuing our successful nature conservation work and intensifying our cooperation on circular economy and recycling to achieve even greater impact. This underlines WEPA's commitment to driving the sustainability transformation and aligning environmental and economic interests.", says Martin Krengel, CEO WEPA Group.

Heike Vesper, Head of Transformation Policy & Economics, WWF Germany, adds: “From the supply chain to the consumer and politics - our partnership with WEPA demonstrates what it means to implement sustainability holistically.”

Raising consumer awareness, changing consumer habits

Sustainable products alone are often not enough to change ingrained purchasing habits or existing prejudices - this is also evident in the case of tissue paper. Sanitary paper made from wood-based virgin fibers still dominates the shelves today, even though recycled paper has long been a high-quality and resource-saving alternative. With a consumer campaign, WEPA and the WWF want to inform consumers about the advantages of recycled products and motivate them to make more conscious purchasing decisions.

Strengthening the circular economy and conserving resources

In order to establish hygiene paper based on recycled fibers, we want to start at the beginning of our value chain and set up a pilot project that contributes to the sustainable production of alternative, non-wood-based virgin fibers. In addition, we are further expanding our commitment to deforestation-free supply chains. Within the industry and at a political level, we want to work together to promote a systemic circular economy.

Nature conservation as a constant in our partnership

The protection of floodplains as part of the “Mittlere Elbe” nature conservation project, one of the last large alluvial forests in Central Europe, remains an integral part of the cooperation between WEPA and the WWF. The support for the project fits both thematically and regionally, as WEPA operates one plant in Saxony and one in Saxony-Anhalt. The aim is to strengthen the floodplain forest as a habitat for biodiversity and improve its protective function in the event of flooding by reforesting and renaturalizing the threatened floodplains of the Elbe. The project is supported by the federal funding program Blue Ribbon Germany.

We at WEPA are delighted to be working with the WWF to drive forward the transformation of our industry. A task that can only succeed with strong and committed partners.  

About WWF Germany

WWF Germany is part of the international environmental protection organization World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). For over 50 years, the WWF network has been working around the globe to stop the destruction of the environment and shape a future in which people and nature live together in harmony. WWF Germany is currently working to preserve biodiversity in more than 100 national and international projects.

You can find more information about the partnership with the WWF on the WWF website.