News

November, 2025

For the Prinzhorn Group, circularity is the company’s entire purpose of doing business.

In a recent Pedersen & Partners Circular Economy Series discussion, Max Hölbl, Member of the Management Board, Prinzhorn Group, spoke with Katharina Kaiser, Country Manager for Austria at Pedersen & Partners, and Marek Petruš, Client Partner, about how the company lives circularity. The goal, he explained, is to "treat sustainability as a business model and a purpose at the same time". 

Prinzhorn’s business model integrates recycling, paper production, and packaging into a closed industrial loop. Every fibre collected and reprocessed reinforces the principle that resources should never be wasted but continuously reused, a philosophy that underpins both the company’s operations and leadership ethos.

Waste Reduction as an Operational Priority
Waste reduction remains one of Prinzhorn Group’s top sustainability priorities. The company views waste management not only as an environmental goal but also as a key driver of cost efficiency and operational excellence. 

Mr. Hölbl explained that waste monitoring is part of everyday routines: "Waste reduction means cost reduction, and it’s a daily routine in our operations to check the waste figure and to see where it’s coming from, whether from the corrugation machine or the converting area". 
This structured monitoring allows the company to quickly identify inefficiencies and make targeted process improvements. 
Each site is tasked with lowering its waste and energy figures year after year, ensuring that progress remains measurable and consistent. 
Mr. Hölbl explained, "You always get your targets lower to have the waste reduced". This approach reinforces a culture of accountability and constant refinement, preventing stagnation and encouraging innovation. By linking waste control directly to financial performance, Prinzhorn ensures that sustainability initiatives remain integrated with overall business success.

Leadership and Living the Values
Before delving into culture, the discussion turned to leadership and how Prinzhorn’s values guide daily decision-making. When asked about how purpose translates into leadership routines, Max Hölbl underlined that living circularity begins with people: "If we talk about leadership, you absolutely need to have the mindset to understand that this is a sustainable business and that we want to make a positive contribution to society". 
He explained that the company’s three core values, People, Performance, and Responsibility, form the backbone of its leadership philosophy. "The ones who fit best into our company are those who embody teamwork, respect, intercultural openness, and ambition. We aim to set ambitious targets and achieve them together". 
This value-driven leadership approach ensures that circularity is not only a business strategy but also a daily behavioral standard lived by teams across all locations. 
Being a family-owned company also plays a central role in maintaining this culture.

Culture and Accountability
Prinzhorn Group’s circular-economy initiatives rely on a strong internal culture of accountability. Sustainability performance is viewed as a collective responsibility rather than a specialized function. 
"It’s a daily routine in the operations", Mr. Hölbl noted. "Everyone has to understand why it matters and how to influence it". This shared mindset reinforces the company’s ability to maintain consistent progress across multiple sites and divisions. 
Katharina Kaiser pointed out that this integration of purpose and process is what differentiates high-performing organizations: when environmental goals are embedded into operational culture, they become sustainable by design.

Conclusion: The Compass and the Speedometer
Prinzhorn Group’s circular-economy strategy combines long-term vision with continuous operational measurement. The company’s progress is guided by two complementary instruments: 

• The compass, represented by its CO₂-reduction commitments under the SBTi framework, defines strategic direction;
• The speedometer, reflected in monthly tracking of waste and energy indicators, ensures ongoing operational control. 

Together, these mechanisms enable Prinzhorn Group to align profitability with environmental stewardship, proving that industrial performance and sustainability can advance together. 
As Marek Petruš concluded, Prinzhorn’s model illustrates how disciplined measurement and continuous improvement form the foundation of a truly circular business.

Pedersen & Partners Circular Economy Series
This conversation with Max Hölbl, Katharina Kaiser, and Marek Petruš forms part of the Pedersen & Partners Circular Economy Series, exploring how leading industrial organizations embed sustainability into their business models, align measurable KPIs with strategy, and demonstrate that performance and responsibility can go hand in hand.