From Waste Paper to a Sustainable Solution: How “Vičiūnai ir partneriai” Saved 14,620 Trees in 2025
Can packaging be turned into a tool that not only protects a product but also helps preserve nature? The results of 2025 show that it can.
UAB “Vičiūnai ir partneriai”, in cooperation with UAB “Starna”, has for several years been choosing packaging made from recycled cardboard fibre, thereby putting the principles of the circular economy into real practice.
Last year’s figures speak for themselves — they reveal how everyday business decisions can become a meaningful contribution to environmental protection.
43 million trays that did not start from a felled tree
Before reaching store shelves, many products of the Vičiūnai Group are packed on special trays. In 2025, about 43 million units were purchased. Most importantly, they were produced not from newly cut timber but from 860 tonnes of recycled paper collected from sorted waste.
This means that hundreds of tonnes of paper and cardboard waste did not end up in landfills but returned to the production cycle, becoming a new product. This is exactly how the circular economy works — when materials live more than one life.
How much forest is hidden in the numbers?
When talking about sustainability, it is often difficult to imagine the real scale. In this case, however, the numbers become very concrete.
By using 860 tonnes of recycled paper:
about 14,620 trees were saved,
this equals roughly 10 hectares of mature forest,
or an area large enough to fit several football stadiums.
This is not just statistics — these are mature trees that continue absorbing carbon dioxide, producing oxygen, and maintaining ecosystem balance.
Less CO₂ = more air for the future
The use of recycled paper has a direct impact on reducing climate change. Compared with production from virgin wood, approximately 1,460 tonnes of CO₂ emissions were avoided in 2025.
To make this easier to imagine, this equals the annual emissions of roughly 1,000 cars. Such figures show that even packaging decisions can become an important part of a climate strategy.
Saved trees mean not only fewer forests cut down, but also more oxygen. It is estimated that 14,620 trees produce around 1,460 tonnes of oxygen per year — enough for approximately 3,000 people to breathe.
A golden tray that can still be recycled
Although the trays are coated with gold or silver laminate, they remain recyclable. More than 90% of their composition is recycled cardboard, while the PET film required for product protection can be separated during the recycling process.
This has been confirmed both by laboratory tests using the CEPI method and by real recycling plant trials. In other words, even technologically more complex packaging can be environmentally friendly if designed responsibly.
When packaging becomes part of the change
The circular economy often sounds like a complicated term, but its essence is simple: use resources wisely and allow them to return to the cycle. The case of “Vičiūnai ir partneriai” shows that even such a seemingly small element as a packaging tray can have a significant environmental impact.
The results of 2025 are not just numbers in a report. They represent tens of thousands of saved trees, lower emissions, and a clear message to the market: sustainable solutions can be both practical and economically sound.