Bewi Invest AS

Environmental & Social Information • Mar 3, 2021

BEWI establishes packaging hub on Jøsnøya island, Hitra, Norway

BEWI establishes packaging hub on Jøsnøya island, Hitra, Norway

BEWI today announces the company's plans to build a new packaging facility on

the Jøsnøya island, Hitra, on the west coast of central Norway. The new facility

will be BEWI's most modern and efficient facility for production of fish boxes,

and in addition have facilities to serve the increasing volumes of reusable

boxes and reusable pallets. The facility will also be a warehouse and logistics

hub for the group's delivery of other types of packaging products to the fish

farming industry.

Significant investment

At the core of the new facility is a highly efficient production line for fish

boxes made from expanded polystyrene (EPS). BEWI is today the market leader in

Norway, with five facilities, including one under construction on Senja, in

Northern Norway. The company also plans to test new technologies for EPS

production at the new hub. "We look forward to inviting our customers to join us

on this development track", says Stein Inge Liasjø, managing director of BEWI in

Norway.

BEWI plans to have the new facility ready to commence operations in 2022 and the

set up may lead to as many as 20 full time positions. BEWI has started the

dialogue with the local municipality about the development project and is in

talks with several partners and suppliers for the new packaging hub. The company

has also signed a letter of intent with KMC Properties ASA, which owns the land

where the facility will be built, and which will own the facility building.

The investment in a new packaging facility at Hitra is made to serve current

customers and contracts, as well as to position BEWI for future deliveries to

the fish farming industry.

«The aquaculture industry is important to Norway and it is important to BEWI. We

believe this industry will continue to grow going forward ", Liasjø continues.

Packaging is more than fish boxes

BEWI has a growing volume of reusable plastic boxes running in closed cycles

between customers' facilities in the region and facilities all over Europe. The

reusable boxes are transported back to Hitra for cleaning and quality control

before they are reused. The packaging hub will also include storage and handling

of the reusable boxes. Here, BEWI also plans to handle reusable pallets,

intended to replace current use of disposable wooden pallets in the industry.

The aquaculture industry has a great need for various packaging solutions. BEWI

is a total supplier of such solutions and the investment at Hitra will also

include warehousing and logistics for other packaging, such as foil, cardboard,

corrugated cardboard, and solid cardboard, as well as other packaging products.

BEWI sees further opportunities for its investment at Hitra. "It is a bit early

to comment now, but we see several exciting opportunities underway. We want to

cooperate with the other actors in the industry so that we can ensure a

sustainable development overall. Everything we do must lead to a better

everyday, "says Stein Inge Liasjø.

Fish boxes in EPS consist of 98 per cent air and are fully recyclable. BEWI has

an ambitious goal of collecting 60,000 tonnes of EPS waste annually. The waste

comes from both the building and packaging industries. After collection, BEWI

processes the used EPS into new raw material at its own raw material factories

and is thus the first and only one in the industry to operate in a circular

manner.

For more information, please contact:

Stein Inge Liasjø, managing director BEWI Norge, tel: +47 464 02 353

Charlotte Knudsen, director of IR and communications BEWI ASA, tel: +47 9756

1959

About BEWI ASA

BEWI is an international provider of packaging, components, and insulation

solutions. The company's commitment to sustainability is integrated throughout

the value chain, from production of raw materials and end goods, to recycling of

used products. With a vision to protect people and goods for a better every day,

BEWI is leading the change towards a circular economy.

BEWI ASA is listed at the Oslo Børs under ticker BEWI.