Kang Dali: Paper industry is also environmentally friendly

Paper industry is usually considered an unenvironmental industry, and a paper company even explicitly said: "We are an environmentally friendly company". Kang Dali, the Chinese subsidiary of global paper sales giant Antalis, has this confidence.

Antalis is the largest paper sales group in Europe and is part of the European Sequana Group. Its brother company is the famous paper group ArjoWiggins, and Condelli is the exclusive agent of its art paper products in Asia.

Its Chinese subsidiary Kangdali (China) specializes in high-end art paper and is currently the largest high-end art paper dealer in China. When it comes to their brand, Ganggu Paper, almost no one knows the designer.

The foundation of green enterprise competition

Since 2008, Kangdali (China) three branches in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou have successively passed FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Certification Forest Certification Scheme) certification. FSC is the world's most stringent certification system for forest management and forest product processing trade. PEFC is the world's largest forest certification protection organization, with 35 independent national systems all over the world as its members. Twenty-three of these have been recognised by the PEFC Council, supplying millions of tonnes of timber to the market in over 200 million hectares of certified forest.

According to Mr. Zhuang Zhong, CEO of Condelli Asia Pacific, FSC and PEFC certification is not a one-time-for-all, "every year the certification body has to conduct a strict review on us". ArjoWiggins supplies 100% of the art paper sold by Condari China, and every art paper product is FSC or PEFC certified. As for the cooperative manufacturers of other paper products, Kang Dali also strictly selects them, and must have corresponding environmental protection certification before they can cooperate.

During the interview, Mr. Zhuang Zhong told reporters, "Our Kangdali is an environmental protection company, not just a paper merchant. Our company is certified by environmental protection, and our products are also certified by environmental protection. ."

Condelli's largest supplier, its sister company ArjoWiggins, is headquartered in Paris. The pulp used in the mill is purchased through specialized agencies to ensure that the raw material of the pulp comes from "well-managed forests". While paper depends on trees for production and forests are in high demand, in a "well managed forest", 1 tree is cut down and 2-3 trees are replanted in the same place. Under such a benign mechanism, although the European paper industry is developed, it has also achieved an annual growth of 33% of trees and an annual growth of forests equivalent to an area of 1.5 million football fields. A continuously growing industry.

Mr. Zhuang Zhong also told us an interesting detail that new trees are more effective than older trees in terms of environmental protection. The growth of young trees can absorb carbon dioxide in the air, and paper (a type of wood product) can store carbon in the air, which is actually in line with the concept of low-carbon environmental protection.

ArjoWiggins' largest paper mill is in Scotland. Mr. Zhuang Zhong was full of emotion when he talked about the factory's sewage measures and the surrounding environment. As a paper company with a history of more than 100 years, the factory's equipment has been quite old, and the best and most expensive equipment is sewage treatment equipment. The river draining from the factory is very clear, and there are white swans cruising in it. "The water they discharge is even cleaner than the river water originally quoted." Zhuang Zhong's tone was proud.

Adhere to the high-end and high-quality corporate strategy

According to the introduction of Ms. Bai Li, general manager of Kangdaili Central China/Shanghai Branch, Kangdaili China under the leadership of Mr. Zhuang Zhong, from 2005 to 2008 Annual sales have grown considerably. In 2009, under the influence of the financial crisis, the high-end art paper market suffered some impacts, which had an impact on the company's sales. However, both the company's executives and ordinary employees were very certain and knew that this was only temporary. Picking up, they are very confident about the sales target for 2010.

Bai Li told reporters that before 2005, the company's management system was relatively backward. After Zhuang Zhong served as CEO, Condelli China has truly become an international company, and has implemented a management that is synchronized with Europe. Speaking of this, Zhuang Zhong said with a smile: "I just organize them to do things. In fact, I don't understand paper at all." Of course, it is impossible for a professional manager of a paper company to understand paper. As the company's CEO, Zhuang Zhong considered more issues at the corporate strategic level.

More than a decade ago, the global paper giants that entered the Chinese mainland market were not only the Kangdali family, but until now, only the Kangdali family has insisted on taking the high-end route and insisting on making green and environmentally friendly products.

China's paper market is big, but it's also very chaotic. Under such market conditions, it is inevitable to give up some short-term profits and maintain its own personality and independence. Zhuang Zhong told us: "Adhere to a segmented market. With economic development, people's appreciation level will increase and they will pay more attention to environmental protection. I hope that our products will continue to make customers think and complete the process of being educated."

On the contrary, if you blindly cater to the market, lose yourself and only pursue short-term profits, you will become another company. There have been such examples in the market, which is why there are no competitors of the same scale and level in domestic Kangdai. "A company with the concept of green environmental protection must be a socially responsible company. We care for the environment, and of course we care about our reputation."

Being a market pioneer

Of course, green and environmental protection are not slogans. To make it run through the entire process of enterprise operation and become a spirit of the enterprise, it needs more institutional guarantees. From whether the pulp comes from a "well-managed forest", to whether the paper is transported by non-polluting trams or trucks, what oil is used, carbon emissions...there will be regulations. Zhuang Zhong said, because of this, Kang Dali positioned itself as a distributor of high-end green paper, "It's not just that we sell environmentally friendly paper products, but we control it from the source, and we use the same Strict environmental protection standards require our partners, we ourselves are the executors of the green environmental protection concept, and every link is the best."

Zhuang Zhong said frankly that green environmental protection is not a cause that an enterprise can fully undertake. At present, the domestic green paper market is still in the stage of being educated and guided, but there must always be companies to assume the role of such pioneers and educators. Kangdali has such strength first, and secondly this is also Kangdali. Find a market position for yourself.

"To say whether the market will accept the concept of environmentally friendly recycled paper, let me give an example: four years ago we were discussing whether to do FSC certification in Asia. At that time, I said, it was too early. But there At that time, we lost an order. At that time, an international company in Hong Kong ordered us FSC-certified environmental protection paper, and we couldn't get it... At that time, I knew that we needed to start doing it." Zhuang Zhong believes that although environmental protection Paper and even recycled paper are still ahead in Asia, especially the mainland market, but the market demand is already emerging. For example, one of their major customers, multinational banks, hotel groups, car dealers, etc., due to global unified requirements, so In China, environmentally friendly paper has also been used to make prints, and there are more and more examples of this.

Condelli does not have the same level of competitors in the Chinese market, but there are many followers in the market who are imitating products. Low-cost local imitation products are of lower quality and do not have appropriate environmental qualifications, causing pollution to the environment.

"Paper speaks for itself"

Bai Li showed us a "Green Handbook" made with Condelli products, which was designed by famous designer Zhao Zuoliang, Condelli The company's New Year's gift for friends in advertising, printing and design. The text of the manual is interspersed with plain and simple ink and wash words, and the designer uses this to express the corporate spirit and environmental protection concept of "Love the Earth, Love Green, Love Peace" advocated by Kangdali.

Talking to the people at Condelli, I feel that they have a deep affection for "paper" from time to time. They believe that paper is a living thing. Paper has paper state, paper photo, paper language, paper feel, and paper art, and it is the witness of human civilization. It is with such a deep and sincere emotion that they have made the traditional paper industry, which is seriously polluted in the eyes of the world, into a new meaning that is in line with green environmental protection.

During the interview, Bailey said something impressive, "You don't need anything, the paper will speak for itself." When she introduced the paper screens made by her company to express the concept of environmental protection and humanistic atmosphere, she said so.

Company culture affects employees everywhere. Bailey said that the company conducts training for employees every year to develop employees' thinking, so that everyone can think about things they have never thought about, such as what if the future is paperless? We couldn't help but ask: "What if it's really paperless?"

She said very firmly and clearly: "In the future, perhaps people's use of paper will develop in a personalized direction, with less and more refined. But it is completely paperless, at least I can't see this possibility yet. But in general, the rough and rough will be spurned, and the fine and fine will continue to exist and develop. This This is also the direction we insist on, making high-end art paper and making green and environmentally friendly high-quality products." As a century-old European company, in addition to effective authorization and clear responsibilities and rights, Condelli has also written innovation into the company's culture. When it comes to innovation, the most meaningful thing for Condelli is their innovation in sales methods. Kangdali is a paper sales company, but not only does paper sales, but also acts as a "paper consultant" for customers, providing customers with paper usage plans, a complete set of tracking services, and helping customers provide value-added services.

Briley cites the example of a large international company. This large company is an important customer of Condelli, and the relationship has always been very close. Many of the customer's orders are handed over to the advertising company, and the printing company buys the paper for it. By providing paper consulting services for the customer, Condelli, together with the designer and the printing company, helps the company to make more accurate and effective judgments. "We guarantee the user's ultimate profit. We don't sell paper directly to it, but recommend useful information to our customers, provide them with choices, and facilitate their decision-making."

Condelli provides paper consultants to customers The service is free of charge, and the sales revenue ultimately comes from selling paper. In fact, such a method is the high level of marketing, achieving mutual trust and mutual dependence with customers.

Condelli sells three major brands of paper. Bailey introduced that in terms of environmental protection, the three major brands of paper have two levels. One is that they are all FSC certified products, but not all recycled paper. The second level is further environmental protection, that is, recycled series. The paper is 100% recycled. As an environmental protection company, Kangdali has now achieved the first level and is moving towards the second level.

FSC and PEFC Certification

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1993. FSC aims to promote environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management activities. In 2001, the Forest Stewardship Council FSC entered China.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is the world's largest forest certification system. More than 200 million hectares of forests in 23 countries have passed the forest certification of the PEFC Council. The purpose of the PEFC Committee is to promote the sustainable management of the world's forests and promote mutual recognition of national forest certification systems.

Our company is certified for environmental protection, and our products are also certified for environmental protection.

As the company's CEO, Zhuang Zhong considers more issues at the corporate strategic level.

The use of paper will go the route of personalization, less but more refinement.