Competition, EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Investments, Lithuania
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Saturday, 12.10.2024, 06:13
Financial Times recognises Klaipeda FEZ for sustainability
This year the fDi’s Free Zones of the Year
rankings included a bespoke award given to Klaipeda FEZ for successful
implementation of solutions which helped improve and promote sustainable
business.
Some of the Zone’s initiatives commended by
fDi Intelligence included the investment in research and innovative solutions
for chemical recycling, improved re-use of secondary raw materials and the
development of circular economy, as demonstrated by companies operating in the
PET and plastics production sector such as NEO GROUP, Retal Baltic Films and
Orion Global PET. The sustainability policies of businesses such as Be-Ge
Baltic and Espersen Lithuania were also recognised. In addition, the fDi
Intelligence accolade was achieved thanks to the contribution from Pack
Klaipeda, the manufacturer of single-use food packaging and their innovative
sustainable products, the Lithuanian electric bus Dancer with its reduced
impact on the environment as well as the use of recycled materials in
manufacturing, as well as a number of other initiatives by the businesses operating
within Klaipeda FEZ.
The organisers of the global Free Zones of
the Year rankings also recognised the Blue Economy strategy by the Klaipeda
City Municipality, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda ID, Klaipeda Science and
Technology park as well as a number of other partners representing both the
private and the public sectors. A significant part of this strategy will be
focused on the development and promotion of clean and sustainable technologies.
Importance to investors and science
Eimantas Kiudulas, CEO of Klaipeda FEZ, says
that sustainability is becoming an increasingly important topic not only for
the residents and consumers but for the investors themselves. According to the
head of the Zone, over the last few years companies operating here have
significantly increased their investment into the scientific research on
sustainability issues, energy efficiency, education and processes which help
reduce the environmental impact. Potential investors are also very keen to
learn about the sustainability of the Zone itself.
“Although the biggest contribution to
Klaipeda FEZ being acknowledged in this way came from the sustainable
activities of our investors, the Zone’s management company has also been
promoting the sustainability of the territory over the last few years. This
includes initiatives such as expanding the infrastructure of the public
transport and cycling, developing various IT projects, planting around the
territory, other solutions and educational strategies. We will continue our efforts
and are planning further projects in areas such as monitoring the air pollution
and traffic, smart water meters, modernising of the lighting across the
territory, the Internet of Things and other initiatives which will contribute
to a more sustainable, more balanced, more environmentally- and people-friendly
functioning of our businesses,” says Kiudulas.
Gediminas Koryzna, director of business
development at Invest Lithuania, believes that conducting their business in a
sustainable way is of great importance to the companies themselves, so the
award achieved by Klaipeda FEZ for its sustainability solutions will help boost
the image of Klaipeda as a place worth investing in.
“In addition to the various sustainability
solutions implemented by the companies and within the territory, Klaipeda FEZ
plays an important role in creating sustainable ecosystems together with the
local universities, suppliers and partners. This becomes the basis for setting
up various regional competency centres which in turn strengthen the position of
the whole region of Klaipeda and significantly contribute to attracting new
investment,” says Koryzna.
Prof. dr. 3, Rector of
Klaipeda University, expands on this idea further and says that the
relationship between the higher education and business is one of the most
important factors when looking for sustainable solutions and the economy of the
future. The academic population is in turn motivated by the fact that their
ideas find their way into the business and benefit the wider society.
“Klaipeda FEZ is one of the strongest
partners of Klaipeda University, actively searching for solutions to the
scientific challenges of the current time. The best example of this productive
and environmentally-friendly collaboration is the electric bus Dancer, the idea
for which was born at the University and which subsequently made its first
physical journey out of the territory of the Zone. We can only congratulate our
partners, the management company at Klaipeda FEZ, on this prestigious award and
wish them best of luck for the future in consistently pursuing the course of
progress,” says dr. Razbadauskas.
This year Klaipeda FEZ was also recognised
for its achievements in local transport, with newly expanded bus routes
spreading across the entire city and bringing passengers to the Zone. The
infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians is also being constantly improved.
The Free Zones of the Year ranking, conducted
by fDi Intelligence, is considered one of the most significant accolades for
the free zones in the world. Klaipeda FEZ has previously been recognised in the
“quick launch” category as well as noted for its investor expansion, its
contribution to the local and national economy and other achievements.
Klaipėda FEZ is the
first and most successful free economic zone in Lithuania. Spanning across the
territory of 412 hectares, the zone is home to over 39 companies-investors with
the combined 2019 turnover of 1.2 bn EUR and export worth 550 mln EUR.
This equals around 3% of the national GDP and export of Lithuania.
Since the establishment
of Klaipeda FEZ, 643 mln EUR has been invested in the Zone, the biggest
proportion of it being the foreign direct investment. The business community of
Klaipeda FEZ includes around 100 companies employing nearly 6,000 people. The
investors operating in Klaipeda FEZ specialise in areas such as PET, electric
transport and its components, food production, industrial equipment and others.
In addition to manufacturing, many of the businesses based here are also
actively involved in scientific activities, research and innovation.
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