The idea of the value chain is based on the process view of organizations, the idea of seeing a manufacturing (or service) organization as a system, made up of subsystems each with inputs, transformation processes and outputs. Ekopak’s value chain is built around the increased urgency regarding the establishment of circular processes and should be seen within the broader paradigm shift towards a stakeholder economy.
In contrast to a shareholder economy, companies within a stakeholder economy consider all stakeholders who are affected by the company. For example, strategic decisions touch upon the needs of employees and shareholders but as well the needs of suppliers and customers and on less obvious stakeholders such as society or NGO’s. In other words: the actors in the value chain are only one part of the Ekopak stakeholders.
A credible strategic management therefore assumes an economic as well as a social and an environmental aspect. It always seeks to balance what is important to stakeholders with what is important to the company. These three aspects do not function in isolation, a credible sustainability promise requires a systemic approach in which mutual influences are recognized.
Pieter Loose, CEO EkopakThere is a need for innovations that allow companies to reuse wastewater and to use alternative sources in a circular economic model. I think innovation, both technological and in terms of business models, will leverage this circular evolution. We are already noticing that the increasing demand and the drive to innovate are accelerators for Ekopak’s growth.”
Ekopak doesn’t see itself and its purpose as a standalone. The impact the company can have in the market is crucial. The operational model is built on the ambition to use its impact to move the market forward in a positive way and to raise awareness about water shortage. “We have come a long way”, says CTO Joost Van der Spurt. “A decade ago, we met chemical plants for whom our proposition was ‘just about water’. Today, Ekopak experts are welcomed to provide solutions around water. That changed perception demonstrates very tangibly that we can really make an impact on the stakeholders in our value chain.”
The legacy global industrial water market is vast and growing.
Ekopak’s key technology segments are growing at a fast pace.
Ekopak operates in a new, innovative, and fast-growing market. The global water and wastewater expenditures by utilities and industrial water users is predicted to grow 3.5% CAGR by 2023. Only 2% of urban wastewater is re-used in the EU, but at the same time the water supply market is increasingly gaining relevance across global stakeholders.
Driven by increasing water scarcity, increasing water demand, progressively stringent regulations and more relevant ESG goals, many industrial water consumers are seeking ways to reduce their overall water use footprint and to use water in a more sustainable way. To accomplish its mission, Ekopak made the strategic choice to focus on industries with a high water usage and the need for water with particular qualities. As a result, assignments in the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and the chemical industry have become very important for our business.
