Insight

Hungarian wholesaler Visimpex is looking to adopt sustainable practices within every facet of its business, including in its new modern technology centre – which will be built with sustainability in mind for every detail.

Built as part of a greenfield project, Visimpex’s technology centre will be one of the most modern and environmentally conscious buildings in the region, with solar energy used for electricity generation; a geothermal heat pump used for heating; the collection and harvesting of rainwater for irrigation; and electric car charging provided for both staff and visitors.

“Our management is characterised by its ‘green thinking’ and its commitment to being environmentally aware,” states Visimpex-Hungary kft. “It is part of the company ethos to convey this message and sentiment to every one of our 51 team members, as well as to all our existing and future customers.”

Visimpex’s commitment to sustainability is even underlined in its corporate colours, with the company deliberately using the colour green to signify how much value it places on sustainability. 

“The new technology centre is a big example of how crucial sustainability is to us as a business, but when it comes to sustainability, we believe it includes even small acts, for instance a large part of our electricity needs are met by a solar power plant installed on the roof of our logistics centre,” mentions Visimpex. “Furthermore, to be more eco-friendly, we also use bicycles and electric scooters to get to work, the latter of which each colleague received as a gift from the company.”

Visimpex also believes that alongside introducing sustainable practices it is just as important to educate its staff about sustainability. “We believe it is important to educate, so we inform employees about all our efforts towards environmental awareness and sustainability, while also setting good examples and encouraging them to do the same, not only at work but hopefully at home.” 

Even the company’s product range has a role to play in sustainability and environmental awareness, as the company is a leading player within the solar mounting sector. “We launched our solar mounting business 13 years ago and by 2022 it had grown to account for 30% of our turnover,” points out Visimpex. “Today, we are proud to say that if you are looking for a solar mounting system in Hungary, you will surely think of the VISIMPEX SOLAR^® system, as it is one of the fastest and most versatile systems – with one of the longest histories and several references in the market.”

When it comes to sourcing its products, Visimpex has a clear strategy of prioritising local suppliers where possible to help reduce the environmental impact of shipping the products. “We are always reviewing our sourcing options and if we discover a distributor for our products within Hungary, or the neighbouring countries, we always look to work with them if possible. Unfortunately, we are unable to source a significant proportion of our products from domestic or EU sources, so we do have to look further away into Asia. However, wherever the supplier, we demand they use durable, reusable paper packaging materials, which we also use when delivering goods to our customers.”

Visimpex is also considering sustainability when it comes to the expansion of its existing product portfolio. “We hope to introduce a new, innovative, niche product in this segment, which we can’t reveal more about at the moment, but we will look to introduce it to the market soon.”

Visimpex concludes: “We will continue to analyse what steps we can take as a business to become more sustainable and environmentally aware, as we believe these efforts will bring long-term, intergenerational benefits.”