Paarl Media invests in the environment

According to Paarl Media Group CEO Stephen van der Walt, this R6.5 million investment is made to limit the environmental impact of gas emission during the printing process: "Although there is currently no statutory requirement or relevant emissions bill in place in South Africa, Paarl Media Group has undertaken to install these oxidisers to bring our factories' emission standards in line with the most stringent European legislation. The oxidisers bear testimony to our continued commitment to bring the best solutions to the market place."

German company VITS was contracted to do the installation on behalf of the Group and the oxidisers were imported from Germany as working units. Installation and testing at Paarl Web has just been successfully completed, while installation has already commenced at the new R232 million Paarl Web Gauteng plant in Sandton. This new plant is due to open its doors in September. The installation at Paarl Print will follow shortly.

The oxidisers for each of the plants have been ordered with excess capacity to ensure they not only run efficiently for each plant's existing capacity, but also to allow for possible future expansion.

Van der Walt continued: "We cannot recover the cost of installing the oxidisers, but we see this as an investment into the future - not only of our plants but also of the surrounding communities and South Africa. Paarl Media Group is an industry leader and a caring corporate citizen - this is our contribution to help protect the environment for future generations."