September 5, 2023
(press release)
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Finnish Kamupak is merging with Swedish competitor, impact tech startup &Repeat forming a Nordic market leader in circular packaging solutions. With the announced merger the new company will complete its market offerings and strengthen its capabilities to help the restaurant industry meet the new upcoming EU regulation that is coming into force January 2024 in Sweden. &Repeat has since the launch in December 2020 helped thousands of restaurants and foodservice players, in both Sweden and France, in the battle against packaging waste. During two and a half years of operation more than 2,5 million single-use packaging and 500 tons of CO2 emissions have been avoided as a result of the company’s innovative solutions. &Repeat has during the same period raised more than 60M SEK in venture capital from among others Alliance Venture and the French VC SuperCapital. Kamupak is the Finnish startup and market leader in reusable packaging solutions, established in 2019. Kamupak is building the future of circular economy solutions – with a mission to reduce the world’s waste load with a unique digital deposit and borrow system for reusable take away packaging. The new merged company will have more than 500 customers in Sweden and Finland including large brands such as Pressbyrån, Espressohouse, Wolt and Sodexo. New product strategy: AI and generation two RFID to improve experience for consumers and takeaway providers After both companies have invested heavily into building a scalable tech platform, the new company will now have a strong focus on leveraging “next generation tech” to remove frictions for guests and simplify for all operators in the value chain. “We feel that the available solution on the market has a large improvement potential when it comes to providing simplicity and friction free experience to those who interact with the system. Our new strategy is to leverage AI and advanced RFID to provide a future proof and friction free experience for both consumers and takeaway operators” says Ilkka Puikkonen, CEO of Kamupak. Preparing for the upcoming EU regulation – Sweden out next As of January 2024, in Sweden a new regulation will require restaurants to offer consumers the option to have their take-away food served in reusable packaging that can be returned back to the restaurant again for cleaning and reuse. The merger will position the new company as a clear market leader in the Swedish reuse market when the new regulation comes into force January 2024. ”With a new briz of regulation across EU memberstates ahead, the packaging industry stands on the brink of a transformation and we are just about to embark on this long journey. Merging with Kamupak to create a strong Nordic player will strengthen us in the Swedish market and simultaneously also positioning us well to become a strong European player” - says CEO and co-founder of &Repeat, Tor Espen Steinvik ”Those who will win the market are those who have the muscle and endurance to help develop solutions and products that work for the restaurant industry and we are convinced that we can do this better by joining forces. Our ambition is to build a clear Nordic market leader” says Ilkka Puikkonen. ”This will be a demanding restructuring for all industries that work towards the takeaway segment, a completely new value chain with associated infrastructure needs to be established and all parts of the value chain will be affected. In order to get scale it will require that the industry find common solutions both in terms of collection, logistics and washing” says Iida Miettinen, Founder and chair of the board at Kamupak. Going forward The two companies will integrate its operation and assets and continue it’s business in both Sweden and Finland under existing brands. The CEO for the new company will be Ilkka Puikkonen, today the CEO of Kamupak. Tor Espen Steinvik, CEO and co-founder of &Repeat will continue in the company for a transitional period and then take on an advisory role in the new company. The details about the deal remain undisclosed according to an agreement between the parties. About Kamupak Kamupak is a mission driven Finnish impact startup building the future of circular economy solutions – with a mission to reduce the world’s waste load with an unique digital deposit & borrow system for reusable goods. Focusing on takeout dining by helping organizations replace single-use takeaway packaging with reusables and make return and reuse effortless for consumers. Established in 2019, having +120 restaurant and event customers and thousands of loyal users. Kamupak's RePaaS (reusable packaging as a service) is a turnkey solution for restaurants, cafés, events, venues, hotels, kiosks and other outlets offering take-away food and drinks. About &Repeat &Repeat is a Swedish tech startup that develops circular solutions for some of our time's greatest sustainability challenges within the restaurant industry. Altered consumer behavior and a rapidly growing trend towards convenience and “food on-the-go” have not only led to significant industry growth but also considerable environmental impact in the form of rapidly increasing waste volume, low resource utilization, and increased carbon dioxide emissions. &Repeat is convinced that new technology, pioneering thinking, and courage are needed to change a system that currently does not function adequately. &Repeat’s ambition is to make individuals, businesses, and society collectively responsible for solving the challenges stemming from our throwaway mentality. ilkka@kamupak.com P. +358 40 5911995 tor.espen@andrepeat.io P. +46 738 999 232
More information
Ilkka Puikkonen, CEO Kamupak
Tor-Espen Steinvik, CEO and co-founder, &Repeat
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