Company type | Subsidiary of Huhtamäki |
---|---|
Industry | industrial-and-consumer packaging |
Founded | 1919 |
Headquarters | |
Key people | Bernard van Leer, CEO |
Van Leer Packaging is a packaging company which had 17,000 employees and generated more than 2 billion in sales globally. In May 1999, Royal Packaging Industries Van Leer N.V was acquired by rival Huhtamäki.[1]
Van Leer Packaging was founded in 1919 by Bernard van Leer. Working in post World War I, Bernard started a small factory outside of Amsterdam. Van Leer Packaging then expanded into the industrial packaging field and received its first breakthrough in 1925 for a large steel drum order from the Shell Oil Company.[2] By 1997 it is reported to have generated over $4.75 billion and post steady profit growth. In 1999, Huhtamäki acquired Van Leer Packaging for about $1 billion (~$1.72 billion in 2023).[1]
After the acquisition of Royal Packaging Industries Van Leer, The Van Leer Group created the Bernard Van Leer Foundation,[3] which funds the Jerusalem Film Centre[4] and the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute.[5]