Developing our dream for well over a century
For 140 years we’ve put our heart and soul into providing a sustainable and superior solid board in our bid to present perfection.
Two millsOne goal
From our modest mills back in 1879 to our products on shelves and in homes across the globe today, we’ve come a long way. And we’ve a long way to go.
In the late 1800s, strawboard was set to be the next big thing. A mill was opened in Sappemeer in 1879 with a mill in Hoogezand following suit in 1897. In 1993, both mills merged.
From straw— to raw
Our brush with raw materials came almost by chance, due to the limited availability of straw. So in 1934 we started experimenting with recycled paper as a raw material. From 1970, both mills fully embraced recycled materials.
It was ‘all change’ with the railways. After the Second World War we were the proud supplier of the famous railway ticket board. This event sparked the ESKA name. The ‘S’ and ‘K’ is short for Spoorkaartjes Karton, which is Dutch for Railway tickets board.
250,000 tonnes of solid board, a year
That’s 500,000 pallets! Sold to customers all over the world today. Creating hardcover books, hardwearing jigsaw puzzles, high quality files, robust and reusable games, and luxury packaging for all kinds of brands.
450 dedicated and motivated people give us their all in the mills in Hoogezand and Sappemeer, and also in England, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong and the USA. They are the pulse behind the packaging and the reason for our success.
1879 – Mill in Sappemeer opens
1897 – Mill in Hoogezand opens
1934 – Recycled materials are used due to lack of straw
1940’s – Awarded contract to supply board for railway tickets, worldwide
1970 – Both mills move to use only recycled materials
1993 – The two mills merge
2019 – ESKA products are in pretty much every home in the world