Molok, a pioneer in the waste management industry in over 40 countries, finds a new home in an acquisition and joins SULO, the global waste management leader

Molok, the original developer and pioneer of semi-underground waste solutions, is a success story that, under the ownership of private equity investor Vaaka Partners, has expanded to more than 40 countries over the past seven years and made sustainability a strategic cornerstone of the company. Now it's time for Molok to move to the next stage of its growth. Molok is joining SULO, the global market leader in waste solutions, in an acquisition. In the transaction, SULO will acquire the entire share capital of Molok. Molok’s headquarters will remain in Nokia, Finland.

Everyone in Finland knows Molok. The company's name has become synonymous with all partially underground waste solutions – including those made by competitors. The idea for Molok containers was born back in the early 1990s, when Veikko Salli, then a hotel and restaurant owner, was wondering how to improve the waste management in his company's yard to make it cleaner and more hygienic.

Molok was the first in the world to develop semi-underground waste solutions, but the demand for these solutions spread and the company grew. The private equity investor Vaaka Partners became a majority shareholder in Molok in 2016. Since then, Molok has professionalized its management team, profitably sold its products in more than 40 countries, and made sustainability a strategic cornerstone of its overall strategy. In 2022, the company's sales grew by up to 25%, with a turnover of €29 million.

“This has been a successful journey. Together, we have professionalized Molok’s operations, emphasized sustainability, and built a strong foundation for further international growth. Now is a natural phase in the company's life cycle to move on to the next owner, whose portfolio will be stronger with Molok’s solutions and where this Finnish success story is certainly in good hands,” says Mr. Jarkko Murtoaro, lead partner at Vaaka Partners.

The acquisition will enable Molok to further expand internationally through shared expertise while also leveraging SULO’s distribution network in Europe and overseas – SULO will also reinforce its foothold in voluntary deposit notably in Northern Europe where Molok is strong.

Molok's business and mission is best described by constantly identifying customer needs and updating the product range to meet those needs. This will be even more so in the future as Molok joins the international SULO product family through this acquisition. The new owner will significantly strengthen Molok's position in the waste solutions market.

"We see a strong mutual benefit here: Molok will now be able to further expand into new markets through SULO's sales network, and likewise Molok will be able to offer SULO a foothold in certain markets where we are already strong, in particular the countries of Northern Europe. This will enable both customers to get a broader package from one strong player," says Mr. Marko Penttinen, CEO of Molok.

SULO Group President Mr. Jean-Marie Vaissaire welcomes Molok to the SULO product family and states that Molok will become one of SULO's leading brands.

“By joining forces today with Molok, a pioneer and international provider of semi-underground solutions highly recognizable by users, SULO confirms its willingness to grow and add solutions for its customers. Our vision, “CREATING SOLUTIONS FOR TODAY´S WASTE TO BE TOMORROW´S RESOURCE” couldn’t be better illustrated than by the innovative solutions of Molok. Molok will now become one of the major brands of SULO, continuing to grow its expertise and foothold, taking advantage of synergies of existing voluntary deposit SULO activities, as well as SULO distribution networks in Europe and overseas. We welcome today in SULO all our new colleagues and a proven management team under the leadership of Marko Penttinen,” says Mr. Jean-Marie Vaissaire, SULO Group President.