Companies have taken strides responding to global trends of environmentally conscience consumers. Driven by institutional and governmental regulatory framework, we are seeing real change in terms of investment in sustainable solutions and mitigation measures. In our previous piece of this two-part series, we discussed the need for sustainability in the industry and the subsequent need for integrating circular economy approaches to mitigate environmental challenges facing the tissue paper industry. In our current article, we will look into available techniques currently used. We will end by sharing best available practices in integrate circular economy approaches as well as cite examples from key industry players who are getting ahead of curve.
A green thumb goes a long way
Favoring the use of sustainable resources
The relative sustainability of pulp and paper is complex and depends on the region from where the raw material is coming. Increased demand of forestry resources is not surprisingly matched by the agro-industry reporting growing forest surfaces (mostly plantations) in both the European continent and North America (NA). Strict forestry management and regulation framework by the EU, means that only wood from sustainable sources is permitted to enter the EU supply chain. Likewise, in North America certification schemes have been set up with strict chain of custody procedures.
The European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers reported that between 2005 and 2015, forested areas in the continent increased by 44,000 km2 an area equivalent to the country of Denmark. , Similarly across the pond, during the same period, the industry group Two Sides says that forests in the US grew by over 50,000 km2, an area twice the size of Maryland (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Illustration of increased forested area in Europe and the US (Made with www.mapchart.net)
Yet, the situation on the ground is slightly different with continuous expansion of logging into ancient and endangered boreal forests in NA. While in the tropics, Pulp and Paper plantations continue to drive deforestation.
An increased demand for Pulp and Paper seems likely to stress supply chains from sustainably-managed forests, so eyes are turning to more sustainable sources of fiber. One unconventional candidate is the fast-growing Bamboo; a grass species that has the potential to provide durable building material and strong fiber for paper and textiles without the need to fell trees. Unlike trees which may take decades to grow and harvest, bamboo shoots grow back quickly after being harvested – making it a highly sustainable product in the paper market. The plant is being endorsed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation as a potential substitute across several industries with little impact on soil, land management, and erosion.
Not surprisingly, the majority of bamboo pulp producers are located in South Asia, Southeast and East Asia, where the native plant grows in the warm tropical and temperate climatic zone (see Figure 2 for market share). This new promising resource is driving new investments; LEE & MAN PAPER, a leading figure in the containerboards corrugated packaging industry, have expanded their business in the past five years to include over eight tissue machines at their ChongQing mill.
Figure 2: Market share distribution of China’s Bamboo pulp producers. (Source FisherSolve, copyright Fisher international, Inc.)
Sustainable Intensification
Pulp sourced from plantations is directly saving millions of hectares of virgin forests. With the Planet’s finite lands and resources, the industry is on the lookout for technological advances and sustainable management techniques that can increase production with minimal need of additional land, chemical, and water. In comes Sustainable Intensification: a broad term for a process or system where agricultural yields are increased from existing farmlands without increasing adverse environmental impact. It is a complex subject, one that can be considered controversial due to the innumerable means used to justify the end. Though, on a planet with finite resources; policymakers, manufacturers, and agricultural engineers are working together to optimize production while minimizing the need for inputs and abating adverse impacts on nature.
Brazilian supplier Fibria, part of Suzano Group, is the world’s largest pulp producer. Half of their production is used for tissue products. Despite the high demand, the area of land needed to produce a million-metric ton of pulp has halved in the last 30 years, they have been able to achieve these results through improved pulp mills but mostly by tree breeding. Human aided selective breeding has been happening for millennia; think wild corn versus the type you find at the supermarket. Plantation trees are developed in companies’ labs and nurseries, and the best performing varieties are selected to breeding. Additionally, lands are quickly replanted after harvest to avoid soil erosion and to make use of nutrient rich humus created by leaves and branches from the previous generation.
Green engineering, chemistry, and origami
Minimum Impact Mill technologies
As discussed in our previous article, the production of pulp and paper is the source of multiple emission sources. Driven by governmental incentives and encouraged by the promise of improved production and decreased generation of secondary products, the Minimum Impact Mill (MIM) is a technological concept that mitigates the environmental challenges of the industry is facing (see Figure 3).
Figure 3: Objectives of implementing MIM technologies
This is not to say that the MIM is the Holy grail of technologies: there is an obvious difference between minimum and no-impact. Nevertheless, even though the initial aim of MIM technologies may seem idealistic, companies that are incorporating its different supported technologies and best industry techniques are seeing the difference in their annual revenues. An overview of such techniques is provided in Figure 4.
Figure 4: MIM technologies (Source: Bajpai P.,2015)
Resorting to Green Chemistry
In continuing with the theme of improved technologies, some are saying that the Pulp and Paper industry is currently witnessing its next evolution: Green Chemistry.
Back in 1998, the principals of green chemistry were established by Paul Anastas and John C. Warner who addressed ways for to reduce the environmental and health impacts of chemical processes through the development of green chemistry technologies (See Figure 5). Lately, the practicality of the Principles has been very influential in production and innovation choices. Canadian scientists have been especially active in this field, with 700 publications in 2017-2018 by the Centre in Green Chemistry and Catalysis (CGCC) members (Gaudreault, 2019).
Figure 5: Green Chemistry principles
Eco-design of packaging
The shift in the desired packaging in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) market from cost driven to a more strategic resource conscience approach is surely giving the Pulp and Paper industry a boost. Growth in e-commerce sector in the last decade is positively influencing the packaging market. Industry giant, Amazon, saw its annual sales in 2016 exceed USD 136 billion with cardboard packing being the preferred material.
According to Ahuja & Rawat (2017), the global packaging industry is expected to exceed USD 1 trillion by 2021, growing at an annual rate of 3.5%, of which paper packaging is expected to account for over 36% of the overall industry share in 2016. The shift is mainly due to increasing environmental concerns from the use [or excessive use in some cases!] of plastic bags and packaging material. While the consumer is still expecting the same type of protection of his/her purchases, at the same price point, the packaging industry is looking for more options to respond to the increased demand for sustainable packaging.
Sustainable packaging is ultimately the practice of ensuring any material waste from packaged products never leaves the value chain, as well as, using material with little to zero environmental harm (Nymex Consulting, 2018). Optimizing the design of packaging ideally starts in the raw material used: ensuring that materials used require little to no harmful chemical process to make, and are easily recyclable or reusable into the same product or up-scaled into a better product. Manufacturer should also collaborate closely with their packaging partners to strike the right balance between protecting the product and using the least amount of packaging possible. At the same time, manufacturer should introspectively look into way to optimize their products to reduce the amount of packaging needed in the first place. A good example would be selling the concentrated formula of cleaning liquid to save on the plastic needed for the bottle.
Common sustainable packaging trends we are seeing include downsizing the weight of packing material, improved recycling and recovery of waste, and increasing the use of recycled content.
Wrap-up
Best available techniques
An environmental analysis of the EU Ecolabel criteria revision revealed that best practice in paper production stem from an array of practices, which if combined with sustainable consumer behavior may lead to eco-friendlier products. The list of best practices by impact category is presented in Figure 6.
Figure 6: List of best practices by impact category (Source Kowalska et al.,2019)
Examples from the industry
International
Sofidel
As the first Italian manufacturing company and the first tissue paper manufacturer in the world to join the WWF Climate Savers project. Between 2009 and 2017, the company managed to reduce its direct emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere by 20.6% (carbon intensity reduction) thanks to investments in energy efficiency, use of cogeneration plants, and relying on renewable energy sources. The company is also sourcing the entirety of the pulp used in their production from certified independent third parties with forest certification schemes (FSC, FSC Controlled Wood, SFI, PEFC) (See Figure 7 for company highlights).
Climate Savers is WWF’s flagship climate leadership program that seeks to transform businesses into leaders of the low-carbon economy. The intention of the program is to inspire a change in thinking about climate solutions in companies and as agents of change within their sphere of influence. This leaves member companies better placed to avoid carbon-related risks while realizing opportunities within their long-term business strategies.
Sofidel’s commitment to sustainable growth was in fact incorporated in the company’s 2030 agenda. The strategy was inspired by the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that the company will undertake an (a) increasingly significant environmental, social and economic role; and (b) meaningful steps to improving the quality of life of all its stakeholders and the communities in which it operates. The company’s ultimate goal is to minimize its environmental impact when producing products that contain ever decreasing amounts of natural capital while still improving performance and maximizing economic and social benefits for all its stakeholders.
Figure 7: Sofidel in Figures (Source: Sofidel, 2018)
In 2018, the company hit another milestone, by getting awarded by CDP an “A” rating in the Climate Change category and another “A” rating in the Forests Timber category, in both cases earning a place in the highest (Leadership) scoring echelons of the report. The CDP report (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) is a global disclosure system that enables companies, cities, states and regions to measure and manage their environmental impacts.
In detail, Sofidel out-performed its fellow peers in the Paper & Forestry sector by ranking among the top businesses in the Climate Change category, above the sector average at global “C” and European “B-” level, and among the top businesses in the Forests Timber category, above the sector average at global “B-” and European “B-” level.
In light of their achievements, CDP awarded Sofidel a position on the leader board of Supplier Engagement on Climate change, the non-profit’s global environmental disclosure platform. Among the 5,000 companies assessed by CDP only 3% of organizations were awarded a position on the leader board in recognition of its actions to reduce emissions and lower climate-related risks in the supply chain in the past reporting year.
The matter of closing the loop in the supply chain and managing to integrate the circular economy approach into a manufacturer requires looking outside the wall of its operations. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in supply chains on are average 5.5 times those of company’s direct operations, so no wonder that there has been a step-change in corporate awareness and action on environmental impacts within the supply chain in the last decade.
According to the report, in 2018, 115 organizations wielding a combined purchasing power in excess of US$3.3 trillion, requested environmental information from their suppliers, up from 14 ten years ago. A fact that did not go unnoticed by Sonya Bhonsle, Global Head of Supply Chain at CDP:
“In the ten years that we have been working with purchasing organizations we have seen a fundamental shift in expectations around business action on sustainability”
Amerplast
Amerplast and Serla (a brand of Sweden’s Metsä Tissue) are partnering together to pioneer the first tissue packaging that fully integrates the Circular Economy approach.
The Finnish company Amerplast is already a market mover with their innovative packaging concept: ESSI Kiertokääre (i.e.: ESSI Circular Wrap). The wrap is a polyethylene flexible packaging for non-food and secondary packaging which uses recycled plastic from industrial sources and post-consumer recycled plastic packaging separately collected from Finnish households.
The child of the collaboration is Serla’s Green Pack packaging which uses a combination of both ESSI Kiertokääre concept and biobased Green PE polyethylene. The latter is bio-plastic made from ethanol (by-product of sugar cane production). Sugar cane is a 100% renewable and carbon dioxide depleting resource, it removes up to 2.15 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere for each ton produced (from cradle to grave). More importantly, the Green Pack packaging will contain no fossil raw materials and is fully recyclable through existing recycling streams as raw material for new tissue packaging, thus relieving the pressure on virgin resources and raw material.
Founded in 1952, Amerplast is one of Europe's largest flexo printers and bag converters and a leader in sustainable and innovative packaging solutions. With their AmerGreen program, the company is taking a leading position in transforming the flexible packaging industry into an environmentally sound business. While Metsä Tissue with their Serla brand are a leading tissue paper products supplier to households and professionals in Europe and the world’s leading supplier of greaseproof papers. So the collaboration of these two leading companies is in fact a promising step into the tissue industry.
Regional
Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH)
In 2019, Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH) further solidified their position as the benchmark for Jordan’s manufacturing sector by announcing their partnership with Engicon to design, finance, and build a modular Process Water Treatment Plant (PWTP). In an effort to reduce its fresh water consumption for their Jordan-based operations, FHH chose the module to process wastewater generated by the company’s two paper machines, PM2 and PM4, and re-circulate the treated effluents back into the system.
The smartly designed modular water treatment plant the allows rapid adjustment of the capacity through the addition or removal of modules. The design capacity of the plant is 900 thousand cubic meter per day. The module includes tertiary treatment using advanced Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis systems allowing almost 80% of the water coming to the PWTP to be recycled back to the paper machines. The advanced systems ensure the removal of all chemical, biological and physical impurities that may impede the manufacture of the products. As a result, it was possible to replace more than 50% of the fresh water with high quality treated process water.
As proof of the company’s true commitment to water conservation measures, brine resulting from the Reverse Osmosis will be used to irrigate salt tolerant landscapes within FHH’s operation compound in Jordan.
