Paper industry wants to be part of the green recovery, invests 100 million in sustainability.

In the middle of the 21st century, and with the digitalization of the economy in full swing, in 2018 each Portuguese person still consumed an average of 102.8 kg of paper and cardboard. It’s been much more, but it’s also been less. Portugal is Europe’s third largest pulp producer and the 11th largest producer of paper and cardboard. In 2018, the four member companies of CELPA – the Paper Industry Association – Altri, DS Smith, Renova and The Navigator Company – recorded sales of 2,913 million euros, or 1.44% of national GDP. Now the national paper mills want to be better at sustainability too.

“These results have been accompanied by a permanent concern for the environment, which also translates into strong investments in this area,” guarantees CELPA’s general secretary, Luís Veiga Martins, revealing that in the last decade, the paper industry “has invested more than 100 million euros in technologies to optimize its environmental performance.” Figures from 2018 show that there has been a 7% reduction in the use of water per ton of pulp produced, a 10% reduction in the organic load of effluents and a reduction of around 5% in particulate emissions. Biofuels continued to be a focus, accounting for 70% of the fuels consumed by the sector.

“These companies manage almost 170,000 hectares of certified forest, ensuring responsible management that protects environmental, social and economic functions, and are key players in Europe’s green recovery,” CELPA said in a statement.

With environmental concerns at the center of attention around the world, the Portuguese pulp, paper and cardboard industry is committed to helping mitigate climate change with actions and investments in various areas, namely fire prevention, where CELPA members have already invested 15.4 million euros in recent years. In research and development, investments amounted to 23.3 million euros, with environmental protection actions channelling a further 33.3 million.

Luís Vega Martins, speaking to ECO/Capital Verde, admits that the paper industry’s negative impacts on the environment are “more visible”, but guarantees that there are positive contributions that almost nobody sees. An example of this is the fact that the industry has its own forestry sapper companies to fight fires on the thousands of hectares they manage in the country, with “95% of their work being done to protect the entire Portuguese forest”, of which the state only owns 4%.

And despite the more than 100 kg of paper that each Portuguese person spends each year, 70% of the paper consumed is recycled, whether it’s graphic and office paper, corrugated packaging cardboard or household paper. “Each paper fiber can be recycled seven times until it is recovered. The circular economy is already the majority in the paper industry and will tend to grow if everyone contributes to recycling from the producer to the end consumer,” CELPA guarantees, adding that “79% of the water used in production is returned cleanly to the environment, making the paper industry one of the most efficient in the management of environmental resources.”

Even so, Luís Veiga Martins warns of “the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on recycling. During the lockdown period, some municipalities have suspended the collection of sorted waste to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Although necessary, this suspension will certainly have an effect on the targets to which Portugal is committed. As the lockdown progresses, it is important that measures are taken to encourage and sensitize consumers to increase recycling and producers to incorporate recycled material.”

The figures also show that 76% of the solid waste produced by the paper industry is recovered to produce energy or through industrial symbioses with other sectors of activity. Every year, the four companies generate more than 3.4 TW (terawatts) of electricity from biomass (6% of the electricity produced in the country), 73% of which is used in the production of paper and cardboard and the remaining 27% injected into the national grid.

There are only four business groups – Altri, DS Smith, Renova and The Navigator Company – but together they own and are responsible for the direct management of almost 170,000 hectares of certified forest, which represents 5.2% of the national forest. Each year they produce 2.67 thousand tons of virgin fiber pulp (eucalyptus and pine, 2018 data) and 214 thousand tons of paper pulp for recycling. Portugal is thus the third largest European pulp producer, with 7.2% of the total, exporting to 24 countries (with the European Union absorbing 72.6% of national exports, and only 10.3% remaining in the domestic market). The remaining 15.4% goes to the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. With regard to paper and cardboard, national production is around 2,060 thousand tons, with exports to around 160 international markets.