Wednesday 2 February 2022

Stora Enso invests €40m to reduce carbon footprint of fluff pulp production

Stora Enso has announced plans to invest €40 million (£33.4m) in new technology to reduce the carbon footprint of its fluff pulp production site in Sweden.

The Skutskär site produces fluff pulp used in hygiene products, such as baby diapers, feminine care and adult incontinence protection products, as well as in wipes, napkins and medical pads.

The investment in new bleaching technology will enable the number of bleach lines to be reduced from three to two, improving cost effectiveness and creating opportunities for future development.

The company expects the site's carbon footprint to reduce by 5%, through resource and energy efficiencies, supporting Stora Enso's target to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by 50% by 2030.

Johanna Hagelberg, Executive Vice President, Biomaterials division at Stora Enso said: “Both with our products and in our operations, we aim for maximal performance with minimal impact on the environment. Our Skutskär site is already close to carbon-neutral and through this investment we are now taking the next important step towards a climate-positive contribution.

“Moreover, technology upgrade investments will further sharpen our competitiveness in the growing hygiene products sector.”

The Skutskär site, which produces fluff, hardwood and softwood kraft pulp, has an annual production capacity of 540,000 tonnes.