ABB report portrays paper sector circularity, emissions reduction

Switzerland-based ABB, whose Process Automation business unit provides equipment to paper mills around the world, has released a white paper designed to explore strategies to enable mills to reduce carbon emissions and become more resource efficient.

The company says the new white paper is the first in a series of such reports tied to its Real Progress sustainability program for the manufacturing sectors it serves.

The first paper, titled “Innovating for tomorrow: How the pulp and paper industry will be turning the page for a sustainable future,” features comments and contributions from executives at several paper and board companies, including: Metsä Group, Finland; Modellfabrik Papier, Germany; Sappi, South Africa; Smurfit Westrock, Ireland; Södra, Sweden; and UPM China.

States ABB, “These organizations have shared their specific initiatives that are reshaping the industry’s approach to sustainability, such as Smurfit Westrock's development of paper-based packaging alternatives to plastic, and Södra's production of renewable textile fibers from recycled clothing and materials.”

“The pulp and paper industry is uniquely positioned to lead the way in sustainable industrial transformation,” says Stefano Cinquina, global business line manager for pulp and paper at ABB Process Industries. “With this series of industry papers, we’re not only celebrating the significant strides of our customers and partners but also aiming to inspire others by showcasing the progress and real-world solutions driving us toward a sustainable future.”

According to ABB, “As the world grapples with the issues of climate change, resource scarcity and the overproduction and overconsumption of plastic, the pulp and paper industry is increasingly recognized as a key player in the global transition to a circular economy and net zero future.”

Comments Tracy Wessels, group head of sustainability and investor relations at Sappi, “Sustainable packaging is not only a huge opportunity for us as a business – as consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental concerns of using plastic – but we know we can create products that will benefit the world. Plastic is extensively used as the primary barrier in food packaging. We are innovating through our value chains, and with our customers and research institutes as to how we can develop paper-based solutions that offer the same barrier technology or protection.”

Remarks another paper executive contributor to the report, Jurgita Girzadiene, sustainability and Better Planet Packaging director at Smurfit Westrock, “In paper-based packaging we must keep finding innovative ways to reuse our resources. Sometimes, you need to go outside your own mill, your own company and your own community to find synergies.”

The ABB white paper focusing on the paper and board sector can be downloaded from the company’s website.