4 INDUSTRY NEWS


Pulp Paper & Logistics


European paper industry delivers on environmental commitments


W


ith the slowing down of the economy and sanitary


restrictions, overall production of paper and board by member companies of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi), slipped by 4.8 per cent in 2020 compared with the year earlier, with a total of 85.2 million tonnes. A similar downward trend was


seen elsewhere in the world, such as the US, Japan, Brazil and Canada, said Cepi. Consumption of paper and


board in Europe totalled 70.9m tonnes in 2020, a decline of 5.3 per cent year-on-year. Exports were also down 3.1 per cent at 19.4m tonnes. Turnover of Cepi members


fell by 9.3 per cent to €83 billion. In 2020, the pandemic accelerated the structural decline of graphic grades but stimulated the production of packaging grades along with sanitary and household paper. The overall output of graphic grades including newsprint fell by 19 per cent. Demand from publishers, offices and commercial printing declined dramatically. In contrast, production of


packaging paper and board as well as sanitary and household paper production increased by 2.1 and 3.1 per cent respectively in 2020 while speciality paper and board production remained stable. Despite the slowing down of


the European economy and the sanitary restrictions, most mills ran without disruption in 2020; even if


some operated at reduced speed because of lower levels of demand. Impacted by the economic


slow-down and the decline in paper and board production, pulp consumption declined by 6.4 per cent. Total pulp production decreased by 4.7 per cent while market pulp output remained unchanged. In spite of the pandemic impacting availability and quality of paper for recycling throughout 2020, the European recycling rate increased by 1.4 percentage points and reached 73.9 per cent. Emissions of carbon dioxide from


the European paper industry also declined by 7.1 per cent in 2020, mainly due to the reduced activity but also with continuing efforts of the industry to decarbonise.


Sonoco’s $115m Project Horizon is still on target


The conversion of Sonoco’s corrugated medium machine at its Hartsville mill in South Carolina to a “state-of-the- art” uncoated recycled board (URB) operation with annual production capacity of 180,000 tons is on target to be completed by the second quarter of 2022, says Tim Davis, Sonoco’s general manager for paper & adhesives in US/ Canada. A key element of what’s called


Project Horizon is construction of a new stock prep system to provide approximately 650 tons per day of recycled fibre to the rebuilt No10 machine and other


July/August 2021 Sonoco: conversions in South Carolina


Hartsville cylinder machines. The new stock prep system will enable higher consumption of lower-cost mixed paper, along with old corrugated containers


(OCC), and should be operational in October 2021, Davis said. “There are a number of significant construction projects under way that will modernise


the infrastructure of the entire Hartsville mill complex and allow for more efficient and safe handling of raw materials and finished goods,” said Davis. As previously announced, Sonoco will be exiting the corrugated medium market by early 2022 and expects URB capacity through its US and Canada mill network to remain neutral at around 1.2 million tons. Based on the progress of Project Horizon, the company now expects to permanently shut down its Hartsville No1 and No9 URB cylinder machines, which will reduce annual capacity by about 70,000 tons.


More than 60 per cent of fuel consumption was based on renewable energy such as biomass sourced from sustainably-managed European forests. Commenting on the figures,


director general of Cepi Jori Ringman said: “I am proud to announce that our investments in reducing emissions and using more renewable energy are paying off, with a 7.1 per cent reduction of our carbon dioxide direct emissions last year. “We continue to lead among industries switching to renewable energy, renewables representing 62.2 per cent of our primary energy in 2020. It will radically revamp the regulatory framework to achieve higher emission reductions by 2030.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36