Lohja (26 September, 2023) – Sappi Europe is pleased to announce that Kirkniemi Mill, its largest coated publication paper mill, has successfully made the switch from using fossil fuels to renewable bioenergy to fuel the production of the Galerie paper range. After a €16.5 million investment into state-of-the-art facilities and machinery for the reception, storage and handling of biofuels, the Kirkniemi Mill is now able to reduce the carbon footprint of the Galerie paper range by 40%. The Kirkniemi Mill is the largest coated publication paper mill in the world, supplying nearly 5 billion high quality magazines and catalogues with its Galerie paper each year.
The official inauguration of the new facilities for reception, storage and handling of biofuels on August 30, 2023, was attended by Kai Mykkänen, the Finnish Minister for Climate and the Environment, who spoke about how the multiple environmental investments by Sappi at Kirkniemi fit with Finland’s ambitious goals for carbon neutrality and leadership in the new energy sector.
Although paper is an inherently renewable and recyclable product, paper production is very heat-intensive, mainly due to the process of evaporation that is essential to turn pulp to paper. The pulp and paper sector was responsible for 2% of all emissions from industry in 2022. According to CEPI, the European pulp and paper industry body, in 2022 the pulp and paper sector ran on 61% renewable energy. Through continued investment in fuel switching and technology this share will continue to grow. Kirkniemi’s switch will contribute to this trajectory.
“The pulp and paper production industry at large is always looking for solutions to contribute to a better, healthier and more sustainable future. We are happy to highlight the remarkable results of Sappi’s consistent investments at our Kirkniemi Mill over the past few years. These greatly enhance the sustainability credentials of this renowned, future-focused facility. We continue to invest in our facilities across Europe.” says Sappi CEO Marco Eikelenboom. “Modernisation of the power plant boiler at the Gratkorn mill in Austria recently allowed a shift from coal to the use of biomass and natural gas, reducing that mill’s carbon footprint by 30%. In the Netherlands, the Maastricht mill has installed a new e-boiler that runs on electricity rather than natural gas.”
Sappi Europe’s Decarbonisation Roadmap
This is the latest in a string of efforts by Sappi to meet its Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)-approved carbon-reduction goals across its European facilities. Biomass residues such as bark, sawdust and wood chips now fuel the Kirkniemi Mill Galerie paper operations, setting the stage for a 90% reduction in direct fossil greenhouse gas emissions. The upgrade now works alongside the multi-fuel boiler built in 2015, enabling the mill to save nearly 230,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
In 2020, Sappi Europe released its own Decarbonisation Roadmap, which outlines nearly 80 projects Sappi is set to undertake by 2025 to meet its short-term energy-related sustainability targets as part of the company’s overall global environmental objectives. These set targets are aligned with seven of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Realising the urgency of action to limit global temperature rise, Sappi is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 41.5% per ton of product by 2030.
