Green paper production Smurfit Kappa Piteå is the largest paper mill in the Smurfit Kappa Group and one of Sweden’s leading companies in the paper-based packaging sector. Romana Moares spoke to company director Per Sward about the mill’s latest investment in production capacity, its environmental focus and expected growth in line with increasing demand for greener products.
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murfit Kappa Piteå, situated in the north of Sweden, is a part of the Paper Division Europe of the Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG), a leading global manufacturer with approximately 46,000 employees in 35 countries and a turnover of €8.6 billion in 2017. As a whole, SKG manufactures a diverse range of corrugated case-making materials in various locations worldwide. Established in the late 1950s, the Piteå mill has evolved into a large, modern factory employing the latest technology and vigorously pursuing a sustainability policy. Environmental considerations have been on the company’s priority list for some time: in 2004, a biological wastewater treatment plant was commissioned, followed by the largest single investment in the mill’s history to include a new biomass boiler, enabling sustained high-volume production with significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions. “In the bio boiler, various residual products from materials such as bark and sludge are burned, generating energy used in production. Under normal operational conditions, the plant uses no fossil fuels, which is largely due to the bio boiler that acts as the mill’s energy source,” says Mr Sward. “Today, we cover more than half of our electricity needs
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through our own generation and also provide more than 90 per cent of the district heating in the Piteå municipality. Sustainability is an integral part of our development – we use renewable raw materials and do all we can to leave as limited a carbon footprint as possible. All our raw materials come from managed forestry, which is something that has a long tradition here in Sweden and that the Swedes do very well.” Per Sward confirms that the company has invested heavily in technology in the last five years, aiming not only at machine renewal but also at increased capacity. “The mill employs 510 people at the moment. For 2018, annual production volume is forecast at 718,000 tonnes at full operation, with a view to gradually increasing the volume to 750,000 tonnes over the next five years.”
Kraftliner for packaging Smurfit Kappa Piteå produces kraftliner, which is mainly used for surface layers in packages made of high-grade corrugated cardboard. The raw material of kraftliner is entirely or mostly wood, which produces paper of excellent strength, moisture resistance and printability. Kraftliner is also classified as clean paper (chemically and biologically clean), suitable for
