SPAIN – Irish corrugated company, Smurfit Kappa plans to invest €27 million (US$28.8m) in a state-of-the-art new waste management and recovery facility at its Nervión paper mill in Iurreta, Spain.
The company said that the investment will see the mill adopt a fully circular production process involving the biggest landfill reduction project Smurfit Kappa has undertaken to date.
It will also install a lime kiln and gas treatment system, a fully circular production process with the capacity to produce 120 tonnes of lime a day.
The circular system can convert calcium carbonate waste from the mill into lime and use this as a raw material in the production process.
In addition to improving circularity, it will divert 75,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and comply with Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament.
Rafael Sarrionandia, Smurfit Kappa Nervión general manager and chief executive of Kraft Specialties Spain said: “This investment marks Smurfit Kappa’s clear commitment to the Nervión paper mill, with over €75 million (US$ 79.79m) invested in the mill in the last decade.
“The new lime kiln system will allow us to be even more efficient and sustainable, which ultimately benefits both our employees and the communities we operate in.
“The investment reaffirms our clear commitment to acting sustainably, becoming increasingly circular as a site, and, at the same time ensuring the long-term future of the facility.”
The lime kiln and gas treatment system can be connected to the automated system that monitors the mill’s existing facilities.
It is part of the company’s larger landfill reduction project, which aims to help Smurfit Kappa achieve its 2025 sustainability commitments.
The company adds that work on the project is near completion and it is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, in its effort to drive sustainability, the Irish company earlier invested US$6.54 million to install up to 12,000 solar panels at its Sanguesa paper mill in Spain.
The firm says the solar panels will reduce CO2 emissions by over 3200 tonnes annually and provide significant cost savings.
Once operational, it is estimated that the panels will generate more than 10 GWh of power annually which will reduce the current external electricity consumption and dependency by 7%.
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