CEPI has recently released its Sustainability Report 2011. A lot of things have happened since CEPI’s last report. In the reporting period of 2009 and 2010, the sector has been recovering from the financial crisis while coping with various blips in the availability of our raw materials. Substantial amounts of recovered paper collected in Europe are going to China, and wood is increasingly being subsidised for energy generation. In spite of this, recycling has increased and certification of the wood used in our mills has risen to a new level.
The industry has further reduced CO2 emissions, independently of mills closures, and reduced our energy consumption.
The percentage of companies with environmental management systems is at an all time high of 90%.
However, the industry’s renewable energy target set in 2003 will not be met, CEPI concludes. On the social side, CEPI has started a dialogue with EMCEF, the European Employees Federation representing the workers in our mills, and health and safety is a priority.
CEPI also underscores that in the past few years paper machines have been subject to constant improvements in design and construction which have further reduced the use of resources and environmental impact. This process can be expected to continue, particularly in smaller and older mills. As well as new low-carbon products, new advanced processes offer great hope for the future. These include improved mechanical pulping, lignoboost and biomass gasification. All these processes offer new ways to optimise the use of raw materials, improve energy efficiency and develop new products and applications based on pulp and paper.
