Smurfit Kappa has announced that it is investing €27 million in a new waste management and recovery facility at its Nervión paper mill in Iurreta, Spain.
The investment will see the mill adopt a fully circular production process, involving a landfill reduction project that Smurfit Kappa has undertaken to support the delivery of its 2025 sustainability commitments.
The packaging firm claims that the lime kiln and gas treatment system will have a production capacity of 120 tonnes of lime per day and will provide significant environmental benefits.
New Circular System
The new circular system will allow the calcium carbonate waste that is currently generated in the mill’s manufacturing process to be transformed into lime and subsequently reintroduced into the production process as a raw material.
The initiative aims to lessen the mill’s carbon footprint by diverting 75,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and eliminating approximately 450,000 kilometres per year in road transport.
The project will be a collaborative process between Smurfit Kappa Nervión and several technology firms. The investment will see the expansion and optimisation of the plant, as well as the construction of a lime kiln and gas treatment system.
Operational Later In The Year
The new system will also be connected to the automated monitoring system, which is already in place for the rest of the facilities at the mill in accordance with the requirements of the Basque Government Environmental Department.
Smurfit Kappa claims the project is nearing completion and expects the plant to be fully operational later in the year.
Industry-Leading System
"We are delighted about the installation of this industry-leading system which will help our mill to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly," said Javier Rivas, Smurfit Kappa COO of Paper and Board Europe.
"At Smurfit Kappa, we care deeply about new ways in which we can embed circularity into our business, particularly when we are talking about the production process."
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest packaging news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
