Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 10th October 2024 Issue no. 1133
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Sustainable tissue paper - one sheet at a time
Many of us are seeking a more sustainable lifestyle or the benefit of the environment, climate and humanity and even small, everyday actions matter, with the choice of a tissue paper product in itself a step towards a more sustainable future.
The main raw material in Metsä Tissue's products is wood fibre of known origin from sustainably managed Northern forests. The growth of a forest binds carbon for a long time, both in the trees growing in the forest and the wood products ultimately made from them, including sawn timber. All wood recovered during forestry is therefore used for the benefit of the bioeconomy, meaning that the wood replaces fossil-based energy sources or products.
Tissue paper is made from fresh fibre, or pulp, and recycled fibre. The wood raw material from which pulp is made, comes from sustainably grown and managed forests. The production of tissue paper from fresh fibre is part of the resource-efficient use of wood. The production requires lower water and energy consumption and generates less waste than when recycled fibres are used.
"Finland has an enormous number of forests, and thanks to sustainable forest management, they grow more than they are used,” explains Alexander L. Deutschle (Ph.D), director, Research & Development. “In Metsä Group's regenerating cutting phase we plant at least four new trees for every single tree used. As a raw material, wood must be used In full so that every part of it is put to use and the environmental impact of the production remains as small as possible. As the user of this raw material, it's our obligation to take sustainability into account in every- thing, and it's something our customers also expect from us.
“Resource-efficiency is at the core of Metsä Group's strategy and at the beginning of the year, Metsä Tissue announced that it is to invest in fresh fibre based tissue papers for the local market by renewing the tissue machine at the Mänttä mill. It also plans to double the fresh fibre production in its Mariestad mill.
“The issues with the availability of the recycled fibre raw material are important to understand... Newspaper subscriptions and the use of office paper, for instance, are declining continuously due to digitalisation, meaning that the volume of recycled paper is decreasing and recycled fibres are transported to the mills across increasingly long distances. In the long run, this is not good for sustainability.
“In addition, the ink and other impurities in recycled paper must be carefully removed so that it can be used in the production of hygienic high-quality tissue paper.
"The use of fresh fibres saves energy and water, because the fibres require only minimal processing in the tissue paper mill. As fresh fibre is also more plentiful than recycled fibre, it is more resource efficient. For example, the production of one toilet paper roll made from fresh fibres requires 40% less raw material than an equivalent roll made from recycled fibre. While both raw materials are needed at the moment, I believe that fresh fibres' importance as a raw material will grow."
Vesa Junnikkala who has worked at Metsä Group for nearly 20 years in the development of wood supply, became Metsä Forest's Director in charge of sustainability in 2019. He says sustainability is a value that has an impact on all Metsä Group's operations and permeates the entire value chain, from sustainably managed forests to responsible wood supply, and all the way to the mills' production phases and the finished products, including tissue papers.
"Metsä Group's parent company, Metsäliitto Cooperative, is owned by forest owners across the country,” he explains. “It's always been important for the owner-members that their forests are passed on to the next generation in a good and robust shape.
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"Given that we use renewable natural resources in our operations, they must always be sustainable, so that we can also guarantee the availability of the wood raw material in the future. Metsä Group as a whole is also committed to increasing carbon sinks and the biodiversity of forests, of which forest certificates, for one, are an indication."
Vesa says that the entire forest industry, Metsä Group included, is an integral operator in climate change mitigation and the preservation of biodiversity. He thinks the future looks promising, and emphasises that forests are more than just trees.
Alexander Deutschle also sees the forest industry's future as a bright one. When he joined Metsä Tissue, he was surprised by the strength of the company's desire to promote sustainability and responsibility. He says:
"Instead of paying mere lip service to ecological aspects, the company also gets things done, including more environmentally-friendly mills. We work hard to find increasingly responsible high-quality solutions and products with the future in mind. I'm proud to be part of this work."
How is sustainability linked to our wellbeing? How can we live and consume more sustainably than before? How does the shift to a more sustainable lifestyle affect us?
These are some of the questions that Arto O. Salonen, Professor at the University of Eastern Finland, is seeking to answer. In his research, he is examining the challenges that sustainable development poses to global wellbeing, and is looking for ways to solve the big questions facing humanity and our planet.
He approaches sustainability from social, economic and ecological perspectives, studying ways for humans to thrive centuries from now. He believes that to enable the shift to a more sustainable lifestyle, we must care for humanity in addition to the environment.
"It's interesting to see that investors are also gradually moving their attention and assets away from business that ignores the climate, natural resources and biodiversity loss,” he says. “This signals a change in the global trend.”
Professor Eeva Furman, director of the Environmental Policy Centre at the Finnish Environment Institute, also serves as chair of the Finnish Expert Panel for Sustainable Development. In addition to sustainability, her work focuses on ways of using bioeconomy to solve major issues facing humanity.
“Bioeconomy is a concept that frequently comes up in reports on the future of Finland and in comments from authorities and policymakers,” she explains. “It refers to industrial production that is based on renewable natural raw materials and utilises technologies related to them. Overall, the goal of bioeconomy is to reduce fossil-based emissions and the consumption of non-renewable natural resources.
“The idea behind bioeconomy is that humans and nature are interconnected and interdependent. Through bioeconomy we should be able to reduce the consumption of fossil-based natural resources and curb climate change, while safeguarding biodiversity. To reach these goals, the focus must be on more sustainable ways to make essential products.
"Bioeconomy aims to find a balance in which the wellbeing of nature also helps to ensure the wellbeing of humans. Bioeconomy seeks solutions that originate in natural systems and build the economy based on a sustainable connection between humans and nature.
“Ultimately sustainable recycling and the use of raw materials is efficient. This means that we try to move away from non-renewable raw materials and instead use renewable natural raw materials as efficiently as possible, ensuring that their volume can continue to increase.
This is precisely the aim of corporate symbioses that follow circular economy and in which production processes are designed to be as sustainable as possible. In other words, circular economy is much more than just the recycling of raw materials. Essentially, it is important to optimise the use of raw material as well as any harm caused by the processes, including emissions from energy consumption and threats to biodiversity.
"However, well-organised recycling does not mean we can consume limitlessly - by generating more and more waste.
"The strength of companies lies in how they use research-based solutions in their production and how transparently they describe the production of their products to potential customers, from raw material sourcing to production, so they can make an informed choice.
“Metsä Tissue has the raw material chain in its own hands… 100% of the wood used by Metsä Group is traceable, and nearly 90% of it comes from certified sources. The company knows the origin of its wood and ensures that the wood is legal, in addition to ensuring the sustainability and acceptability of the supply chain.
“To safeguard biodiversity, we need protection as well as ongoing and continuously developing measures in commercial forests. Harvesting must support the protection of forest nature and climate actions, and the use of wood raw material must also be developed in an increasingly efficient direction to satisfy new needs.”
Professor Furman believes it is important for us to understand that the direction of global development means that human action causes increasingly severe problems to our planet, and that everyone must take part in this joint effort so that we can break this vicious circle and turn it around.
"We need investments in research and technological development. Companies and the scientific community must encourage one another. In turn, the government and municipalities must inspire and show direction by ensuring adequate financial incentives and subsidies as well as the necessary legislation to steer companies and their operations in a more sustainable direction.
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"By changing the activities that give rise to the problems, we can quickly achieve positive results, which will effectively contribute to solving the ecological crisis. Instead of big words or empty speech, concrete action is the solution."
5th October 2023