SCA is investing EUR 10 M, about SEK 95 M, in increased capacity for production of pulp based on recovered paper at the paper mill in Laakirchen, Austria. Production will be raised from today’s level of 145,000 tons of de-inked pulp to 175,000 tons annually. As a result of the investment, the paper mill reduces its energy consumption and its emissions of carbon dioxide, as well as its use of pulpwood.
“We have successfully launched an SCA paper grade, GraphoVerde, with high content of de-inked pulp,” says Mark Lunabba, mill manager at Laakirchen. “As a result of the favourable demand for this paper and our positive experiences of using a high proportion of recovered paper, we now need to increase our capacity for de-inked pulp.
“Being able at the same time to reduce our consumption of energy and wood, which have both increased sharply in price, is not a disadvantage in this respect.”
The investment will increase the capacity of the Laakirchen mill’s deinking plant, in which ink and other contaminants are removed from the recovered paper, comprising newspapers and magazines from Austria and southern Germany.
“We have advanced so far in technical development that we can produce paper with an exceptionally high quality with a high proportion of de-inked pulp,” says Mark Lunabba.
The new facility is scheduled for start-up in mid 2009.