News
Kruger Products turns to technology to reduce environmental impact

Tissue manufacturer Kruger Products has launched Sustainability 2015, an ambitious five-year plan aimed at reducing the company’s environmental footprint. To do so, the company has set quantifiable targets for improving its environmental…

Tissue manufacturer Kruger Products has launched Sustainability 2015, an ambitious five-year plan aimed at reducing the company’s environmental footprint. To do so, the company has set quantifiable targets for improving its environmental performance and is focusing on the use of innovative technologies.

“With Sustainability 2015, Kruger Products intends to become the largest supplier of quality tissue products in North America whose formal commitment to sustainable development will be reflected in concrete actions throughout our value chain, from procurement to product packaging,” said Mario Gosselin, COO at Kruger Products.

Kruger Products has identified seven sectors where it will take concrete action over the next five years to significantly reduce its environmental footprint: fibres, packaging, water, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, transport and waste. For each one, the company has set a specific goal: using fibres that come exclusively from certified sustainable sources or contain a high percentage of post-consumer recycled material; reducing the packaging of its products by 5%; reducing its water and energy consumption by 15% each; lowering its general greenhouse gases as well as those generated by its transport operations by 15% each, and diverting 20% of its waste from landfill sites.

“Increasingly, consumers are calling for more environmentally responsible products. At Kruger Products, we have long been concerned with the idea of sustainability; our first reforestation program dates back 62 years. We were also among the first pulp and paper companies to set up recycling programs and manufacture products entirely from recycled fibres,” explained Steven Sage, corporate director, sustainable development and innovation. “Today, we are focusing on innovations in technology and products to continue our long-standing tradition.”

Kruger Products has introduced projects to improve technologies at its various facilities in Canada in order to integrate renewable energy sources into its operations and reduce its overall energy consumption. The company has already seen the beneficial effects of these improvements. In New Westminster, B.C., Kruger Products introduced a state-of-the-art biomass gasification technology that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions at the mill.

“Since it came on line ten months ago, the biomass gasification system has already reduced emissions at the plant by 35%, which compares to planting two million trees or removing 3,500 vehicles from the roads,” said Frank van Biesen, vice-president, technology for Kruger Products. “This technology allows us to make concrete improvements and move toward our sustainable development goals.”