A smart choice for a sustainable world

The paper boasts environmental credentials of the highest order; it is a 100 percent natural, biodegradable material that comes from a renewable resource. In fact, through sustainable forestry practices, the tissue paper industry replants and regenerates its raw material and provides a sustainable resource (see box).

Sustainability throughout the supply chain

Wood, pulp and tissue producers are committed to boosting sustainable practices through their operations. They also seek to increase sustainability throughout the supply chain, from water and energy to transportation and recovery.

Tissue paper production also ensures that every part of the raw material (trees) is put to good use. Therefore, mainly twig bark and waste from the lumber industry are used, which is then converted into pulp, the basis of tissue paper.

Certification systems

Third-party certification is one of the best ways to ensure that suppliers meet recognized standards. It generates credibility for the industry and reassures both customers and consumers. Most tissue paper manufacturers support the various national and international forest certification schemes, and more than 80 percent of the forests owned by lumber and paper mill companies in Europe are certified. In fact, European forests are growing by an area equal to 1,500 soccer fields every day (twosides.info).

Some tissue paper manufacturers have chosen to put labels on their products to demonstrate their high environmental credentials, such as the European eco label, FSC and PEFC labels, and regional labels, including Nordic Swan and Blue Angel. The paper industry has also signed the Code of Conduct for the Legal Exploitation of Forests, which condemns illegal logging. The EU regulation known as EU timber regulation further confirms industry standards and ensures that only products made from legally harvested timber are sold within the EU. About 11 percent of the world's harvested timber is used for paper production, and 83 percent of paper mills in Europe are certified by an environmental management system.

EU and UN Goals

Tissue paper manufacturers are active supporters of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, a key element of the European Green Deal, which aspires to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. The goal of the action plan is sustainable growth and pays particular attention to turning waste into a resource, with more prevention, reuse and recycling and phasing out inefficient practices such as landfilling. The intent to promote sustainable consumption and production is captured in UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: ensure sustainable patterns of production and consumption. Tissue products play an important role in this regard. They are critical to people's health and hygiene. Although paper is the most recycled material in Europe, with recycling rates exceeding 70 percent, tissue paper, given its use in the form of toilet paper, disposable towels and tissues, etc., is usually a disposable product that is discarded in the trash after use. Tissue paper products, however, fit perfectly into existing waste management programs and could even offer a benefit, such as incineration with energy recovery or composting.

Circularity

Many tissue manufacturers support the development of new circular economic models by using innovation to create closed-loop products and processes. This will increase product recovery and reduce waste. Special attention is given to reducing greenhouse gases, switching to renewable energy, and reducing water consumption. About 58 percent of the energy consumed by the European paper industry already comes from renewable biomass; the sector is the largest single user and producer of bioenergy in Europe and it continues to work to reduce its impact on water consumption. Paper machines have reduced water consumption by more than 30 percent over the past 10 years as a result of more efficient water circulation (Kemira data), and the amount of water needed to produce one ton of pulp has been reduced to one-fifth of what was used in 1970. Many individual manufacturers are promoting a strategy of zero waste sent to landfills, eliminating waste, re- ducing packaging weight, and encouraging the use of recyclable packaging and the use of recycled content. They are also looking at innovation in product design and development. In the area of "reduction," the industry is observing the emergence of new products that use less material to provide the same functionality. Products are emerging that use virgin wood-derived fibers, recycled fibers, and alternative fibers. It is important to promote circularity in this regard to increase the availability of paper for recycling as a secondary raw material.

Paper recycling rates are increasing year after year and currently stand at 71 percent in Europe (paperforrecycling.eu). Tissue paper manufacturers are working together with packaging suppliers to turn waste into a resource through separate collection and recycling. It is also critical that manufacturers provide consumers and professional customers with easy-to-understand information on sustainable products, proper waste disposal and pollution control to keep them up-to-date and encourage them to play their part in promoting circularity.

Sustainable production

The European pulp and paper industry is the largest single industrial user and producer of renewable energy in Europe, with 62 percent of its primary energy consumption coming from renewable sources (derived from FAOSTAT, 2018). The sector is also one of the lowest industrial emitters of greenhouse gases, accounting for 0.8 percent of European emissions (State of Europe's Forests, 2020).

The sector's main on-site energy source (excluding purchased electricity) is biomass at 55 percent, followed by gas at 28 percent. The remaining 17 percent is other fossil fuels and net purchased electricity. Between 2010 and 2018, the European paper industry reduced its total primary energy consumption by 11.6 percent: it produces 54.3 percent of its electricity on-site, of which more than 96 percent is generated through highly efficient CHP (Combined Heat and Power) plants (based on Two Sides analysis of published FSC® and PEFC™ data, 2017).

The pulp and paper industry depends on water in three crucial areas. First, there is rainwater, which is essential for the growth of trees and, through photosynthesis, for turning carbon dioxide into oxygen and cellulose, which provides the industry's primary raw material, wood fiber. Then there is the water that is actually used to make pulp and paper, and finally the properly treated wastewater. In Europe, most mills use surface water, such as rivers and lakes (89% of withdrawal), with a portion drawn from their own groundwater reserves (10%) and the rest from public aqueducts (4%). Since the 1990s, average water consumption per ton of paper has decreased by 47%. Water is circulated several times within the paper mills before it is returned to the environment. Before it is, it must be treated because it contains nutrients and organic matter. Various techniques are used, such as filtration,