Metsä Tissue's Kreuzau mill in Germany has switched from soft brown coal to wood pellets in the mill's production of heat.

Metsä Tissue Kreuzau Mill Reduces CO2 Emissions by Two Thirds per Year

Oct. 12, 2023 - Metsä Tissue said that its Kreuzau mill in Germany has stopped using lignite (soft brown coal) as an energy source, and since this past September the mill has switched to wood pellets in the mill's production of heat.

The energy source change at Kreuzau mill is part of Metsä Tissue's "Future Mill" concept, whereas the company expects to have "a fossil-free mill fleet by 2030."

According to Metsä Tissue, the current tissue paper production process creates annual emissions of 90,000 tons of CO2, and by implementing wood pellets instead of lignite, fossil-based CO2 emissions will be reduced by 60,000 tons per year, resulting in an over 30 percent reduction of CO2 emissions yearly in Metsä Tissue.

Through this change, Metsä Tissue's Kreuzau mill also compares favorably with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) benchmark as the emission level at Kreuzau mill will be 200 kg CO2/t tissue paper compared to 340 kg CO2/t tissue paper.

"With this step we are executing our transition plan towards a fossil-free production by 2030 as well as world-class environmental performance," said Tobias Lüning, SVP Central Europe, Metsä Tissue. "This transition has been initiated by a simple idea to change fuels, but keeping the existing technical infrastructure.

"The development work, however, has been extensive. Since beginning of 2022, the shift to wood pellets has been tested, necessary adaptions made, and now the shift has been finalized," Lüning explained.

Kreuzau Mill

The Kreuzau mill is the largest site of the Metsä Tissue's three mills in Germany. The mill employs over 400 people and has the capacity to produce 150,000 tonnes per year of tissue for the company's professional use brand, Katrin, and its consumer brand, Mola.

Metsä Tissue, part of Metsä Group, is one of the leading tissue paper suppliers in Europe to households and professionals and one of the leading greaseproof paper suppliers globally, headquartered in Finland. The company currently operates through nine mills across Europe (three in Germany, three in Sweden, one in Finland, one in Poland and one in Slovakia).

SOURCE: Metsä Tissue