Sappi Announces Project to Convert Boiler 11 at Gratkorn Mill from Coal to Renewable Fuels

The investment is part of an overall larger scale decarbonisation strategy for Sappi Europe, which in the near term seeks to deliver a 25% specific greenhouse gas reduction by 2025. Pictured above: Gratkorn mill's PM 11.

Sept. 8, 2020 - As part of Sappi's global long term commitment to sustainability and the focus it has on climate action, a decision has been reached to invest in a complete modernisation of boiler 11 at its Gratkorn pulp and paper mill in Austria.

According to Sappi, the investment in state-of-the-art technology will see the mill shift from a coal boiler to a multi-fuel boiler in two phases with the goal to finally use only sustainable and renewable fuels.

"The rebuild is an important investment in our sustainable pulp and paper production and a further important contribution to climate protection," said Berry Wiersum, CEO Sappi Europe. "It allows Gratkorn mill to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30% and is a big commitment to boosting the decarbonisation of our sector."

The investment is part of an overall larger scale decarbonisation strategy for Sappi Europe, which in the near term seeks to deliver a 25% specific greenhouse gas reduction by 2025.

The chosen technology for the project will additionally allow the Gratkorn mill to sharply reduce dust and NOX emissions.

In June 2020, Sappi Limited committed to set science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Gratkorn is the largest production site within Sappi Europe and has the capacity to produce 980,000 tons per year of high quality coated woodfree paper for the printing and writing market distributing globally. The mill also has the capacity to produce 250,000 tons per year of totally chlorine-free (TCF) bleached chemical pulp, which is used for its own consumption.

Sappi noted that it has made several investments over the years that have kept the Gratkorn site technologically ahead, with its facilities housing one of the largest and most advanced coated fine paper production lines in the world.

This further investment proves Sappi steadfast commitment to not only maintaining and improving its production sites but to helping themselves and their customers on their sustainability journeys.

Sappi Europe is a division of Sappi Limited (JSE), headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 12,500 employees and 19 production facilities on three continents in nine countries, 37 sales offices globally, and customers in over 150 countries around the world. To learn more, visit: www.sappi.com.