Smurfit Kappa invests in sustainable new water treatment facility in Colombia

Smurfit Kappa, a leading company in the production of paper-based packaging, has completed a two-phase upgrade of its facilities at the Barranquilla Paper Mill in Colombia. The 7.5 million USD investment saw the implementation of a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) with state-of-the-art anaerobic technology, which reduces water intake from the nearby Magdalena River and improves the quality of water returned to it.

The investment is a further example of Smurfit Kappa’s ongoing commitment to good water stewardship through using water sustainably and supporting natural water ecosystems.

The upgraded facilities allow the Barranquilla site, which produces containerboard from 100% recycled materials, to contribute towards Smurfit Kappa’s ambitious sustainability targets that were expanded in January 2021. These include water quality targets to further reduce water intake and improve water intensity and usage. Specifically, this includes targets to reduce the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the water by 60% by 2025 and to reduce water intensity by 1% annually. It is estimated that the COD at the plant will reduce by 80% as a direct result of this investment.

The WWTP uses advanced technology that includes a circular self-sustaining anaerobic reactor. The facility will also generate biogas which will help to improve energy efficiency and reduce the need for external power sources. Barranquilla is the most recent example and part of a wider investment programme taking place across Smurfit Kappa paper mills in Colombia. Other investments include upgrades to facilities at the Barbosa and Cali paper plants.

Commenting on this new WWTP, Alvaro Jose Henao Ramos, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Colombia, said: “For many years, our operations have been based on a circular economy model in which we seek to maximise resource efficiency and minimise waste. This investment takes us to a higher level of efficiency and excellence in how we process water and is consistent with our goal of being a strategic ally to businesses in the Caribbean region, through our sustainable packaging solutions and environmentally friendly processes.”

Juan G. Castaneda, CEO of Smurfit Kappa the Americas, added: “Without a doubt, these projects are one more step in the right direction in our environmental commitment to water and energy efficiency. For Smurfit Kappa, water is a fundamental resource that must be preserved, and we focus our efforts on improving the quality of the water we discharge and reducing our use of the resource, going beyond what is required by law.

“Currently, more than 90% of the water we use is returned to nature in good condition, and the remaining water is transformed into steam or linked to the product during the production process.”

Since 2018, Smurfit Kappa has been a signatory to the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate which implements strategies and policies to address the growing crisis in water and sanitation in many parts of the world.
https://www.smurfitkappa.com/newsroom/2021/smurfit-kappa-invests-in-sustainable-new-water-treatment-facility-in-colombia

Related Posts

Metsä Group’s comparable operating result in January–March 2024 was EUR 70 million

January–March 2024 (1–3/2023): *Sales were EUR 1,457 million (1,634). *Operating result was EUR 58 million (276). Comparable operating result was EUR 70 million (276). Events during the first quarter of 2024: *The average sales prices of Metsä Group’s long-fibre pulp increased in Europe and decreased slightly in China compared with the previous quarter. *Demand for market pulp increased in Europe and North America. In China, demand remained at a good level. *Demand for Metsä Group’s paperboards picked up substantially from the previous quarter. The average price of folding boxboard declined.

Tetra Pak invests in four new recycling facilities

In just four months, Tetra Pak has co-invested over €11.5 million with recyclers and industry players, to help set up four completely new recycling solutions for carton packages in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Australia. From building recycling capacity from scratch via cross-border cooperation (in Saudi Arabia), expanding that capacity by 50% (in Turkey), tripling the production capacity for the cartons' PolyAl element (in Ukraine) to leveraging a public/ private partnership (in Australia), these projects share one single, critical trait. They will enable recycling of all components of a used carton package, transforming them into quality materials and goods. Once fully operational, the new solutions will be able to process up to an additional 45,000 tonnes of used carton packages, enabling global carton package recycling to exceed 50 billion a year. This translates to significantly improved recycling in the respective countries, and in some cases also in the neighbouring ones.

Intertape Polymer Group Reports 2021 Fourth Quarter and Annual Results

Fourth Quarter 2021 Highlights (as compared to fourth quarter 2020): • Revenue increased 20.2% to $413.7 million primarily due to the impact of higher selling prices and an increase in volume/mix primarily driven by certain tapes and dispensing machines. • Gross margin decreased to 19.7% from 25.7% primarily due to the unfavourable mathematical impact of Dollar Spread Maintenance(2) and an increase in plant operating costs including costs associated with supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, partially offset by a favourable product mix. • Net earnings attributable to the Company's shareholders ("IPG Net Earnings") decreased $8.0 million to $9.1 million primarily due to an increase in finance costs mainly due to an increase in the NCI Put Options Revaluation(3) and a decrease in gross profit, partially offset by a decrease in SG&A. Fiscal Year 2021 Highlights (as compared to fiscal year 2020): • Revenue increased 26.3% to $1,531.5 million primarily due to the impact of higher selling prices in all product categories driven by significant increases in the cost of raw materials and freight as well as an increase in volume/mix. 1 • Gross margin decreased to 22.2% from 23.8% primarily due to the unfavourable mathematical impact of Dollar Spread Maintenance. • IPG Net Earnings decreased $4.9 million to $67.8 million primarily due to (i) an increase in finance costs mainly due to the 2018 Senior Unsecured Notes Redemption Charges(5), the non-recurrence of the Nortech Contingent Consideration Gain(6) and an increase in the NCI Put Options Revaluation, and (ii) an increase in SG&A, partially offset by an increase in gross profit.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search