LC Paper, Spain, recently hosted an event to launch its new biomass boiler, which has a capacity of 4 metric tons per hour. Thanks to the new biomass boiler, which generates steam for the mill’s tissue machine, along with certified renewable energy sourcing, most of the tissue production of LC Paper is now CO2-neutral, that is, it has zero CO2 emissions generated during the manufacturing cycle.

LC Paper is a worldwide pioneer in terms of sustainability in paper manufacturing. Reaching zero emissions is an important breakthrough that is not an improvisation but rather the result of a process which has lasted for more than a decade, with the goal of reducing the energy, water, and raw material consumption in each part of the process in to reach the zero emissions goal.

 

 

From the energy production (with its in-house cogeneration power plant) to the raw material sourcing, the manufacturing line, the packaging and the transportation, LC Paper has carefully designed every step of its product's journey to ensure minimal environmental impact. It is the first tissue producer approaching a zero CO2 emissions goal.

The company has developed a new kind of tissue paper technology called OnePly. This single-layer tissue line offers very similar qualities to multi-layer tissue processes, both in softness and resistance, while having a radically low environmental impact. Every OnePly roll contains much more paper than a traditional roll, so transportation is also more efficient. 

The LC Paper tissue mill is located in a town called Besalú, next to the Fluvià River. This location belongs to the Olot-Girona industrial axis, which is 40 km south of France and 130 km north of Barcelona. This industrial area was born when the industrial revolution occurred, and it is the headquarters for various kinds of industries (paper manufacturing, packaging machinery, plastic industry, textile, engineering, etc.). 

This axis is located in a region of Spain called Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona. Catalonia accounts for the 16% of the total population of Spain; however, it comprises a much higher percentage of the total Spanish industry. Almost a 27% of all the international exports of Spain are manufactured in Catalonia, so Catalonia is the most international region of Spain.