Essity to Produce Tissue from Wheat Straw at Mannheim mill in Germany

Essity is set to invest Euro 40 million ($47.3 million) in a new process to produce tissue from wheat straw at its Mannheim mill in Germany. The firm plans to manufacture some 35,000 mtpy from alternative pulp in the future, adding a new raw material source to the conventional fresh and recovered fiber furnish.

“As one of the largest hygiene product manufacturers in the world, we are demonstrating at the Mannheim site that we are the first company in the industry to be technologically capable of producing pulp from alternative fibers,” Essity Mannheim plant manager Roger Schilling said in a statement. “Our sustainable straw pulp is just as soft, white and strong as pulp made from pure wood fibers and is processed into high-quality hygiene products. With certified fresh fibers, recycled fibers and alternative fibers such as straw, Essity has a broad and sustainable raw material basis,” he added.

According to Essity, a new production facility for pulp production will be built on the Mannheim premises by mid-2021. “It is a groundbreaking pilot project; the new production facility implements what has previously only been achieved in a test laboratory,” Essity noted.

Martin Wiens, project manager and head of the straw pulp factory commented: “Our greatest challenge when designing this plant was that we were breaking completely new ground. We could neither fall back on existing knowledge nor on existing systems and their components,” he added.

Essity’s new straw pulp production will cover an area of 8,000 m² in several buildings. The company repurposed a former spare parts storage area where the straw is freed from impurities and cleaned. After that, it will be broken down into its components and go to the bleaching tower. From there, the pulp is directly pumped to the paper machine. According to the company, a new 10,000-m² straw storage area complements the investment.

“Creating high quality and enabling pioneering innovations without unnecessarily polluting the environment is our aim. We are very proud to be the first company to offer high-quality hygiene products made from a sustainable alternative to traditional pulp,” Essity consumer goods vice president Andreas Pier commented. “Essity’s straw pulp has excellent properties in terms of strength, softness and absorbency and will further improve the quality of our hygiene products. Our products made from straw pulp will be on the market in the second half of 2021,” he added.

The Mannheim facility is the largest plant in Essity’s production network. Founded in 1884, it employs around 2,000 people and can produce some 220,000 mtpy of pulp from certified wood fibers. According to the company, the new straw pulp will replace volumes that have so far been sourced externally.

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