Selling the Paper Story – A Strategic
Initiative for the Paper Industry
Paolo Gianadda, Henry Coppens, Liezl Krummeck & Silvana Dimitrov
Presented at the TAPPSA National Conference,
Durban, South Africa, 19-20 October 2010
What is influencing opinion?

The internet

“Paper vs. Plastic”: 14,000,000 hits

Observations (Top 10 listed sites):
 No paper companies/bodies
 North American perspective
 Strong emotive language around
perceived negative impacts of
the industry
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What exactly is being said?

#1 site: http://www.angelfire.com/wi/PaperVsPlastic says of the
paper industry:
“a tremendous scar in the forest.”
“numerous accidents plague the
less-than-wealthy loggers.”
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What exactly is being said?

#1 site: http://www.angelfire.com/wi/PaperVsPlastic says of the oil
industry:
“An oil drilling/pumping rig is
roughly the size of a house.”
AND
“Literally, you could ‘mine’ oil
in your backyard.”
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What exactly is being said?

#1 site: http://www.angelfire.com/wi/PaperVsPlastic says of Plastic
bags:
Plastic: A by-product of oil refining.
Only 4% of the total world’s oil used
for its production.
Apart from fuel burning heavy machinery,
used in the acquisition of the oil, the
entire plastic bag making process uses
only electricity, which is mostly nuclear.
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What else is being said?

Common messages:
 Landfill space
 Plastic: Recyclable & reusable
 Resource consumption for paper:
Water – 50% more
 Energy – 70% more emissions



Paper use = trees cut down
Who is writing this stuff? Where
do these stats come from?
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They even admit…
Blog.greenfeet.com:
“Is it a complete, scientific assessment? No.
However, it’s a good start, filled with facts
and one that I hope gets you thinking the
next time you’re confronted with the choice”
(paper or plastic).
...yet, this is what is influencing opinion
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How should the paper industry respond?

Arguments against paper are:
 Generalised and speculative
 Scientific?
 Different operating environment?
 With some truths
 Validity?

How should the industry respond?
 Don’t speculate
 Focus on the SA industry
 Be transparent
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Three Key Areas for Promotion
Carbon Biosequestration
in Plantation
Forests
Carbon
Impact of Pulp
and
Papermaking
Processes
A Series of
Unchallengeable
Facts about the
Paper Industry
Strategic Direction
of Carbon Impact
Mitigation
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Recyclability
of Paper and
Associated
Carbon
Impact
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Biosequestration in Plantation Forests

Biosequestration – capture & storage of CO2 by biological processes

Neutral carbon balance

Plantation forestry – a carbon
repository
 Above ground stock
 Root and soil carbon

CO2
released in
papermaking
Atmospheric
CO2
C in
wood
Under-promoted aspect of the
SA industry? Time to start
accounting for carbon stocks?
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C in product
CO2/CH4 released
in product
degradation
Carbon Sequestration vs. Carbon Footprint

Carbon sequestration like a bank account:
 Capital – above ground carbon
 Interest – root & soil carbon

Only changes in carbon stocks
count to carbon footprint

Green House Gas reporting
mandatory in 2012. Carbon
taxation mooted for 2012/2013
- offset potential?
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Carbon Impact of Pulp & Papermaking

Complaints about energy intensity ignore:
 Renewable energy use
 Cogeneration
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Energy Use - Kraft Process
Wood
Handling
Cooking
Black
Liquor
Pulp
Washing
White
Liquor
Evaporation
Causticising
Chemical
Recovery
Recovery
Boiler
High Pressure
Steam
Bleaching
Green Liquor
Clarification
Lime
Reburning
Paper
Machines
Energy Use - Kraft Process
Wood
Handling
Cooking
Black
Liquor
Pulp
Washing
Bleaching
Paper
Machines
White
Liquor
Evaporation
Causticising
Lime
Reburning
Gas
Chemical
Recovery
Recovery
Boiler
High Pressure
Steam
Coal
Coal Fired
Boilers
Green Liquor
Clarification
Steam
Turbines
Bark
Bark Boiler
Electricity
Low
Pressure
Steam
Eskom
Electricity
Energy Use - Kraft Process
Wood
Handling
Cooking
Black
Liquor
Pulp
Washing
Bleaching
Paper
Machines
White
Liquor
Evaporation
Causticising
Lime
Reburning
Gas
Chemical
Recovery
Recovery
Boiler
High Pressure
Steam
Coal
Coal Fired
Boilers
Green Liquor
Clarification
Steam
Turbines
Bark
Bark Boiler
Electricity
Low
Pressure
Steam
Eskom
Electricity
Cogeneration & Condensing Power Generation

Electricity generated by passing high pressure steam through
turbine. Steam expands, causing blades of turbine to spin. Power is
generated & steam pressure reduced.

Cycle in Power Generation Plant:
 Add energy to convert water to high pressure steam
 Produce electricity from high pressure steam & reduce steam
pressure until no more electricity can be generated
 Convert low pressure steam back to water by removing energy
from vapour
Liq
Total energy added to water to create steam
Phase Change – Liquid to Vapour
Vapour
100oC
25oC 100oC
R
E
P
E
A
T
430oC
Electricity
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Cogeneration & Condensing Power Generation

Difference: Fate of the energy associated with the low pressure
vapour.
 Cogeneration – energy is used.
 Conventional power generation – energy sent to cooling tower.

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172017
Mainly cogeneration
 0.43 t CO2-e/MWh (ex coal)
vs. 1.03 t CO2-e/MWh
 ~0 kl water/MWh
vs. 1.34 kl water/MWh
Still a Positive Carbon Footprint
Kraft packaging paper: ~3 t CO2/t paper
Recycled paper: ~1 t CO2/t paper
How does plastic compare?
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Some estimates around plastic

Plastic bags made from polyethylene (PET)
1.75 - 2 t petroleum per ton of PET
0.75 t petroleum for energy per ton of PET
2.1 – 2.4 t fossil CO2 produced per ton
of PET
3.1 t CO2 released on decomposition
per ton of PET
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Paper vs. Plastic
July 14, 2017
Grave
Total Fossil
CO2 Release
Paper
Manufacturing
~1 – 3 t CO2
per t paper
Plastic
Cradle
~5.2 – 5.5 t
CO2 per t
PET
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Forward Looking Statements on Carbon
“How is the paper industry planning to
reduce its carbon footprint?”
... “Through efforts to increase
renewable energy use”
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Forward Looking Statements on Carbon
“How is the paper industry planning to
reduce its carbon footprint?”
... “Through efforts to improve
cogeneration”
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Forward Looking Statements on Carbon
“How is the paper industry planning to
reduce its carbon footprint?”
... “Through efforts to improve
energy efficiency in the
manufacturing processes”
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Forward Looking Statements on Carbon
“How is the paper industry planning to
reduce its carbon footprint?”
... “Through efforts to increase the
amount of paper recycling”
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Forward Looking Statements on Carbon
“How is the paper industry planning to
reduce its carbon footprint?”
... “Through the promotion of the
concept of Reduce, Reuse and
Recycle.
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Seven Facts about the Paper Industry
Fact 1: Paper is a renewable resource
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Seven Facts about the Paper Industry
Fact 2: Paper is biodegradable
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Seven Facts about the Paper Industry
Fact 3:
Plantation forests
are natural
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sinks for carbon dioxide
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Seven Facts about the Paper Industry
Fact 4: Paper is easily recycled –
recycled paper has a reduced
impact
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carbon
Seven Facts about the Paper Industry
Fact 5:
Significant quantities
of renewable
energy are used to
produce pulp and
paper
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Seven Facts about the Paper Industry
Fact 6: Cogeneration – a greener
power generation option
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Seven Facts about the Paper Industry
Fact 7: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle –
the best way to reduce carbon impact
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Looking ahead…

Just a start to the “Paper vs. Plastic” debate
 Not all issues addressed
 Product research agenda set by the gaps
 Issues around utility to be addressed:

How many grams to produce
an equivalent strength bag?
 How many times can a bag
be reused?
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Parting Shot
The paper industry
has a compelling
story to tell - is it
not time to be
more proactive as
an industry in
telling this story?
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