Tissue

ESSEN, Germany, April 8, 2021 (Press Release) -
• Long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) decisive lever for RWE’s 13.6 megawatt wind project in Sicily
• Sofidel will be the sole corporate off-taker contracting 26 gigawatt hours per year
• Green energy from Alcamo II contributes to Italian Sofidel Group, one of the leading companies in tissue paper production, achieving its sustainability goals: - 40% emissions per ton of paper set by 2030

“With this deal, we are demonstrating our extensive capabilities as a leading integrated renewables player, ranging from project development, construction, operations to commercialisation. The agreement underlines our expertise in bringing green electricity to the market on the basis of bilateral power purchase agreements and we are delighted to establish long-term partnerships with front runners like Sofidel; demonstrating how climate protection is possible under market conditions.“

Tom Glover, Chief Commercial Officer at RWE Renewables

RWE's renewable energy business in Italy is forging ahead: The company has completed the construction of its new onshore wind farm Alcamo II in Sicily. The green electricity produced by this wind farm has already been contracted to the Italian Sofidel Group on a long-term basis as part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Sofidel is one of the largest producers of paper for hygienic and domestic uses in the world, particularly well-known for its brand ‘Regina’. The contract enabled RWE to build this wind farm without having to rely on state subsidies. For its part, thanks to the agreement, Sofidel will come a great deal closer to meeting its ambitious climate protection goals and strengthens its commitment to a sustainable future for people and planet.

The new wind farm consists of four Goldwind turbines (GW 136-3.4MW) with a total installed capacity of 13.6 megawatts (MW). The PPA with Sofidel enabled the realisation of Alcamo II by providing financial stability through contracting 26 gigawatt hours per year as the sole corporate off-taker. As part of the deal, Sofidel purchases all the guarantees of origin this wind park produces. The long-term contract started in early-April 2021 and will run until end of 2030.

Sofidel regards this long-term partnership as a responsible way to promote a multi-stakeholder approach for sustainable development. “The agreement with RWE represents a major step toward our carbon footprint reduction goals. Sofidel emissions reduction targets – -40% emissions per ton of paper by 2030 compared with 2018 base year – have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative as consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement,” states Riccardo Balducci, Sofidel Energy & Environment Director. “This is also in line with what the latest climate science says is needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. In our commitment to a low carbon economy we regard PPAs as an useful and effective tool to source renewable power for our industrial operations and, at the same time, trigger the creation of additional generation capacity, aimed at sustaining the green energy transition.”

Katja Wünschel, Chief Operating Officer Wind Onshore & Photovoltaics Europe & Asia Pacific at RWE Renewables, adds: “Italy is one of our core markets. The country is seeing continued expansion of renewables and we are happy to contribute to this development with our Alcamo II wind farm and future projects. I am particularly pleased that, in cooperation with Sofidel, we have succeeded in building this wind farm without any state subsidies. In addition it is worldwide our first wind farm for which we used turbines from the manufacturer Goldwind. During the successful realisation of this project, our Italian team gained a lot of experience, which will help us to further broaden our supplier portfolio globally.”

RWE has many years of extensive experience in the renewables sector. In its strategic core market of Italy a team of more than 100 employees covers the entire value chain from project development, engineering, construction and operation up to the delivering of green electricity to corporations such as Sofidel through PPAs. In addition to the wind farms already in operation with a capacity of around 442 MW (pro-rata view), the Italian development pipeline includes further renewables projects in various stages of development and spread across the entire country. Globally, RWE currently has a renewables portfolio of more than 9 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity. From 2020 until 2022, RWE Renewables targets to invest €5 billion net in renewable energy and to grow its global renewables portfolio to 13 GW of net capacity.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 7, 2021 (CNW) -Kruger Products L.P. has launched its new sustainable development strategy, Reimagine 2030: transformative growth and sustainable innovation. This 10-year strategy includes four targets to reduce its environmental footprint even further, and has been developed to evolve as the business grows.

"The past year has underscored just how important our mission to make everyday life more comfortable is for everyone – our employees, consumers, customers and communities," said Dino Bianco, President and CEO, Kruger Products. "We are at a critical moment and as a leader in the tissue category, we believe it is time to think bolder, move faster and be more agile to advance social impact, protect the environment and continue to grow as a business." 

The Products We Depended on To Get Through 2020 Are Shaping the Future

Kruger Products manufactures market-leading tissue and papers brands, including Cashmere and Purex bathroom tissue, Scotties' facial tissue, SpongeTowels paper towels and White Cloud. As people around the world grappled with changes to daily life at the onset of the pandemic, Kruger Products maximized production and efficiencies to manufacture products experiencing some of the highest demand. These products are core to the company's transformative growth and sustainable development over the next 10 years. Kruger Products is focused on embedding sustainability even deeper into the organization and its products to give consumers and customers the essential, dependable products they need, while shrinking its environmental footprint.

Reimagine 2030 consists of four pillars: Products Empower, Planet Positive, Employee Impact and Community Embrace. It includes qualitative objectives and bold new targets in areas that Kruger Products can make the most impact – fibre, plastic, climate change and water. These targets include:

• To utilize 100% third-party certified fibre
• To reduce Scopes 1+2 GHG emissions by 25%*
• To reduce water consumption by 50%*
• To reduce virgin plastic packaging in branded products by 50%†

"Through relentless innovation, we have the opportunity to lead the way to a healthier future, one that encompasses resilient ecosystems, stronger communities and an even more engaged workforce," said Steven Sage, Vice President, Sustainability, Kruger Products. "This combination will drive us forward and enable us to reach new heights as we embark on the path ahead."

Along with reducing its environmental footprint, Kruger Products is focussed on tackling some of this generation's most pressing social issues. Reimagine 2030 involves the physical and emotional wellbeing of every employee across its workforce. But it also goes beyond its own walls. Through Reimagine 2030, Kruger Products will continue to enable its communities to grow and lead healthy lives so that they can join the company on its path to a healthier future. 

A Legacy of Sustainable Achievements Paves the Way for Reimagine 2030

Kruger Products launched its first formal five-year sustainable development strategy in 2010, called Sustainability 2015. This evolved into Sustainability 2020. Throughout this journey, the company learned many lessons, shared knowledge and made considerable progress. Kruger Products achieved or surpassed three of its four Sustainability 2020 targets:

• Improved employee health & safety by 58% (OSHA TIR) vs. 2015 baseline.
• Reduced energy consumption intensity by 15% vs. 2009 baseline.
• Reduced GHG emissions intensity by 26% vs. 2009 baseline.
• Reduced our water consumption intensity by 37% vs. 2009 baseline.

Some of the most significant achievements throughout its 10-year journey includes:

• Installed the first biomass gasification system in Canada's pulp & paper industry
• First Canadian tissue manufacturer to earn Forest Stewardship Council® Chain of Custody certification
• 100% of fibre is third-party certified
• Offer more than 250 third-party certified products, one of the largest portfolios of certified tissue products in North America
• First ISO50001 Energy Management Certification from the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec
• Named one of Canada's Best 50 Corporate Citizens by Corporate Knights since 2018

About Kruger Products L.P.

KPLP is Canada's leading manufacturer of quality tissue products for household, industrial and commercial use. KPLP serves the Canadian consumer market with such well-known brands as Cashmere, Purex, SpongeTowels and Scotties'. In the U.S., KPLP manufactures the White Cloud brand, as well as many private label products. The Away-From-Home division manufactures and distributes high-quality, cost-effective product solutions to a wide range of commercial and public entities. KPLP has approximately 2,700 employees and has been named a Greater Toronto Area Top Employer for nine consecutive years.  The Company operates eight FSC COC-certified (FSC C-104904) production facilities in North America.

ESPOO, Finland, March 31, 2021 (Press Release) -As part of “Valmet’s way to serve” concept for the best customer experience at all the touchpoints of the lifecycle, Valmet is introducing Maintenance Operations Agreement. Valmet offers the service agreement for development and outsourcing of mill and plant maintenance operations for energy, pulp, paper, board and tissue customers.

“We want to ensure the maximal reliability and optimized performance of our customers’ production processes. Together with customers, we set up a maintenance operation dream team with modern maintenance processes and a mindset committed to safe and more sustainable maintenance operations to meet the customer’s targets on site,” says Timo Harjunpää, Director, Maintenance Operations and Development, Services at Valmet.

Targets achieved through collaboration

Valmet continuously develops its way to manage maintenance, maintenance procedures and new maintenance solutions to meet customer’s needs. Reliable maintenance operations will make the site run at its best throughout the lifecycle, allowing energy, pulp, paper, board or tissue customers to focus on their core business.

“In brownfield cases, we can help customers to reduce maintenance costs by approximately 10 to 20 percent and increase efficiency by 5 to 10 percent. With a new investment, we help to secure a world class start-up curve and accelerate the return on the investment. We will establish a maintenance management model and organization already before the start,” Harjunpää says.

Continuous success through Valmet’s service agreements

Valmet’s service agreements help customers achieve the optimal outcome throughout the lifecycle of the equipment and processes. The agreement is tailored to customer needs, whether it is about easy access to Valmet experts, high-quality products and services, cost-effectiveness, maintenance or the continuous development of performance to achieve mutually agreed targets.

Valmet’s typical service agreements range from corporate-level frame agreements to mill-level partnership agreements. Valmet’s services offering, including Industrial Internet solutions, forms the building blocks for customized agreements.

VALMET

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers. 

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.  

Valmet's net sales in 2020 were approximately EUR 3.7 billion. Our 14,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.