Sappi Europe's Kirkniemi Mill in Lohja, Finland, has successfully made the switch from using fossil fuels to renewable energy to fuel the production of the Galerie paper range. A €16.5 million investment into state-of-the-art facilities and machinery for the reception, storage and handling of biofuels is the latest in a string of efforts by Sappi in meeting its Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)-approved emissions reduction goal across all its regions.

The official inauguration of the new facilities for reception, storage and handling of biofuels on August 30, 2023, was attended by Kai Mykkänen, the Finnish Minister for Climate and the Environment, who spoke about how the multiple environmental investments by Sappi at Kirkniemi fit with Finland's ambitious goals for carbon neutrality and leadership in the new energy sector.

Biomass residues such as bark, sawdust and wood chips, largely locally sourced, now fuel the Kirkniemi Mill Galerie paper operations, setting the stage for a 90% reduction in direct fossil greenhouse gas emissions. This upgrade now works alongside the multi-fuel boiler built in 2015, enabling the mill to reduce nearly 230,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

This means that Kirkniemi Mill is now able to reduce the carbon footprint of the Galerie paper range by 40%. All this comes as part of a longstanding sustainability focus at Kirkniemi that has, in recent years, brought continuous improvements in environmental performance across areas including freshwater usage, emissions to watercourses and energy efficiency.