Smurfit Kappa to invest $100m in biomass boiler for Colombian paper mill

Smurfit Kappa is to invest $100 million (€103m) at its paper mill in Yumbo, Colombia, to cut emissions and generate cleaner energy.

The money will be invested in a state-of-the-art biomass boiler, which will be powered by pine and eucalyptus bark from the company’s own forestry plantations, waste from its wood treatment plant, and ashes and sludge generated during the paper-manufacturing process. It replaces fossil fuels currently in use, and will also delivery significant cost savings, according to the company.

The move will reduce Smurfit Kappa’s global Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by around 6 per cent. The company has already implemented biomass boilers at other locations including the Nervion, Piteå and Sangüesa paper mills in Europe.

“This investment reinforces our commitment to Colombia, a strategic growth market, and to our sustainability targets,” said Laurent Sellier, chief executive of Smurfit Kappa in the Americas. “The commissioning of this state-of-the-art biomass boiler is a further material step towards our 2030 and net zero emissions targets and to protecting the environment and creating a greener world.”