Essity can reach zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions thanks to liquefied biogas

Essity’s production facility in Lilla Edet, Sweden has a long history. The mill was established back in 1881 and over the years has evolved into the largest tissue production facility in Sweden. Today, the mill’s three paper machines run around the clock to produce a hundred thousand tonnes of tissue paper, more than a billion rolls of toilet paper, a year. Naturally, a lot of energy is needed to run such a large a paper mill. Energy that in the near future will be virtually free of carbon dioxide from fossil sources.

“For us, it’s obvious to aim for zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions. We’re working with this across production. And this is where we started to look at an alternative to the natural gas we currently use,” says Christian Carlsson, site manager at Lilla Edet.

Natural gas and biogas can be mixed making the switch easy

Natural gas and biogas are largely methane, which allows a straight switch between the two. Since biogas is produced from organic waste, it is a fully renewable fuel.

“The great thing is that no further investments are needed when mixing or switching over from natural gas to biogas,” says Tommy Mattila, Vice President, Industry at Gasum.

Replacing liquefied natural gas with biogas will allow Essity’s tissue paper production in Lilla Edet to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero under normal operations.

“Switching from natural gas to biogas will mean a reduction of 9,000 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions. The ambition is to share our experiences with Essity’s other production facilities around the world to allow us to reach our climate goal together. We want to be able to offer the most sustainable hygiene and health products,” says Christian Carlsson at Lilla Edet.

Investment in liquefied biogas is testimony to the company’s and mill’s determination. None of this would have been possible without the dedicated commitment of the employees.

“It’s always the most fun to be first. It signals both a level of ambition and courage. The courage to take the lead in some important issues. There’s a big difference between being first and being runner up.”

Gasum is proud of being part of Essity’s transition. Working together will result in many important experiences that we can be taken forward and shared with other industries.

“Gasum is one of the largest biogas producers in the Nordic countries and we continue to invest in increasing biogas production. The bridge between liquefied natural gas and biogas enables us to help more actors in industry, maritime and the transport sector to take the steps needed to be carbon neutral,” concludes Tommy Mattila at Gasum.

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