By 2040, forest industry products are to be entirely fossil-free and recyclable. This is an ambitious joint sustainability pledge made by all members of industry organisation Swedish Forest Industries, and which aligns with SCA’s existing vision.
“We’ve already come a long way with our industrial processes, and sustainability plays a key role in all new investments we make. Our common industry approach is invaluable as we tackle our toughest challenges,” says Hans Djurberg, Sustainability Director SCA.
Djurberg argues that it is logical that an industry that works with renewable forest raw materials should also take a leading role in efforts towards freedom from fossil fuels and improvements in resource efficiency.
Under the auspices of Swedish Forest Industries, and along with around 200 other companies, SCA has decided on four targets to make the forest sector as a whole entirely sustainable.
By 2030, wood products are to be reuseable. At the same time, materials and other products that the industry produces are to be entirely recyclable.
“We have every opportunity to improve circularity and to prioritise efficient resource utilization. One example of this is SCA’s investment in Obbola, where we increased production capacity by building a large return fibre line, which allows us to recycle 1,700 tonnes of return fibre every day,” says Djurberg.
“It’ll also be exciting and important to work closely with our customers to help them improve efficiency of resource utilization,” he adds.
By 2035, all manufactured products must be completely fossil-free; and by 2040, transport must be fossil-free.
Djurberg notes that these goals are linked and will be important to manage together.
“SCA’s products are manufactured in effectively fossil-free processes and contain trace amounts of fossil material in the first place. This is something we’ve worked on for a long time, and it’s part of our business, so improvements in this area will continue in a positive direction,” says Djurberg.
The major challenge will be to reorganise our transports and thereby overcome the industry’s biggest challenge.
“To do that, you have to recognise that you have to get the whole local community behind us. If you want to increase the supply of electricity, for example, the electricity grid needs to be planned and dimensioned to be able to do that. For example, we have two important tram lines for rail transport that will need to be electrified. This is where we’ll need to be brave and make clear demands of politicians,” says Djurberg
Source: SCA
