Sustainable into the future

Our planet Earth obliges us to be sustainable. We cannot continue to rigorously exploit nature we must begin to understand and to respect it. Köhlerpappen accepts this environmental challenge.

We attach importance to maximum efficiency in the use of energy, raw materials and all other resources. This results in less waste and protects the environment.
Measures that go beyond the legal requirements are checked for their feasibility within the framework of our environmental guidelines before they are implemented. These measures sustainably ensure the company’s continued existence.

Our goal

Our goal is to achieve 80% CO2 neutrality by 2030. For this, we need savings within our current CO2 consumption of 33,000 tonnes per year. By starting the biomass heating plant, we will save 19,000 tonnes in 2023. Further projects are in the planning stage.

0%
19,000 tonnes of co2 saved

...as much as 1.5 million trees can absorb!

Recycling – The process

All Köhlerpappen products are made from 100% sustainable raw materials. This requires considerable amounts of raw materials, which we obtain from different suppliers.

The energy required for processing the cardboard is obtained from our own production process, our electricity and steam generation.

The water required for this also comes from our own cycle and is filtered in our wastewater treatment plant and fed back into the fresh water cycle.

Wastewater treatment plant

SIPAPER Water Membrane Bioreactor – an environmentally friendly solution for the cardboard industry.

In order to protect the environment and reduce the increased wastewater costs, Köhlerpappen GmbH invested in a new wastewater treatment plant in 2010. With Siemens Industrie Solutions, we had a competent partner and developer at our side.

A completely new type of water treatment plant was created for the cardboard industry worldwide, which had to be integrated into the running cycle and the existing plant.

The process - biomembrane technology with reverse osmosis as tertiary purification unit

After pre-treatment, the wastewater is cooled by a plate heat exchanger, so that only a fraction of fresh water is needed to compensate for evaporation.

After softening, the wastewater enters the biological treatment stage. This consists of an aerobic stage with three cascades and is operated with an activated sludge concentration. A Membrane Operating System (MOS) acts as a separator. Activated sludge and air are injected there using the MemJet process.

The resulting optimised membrane flow leads to intensive cleaning of the membrane surface during operation. Due to three parallel strands, the running operation is not restricted. Then the cleaned water is desalinated with a partial flow treatment by reverse osmosis and fed back into the fresh water circuit.

This way we can make a big contribution to environmental protection & sustainability of resources, because:

  • We reduce the amount of waste- and fresh water by more than 90%.
  • We reduce the process steam requirement and energy costs.
  • We reduce our CO² emissions.
practical example

certification

FSC® and PEFC certification

Increasingly, consumers are paying attention to the origin and processing of products and their demonstrable compliance with international environmental and social standards.

FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) is an independent organisation that monitors and controls the path from forest management to the end product. In the process, attention is paid to compliance with standards on ecology and economy in the management of the forest.

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) is a “Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes” that pursues one goal across national borders: the worldwide improvement of forest use and forest management. The goal: to document and improve sustainable forest management, with standards that take into account ecological, economic and social aspects. The goal: to document and improve sustainable forest management, with standards that take into account ecological, economic and social aspects.

FSC pdf
pefc pdf

Energy management system according to
DIN EN ISO 50001

Köhlerpappen GmbH is committed to increasing energy efficiency through a continuous improvement process, as well as to reducing energy consumption in the long term, as far as this is compatible with the qualitative requirements of the products. The basis for this is a functioning energy management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001. It is ensured that the requirements of the standard are met and that the processes of the energy management system are continuously improved. Our procurement guideline specifies which criteria are to be taken into account for energy-efficient purchasing.
TÜV pdf