WISCONSIN - Ahlstrom-Munksjö is to invest €15 million in reducing its carbon footprint at its production plants in Wisconsin, USA
The investment includes new technology and the conversion of its existing boilers at its Mosinee and Rhinelander plants, which as well as reducing its carbon emissions, will also cut the amount of waste going to landfill.
According to Ahlstrom-Munksjö, the investments at the Mosinee production plant will enable a reduction in its carbon footprint by an estimated 20%, and a reduction of landfill waste by more than 10%. The project is estimated to be completed at the end of the second quarter in 2023.
In addition, the Rhinelander production plant is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 14% and landfill waste by more than 50%. A new energy center and associated buildings at Rhinelander will consolidate and simplify energy operations, enabling the plant to house a future boiler and a heat recovery steam generator. The project will commence immediately and is estimated to be completed in the third quarter of 2023.
“Being able to proceed with these key projects constitute an important milestone in further strengthening our operations in the US, making Mosinee and Rhinelander stronger platform to support for future growth with our customer base,” said Dan Adrianzon, EVP, Technical Materials.
“These investments will enable us to reduce carbon emissions and enhance our operational efficiency,” added Thomaz Gruber, vice president of Operations for the Wisconsin U.S. plants. “We take our responsibility to protect our natural resources seriously and we have demonstrated this through our sustainable forestry practices as well as the contributions our plants have made to Wisconsin communities for more than 130 years.”
In 2022, Ahlstrom-Munksjö updated its sustainability targets and committed to The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which is a global body enabling businesses to set emissions reduction targets to be in line with new climate science. SBTi unveiled a new strategy to encourage businesses to obtain a minimum target of 1.5°C.
“Ahlstrom-Munksjö intends to reach that trajectory of 38% absolute reduction by 2030 and aspires to reach net zero emissions by 2050,” said Robin Guillaud, EVP, Sustainability, Innovation & Marketing. “Reducing the emissions and the landfill waste at the Rhinelander and Mosinee plants will be a significant step towards achieving the company’s ambitious sustainability metrics and goals.”
