Smurfit Kappa to invest $100m in biomass boiler

Smurfit Kappa is investing around $100 million in a sustainable biomass boiler at its paper mill facility in Yumbo, Colombia.

The boiler aims to reduce Smurfit Kappa’s global Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂ emissions by approximately 6%. The company has already implemented biomass boilers at other paper mill sites across Europe, including Piteå in Sweden, and Sangüesa and Nervion in Spain. 

Smurfit Kappa says the boiler will replace fossil fuels currently in use with different types of organic waste to generate cleaner energy. The organic waste will be comprised of pine and eucalyptus bark from the business’ personal forestry plantations, waste from its wood treatment plan and ashes and sludge generated through the paper-manufacturing process.

Once the boiler is operational, the Colombian mill will reduce the facility’s fossil fuel usage and deliver significant cost savings.

Laurent Sellier, CEO of Smurfit Kappa in the US said: “This investment reinforces our commitment to Colombia, a strategic growth market, and to our sustainability targets. 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.”

Alvaro J Henao, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Colombia, added: “The construction of this boiler reflects the circularity that is the foundation of our sustainability strategy and runs through all of our operations, as we are finding another use for our own waste. It is also a very important project for the region, as it will contribute to expanding the use of renewable energies and is a timely response to the increased global demand for paper.”

The company expects the boiler to be operational by the end of 2024.