Which one is more sustainable? Take a wild guess!

Two boxes that look the same can have completely different abilities and characteristics.
But which is the sustainable one?

Transparent information about invisible sustainability

There are reasons for everything. At Billerud, sustainability is at the core of every paper packaging material we produce and every paperboard box we help to create. And we ensure transparency about the environmental performance of our paper products – so you can make a more informed choice. You will never again choose the wrong box!

Advisory for informed choices

Our material knowledge comes from decades of R&D. Our packaging labs provide scientific methods and high-tech equipment to help you tailor-make solutions for optimized performance.

The Billerud difference – a holistic view

Our paperboard doesn’t just hold goods, it holds a promise of a more sustainable tomorrow. We have a holistic view of sustainability, starting with wood material from sustainably managed forests and continuing with a 98% fossil-free production and the use of rail for 70% of outgoing land transports (European mills).

Dow Jones call us a leader

Billerud is one of the world’s most sustainable packaging companies according to the Dow Jones Index – number three in our category! Our wood raw materials come from sustainably managed forests. All with tomorrow in mind.

Long, strong fiber makes packaging work

Due to our long, strong paper fiber, packaging made from our material can be thinner and 15% lighter* than the standard European solution, even for heavy-duty applications. This results in obvious advantages like decreased weight, less waste, and up to 40% lower** CO2 emissions.

*According to internal calculations by BoxLab
**According to internal calculations

A broad perspective on sustainability

Billerud not only works hard with sustainability. We also take pride in our wider role as a pioneer of sustainability. We constantly try to reduce our environmental impact. One of many improvements is the diminishing use of fossil fuels in our worldwide operations.

Billerud’s European production is already 97% fossil free. Our goal now is to make production completely fossil free. The removal of fossil fuels severely reduces the environmental impact of paper production and aligns with the global push towards using renewable energy sources. One of the key elements for a fossil-free production is a stable and efficient production. This demands putting safety first.

All paper production uses a lot of energy. Most of this energy is generated in the pulp process, where a lot of waste heat is released. This excess heat is used directly in production, but also provides local communities with district heating. This use of waste heat in our own production has reduced our carbon footprint. In our European operations, we generate up to 40% of our electricity internally. All purchased electricity is covered by fossil-free energy certificates. We work continuously to increase the overall energy efficiency of our facilities and to find new ways to further increase the amount of energy produced from sustainable, fossil-free sources.

Billerud’s European use of fuel 2022 (%).

Using the railway, recovering chemicals

In 2022, 70% of the outgoing land transports from our European mills travelled by rail. Together with carriers, we are pushing for the transition to a fossil-free fleet. We will continue to actively choose the mode of transport and monitor developments in technology and fuel, railway expansion and the electrification of roads.

The chemicals used to release the fibers from the wood are recovered and reused in a cyclical process. Wood residues after fiber extension are used for energy.

See Also

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