Corporate Policies

Procurement (4)

Green-Pulp-Way

Green-Pulp-Way

Green Pulp Way is LINTEC's own concept for eco-friendly products. The company carries out product design and manufacturing for special papers and label sheets based on this concept. The aim is to reduce impact on the global environment and to leave a healthy green planet for future generations.

Green Pulp

Green Pulp is a registered trademark of LINTEC in Japan, and is produced through a bleaching process that is elemental chlorine free (ECF). The raw materials for this pulp include trees from lawfully and properly managed forests (including CoC-certified pulp and pulp made from afforestation trees), pulp from reused material, and non-wood pulp.

Background

LINTEC promotes the recycling of used paper as an initiative for the effective use of resources. In general, the quality (e.g., strength) of recycled paper tends to be compromised in order to raise the content of used material. Given this tendency, we use selected quality material so as to be able to satisfy wide-ranging quality requirements. Recently, however, it has become difficult to procure used paper, irrespective of quality, due to a growing demand for the material in China and other markets. In order to address this situation, we have reviewed our standards for the content percentage of used paper.
Meanwhile, the global warming process is accelerating and intensifying, affecting natural ecosystems and human lives in different ways and giving rise to stronger calls globally for urgent actions to take against the problem. One major approach is pursued by controlling the increasing amount of CO2 emitted from burning fossil fuels, known as a leading cause of global warming, and forests can play a key role in this approach by fixing CO2 taken from the atmosphere. In light of this, for the purpose of controlling the global warming process, it is vitally important to protect forest resources, limiting wood sourcing to that from properly managed forests. In addition, recent studies report that pulp made from wood sourced from such forests (Kraft pulp) emits small amounts of fossil fuel-related CO2 in the paper production process compared to pulp from used paper (deinked pulp). Although recycling used paper is important for the purpose of promoting the effective use of resources, it should be noted that paper recycling may carry a risk of effecting an excessively high content of used paper, resulting in increased emissions of CO2, a leading GHG.
Considering the above situation, we have established a new policy on materials for paper production: primarily use Green Pulp, with deinked pulp also permitted to used as necessary while ensuring optimum content to meet quality requirements. We will also give adequate environmental consideration to the selection and design of raw materials other than pulp and auxiliary materials.

Comparison of CO2 emissions related to production of 1 ton of high-quality paper from Kraft pulp (LBKP) and deinked pulp (DIP)

  • ★1CO2 emitted from the burning of fuels of biological origin, such as those derived from plants. In paper production using Kraft pulp, wood lignin and other ingredients can supply biomass fuels to meet a large percentage of energy demand. Upon burning, biomass fuels emit CO2 that has been fixed into the relevant plant from the atmosphere during its growth process, which means that CO2 emissions from biomass fuels do not increase atmospheric CO2 content.
  • ★2CO2 emitted from the burning of fossil fuels, such as petroleum and coal. CO2 emissions related to fossil fuels burned for paper production using deinked pulp are double those produced when using Kraft pulp, as indicated in the above chart.
Comparison of CO2 emissions related to production of 1 ton of high-quality paper from Kraft pulp (LBKP) and deinked pulp (DIP)
  • Note: Based on Survey Report on Recycling of Used Paper and Relevant Environmental Impact (March 2001, Paper Recycling Promotion Center)