Building on our near-term Science Based Target for 2030, Essity will speed and scale up our actions using our expertise, commitment, and innovations to reach the 2050 ambition. Still, no single company can take on this task alone. Therefore, we cooperate with suppliers, customers, consumers, governments, NGO´s, experts, and industry peers to drive the change needed. As a part of this we are partnering up with The Innovation Fund for sustainable development of tissue.  

The TFFFTP project replaces liquefied natural gas (LNG) used to dry the paper at a paper production facility with bio-syngas generated in a new on-site gasification plant using wood wastes. The direct connection of the bio-syngas production plant to paper production facilities is a first-of-a-kind integration. In line with circular economy principles, the feedstock used to produce the bio-syngas is sorted wood waste collected from local industries and municipalities. The project strongly contributes to the overall site’s decarbonisation, covering the steam and heat needs for 69 000 tons of annual paper production.  

Global climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. As one of the world’s leading hygiene and health companies, Essity has joined the Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees and is committed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. We are building on our near-term targets for 2030 and accelerating our efforts on the journey to net zero. The innovations from the TFFFTP project will bring important knowledge and opportunities to scale up our efforts to increase use of renewable energy sources, says Olli Härkönen, Technical Area Director Sustainability & Digitalization at Essity. 

The technology could be replicated at around 10 of the 40 production facilities of the company, particularly on sites with high local availability of biomass by-products, such as wood chips or forest residues. The bio-based gasification process could also be extended to other sources such as agricultural waste, industrial residues, animal residues, municipal solid bio-based waste, sewage, and even other non-edible low-value biomass sources such as straw, grass and algae. 

Short facts

In Lilla Edet, Sweden, Essity products are produced under the Tork brand and consumer tissue under the Lotus brand. 

Employees in Lilla Edet: 400 

Sector: Pulp & paper  

Amount of innovation fund grant: EUR 4 200 000  

Starting date: 01 October 2021  

Planned date of entry into operation: Q4 2025 

Project coordinator: Hans Åkesson, Project Engineer at Essity, Lilla Edet 

About the European Commission’s Innovation Fund 

The Innovation Fund is intended to be a key funding instrument for delivering the EU’s economy-wide commitments under the Paris Agreement and in support of the European Commission’s strategic vision of a climate neutral Europe by 2050. The Innovation Fund along with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will provide long-term incentives for deployment of innovative technologies required in order to deliver the EU’s low carbon transition.