Paper Technology International 2020 - Journal - Page 94

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
Alternative Fibers in the Tissue and Towel Industry: Non-wood fibers as
a sustainable option for papermaking.
Kelly Buchheit, Global Marketing Director – Tissue and Towel, Solenis
INTRODUCTION:
While pulp and paper manufacturers have long considered themselves part of a sustainable industry due to their use of virgin fibers
and recycled paper, they are feeling various impacts as consumers and governments increase pressure on businesses in all industries
to reduce their environmental impact. China’s Blue-Sky initiative to reduce overall air pollution has forced smaller, inefficient paper
manufacturers to close. Meanwhile, Western European papermakers are defining how they will produce renewable goods that are free
from plastic packaging, which lowers their carbon footprint. And North American and Latin American manufacturers are making efforts to
respond to a heightened interest from consumers for products that are sustainable, and compostable.
Non-wood pulps, which can replace trees as a raw material
for pulps, have reemerged recently as a solution for papermakers
looking to meet environmental and sustainability targets — even
though the true environmental impact of switching to non-wood
pulps is still under investigation. Solenis is part of a consortium
trying to answer this very question by working to generate a detailed
lifecycle analysis that compares tissue produced from wood with
tissue produced from non-wood pulps. This article provides an
analysis of the current production and discusses forecast pulp
production and market considerations as they relate to paper
production.
An Overview of the Non-Woods Market
to the reopening of a wheat straw line at Columbia Pulp in Lyons
Ferry, Washington.
Slow growth for non-wood pulps is also predicted by the
China Household Paper Producers Association, which recently
presented pulp use by furnish type, comparing 2019 and 2020
percentages for the tissue segment’s overall pulp consumption.
The percentage of non-wood pulp used declined from 15.5
percent in 2019 to 13.6 percent in 2020, representing a reduction
of approximately 200,000 metric tons. The market itself is
experiencing an oversupply of roughly five million tons of excess
capacity, impacting China’s smaller manufacturers the hardest.
These producers are likely taking downtime or operating at a
Alternative fibers, including bamboo, bagasse,
hemp, wheat straw, flax, and reed, have been a niche
fiber source for many years. Interest in these fibers
began primarily in China and the Asia-Pacific region, but
non-wood pulps are produced today in all regions of the
world.
Despite this, data from Fisher International
shows that non-wood pulps represent only 5 percent of
global pulp production, with modest growth over the next
four years, spurred by the increased use of bamboo pulps, which
are becoming more common in the production of soft tissue. Asia
is projected to expand non-wood production by nearly 8 percent
annually by 2025. Europe will see only modest growth in non-wood
pulp production, and Latin America will see no growth at all. The
biggest increase in capacity will be in North America, due primarily
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reduced utilization rate for non-wood pulp. With China’s ban on
the importation of certain wastepaper streams cutting supplies
of recyclable paper, it’s possible a higher proportion of non-wood
pulp consumption may be utilized in packaging instead of tissue
products.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the
top producers of non-wood pulp are
supplying furnish primarily for the tissue
towel industry, with more than 40 percent
of production supporting this market.
The balance of the non-wood furnish is
consumed by packaging, graphic and
specialty papers.

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