Last year Sappi’s Kirkniemi Mill in Finland completed a transition to renewable biomass energy, and the mill’s electricity supply was also switched to clean electricity.

The biomass move reduced the mill’s Scope 1 emissions by 90%.

Combined with the electricity move, the changes have resulted in a 55% reduction in the carbon footprint of Galerie papers, with a 70% cut in Sappi’s sights for the year-end.

The Galerie range of coated mechanical papers is targeted at publishing and advertising use such as catalogues and brochures, and spans nine options from Lite Gloss to Brite Bulk and Fine Silk.

Sappi Europe director of sustainability Sarah Price said the group’s decarbonisation journey had undergone “a massive acceleration from 2020 onwards”.

“We’re proud to be on schedule, despite challenging economic conditions,” she said.

“For us, this is much broader than emissions; it’s about investing now for long-term positive change and enabling our customers to do the same.”

The Sappi Europe decarbonisation roadmap encompasses nearly 80 projects, and is aligned with Sappi’s science-based sustainability targets for 2030.

Kirkniemi employs around 550 people and runs three papers machines with the capacity to produce 750,000tpa, along with 300,000tps of bleached mechanical pulp for the mill’s use.

Separately, Sappi was recently awarded the highest platinum level by EcoVadis for the sixth consecutive year, with the rating covering its global manufacturing operations in Europe, North America and South Africa.