Smurfit Kappa has confirmed that it has slashed the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in its water discharge three years early. The company had set an ambitious goal to improve the quality of its water quality by reducing the COD by 1/3 per tonne of produced paper by the end of 2020 compared to 2005. This significant improvement in water quality is an important step for protecting aquatic life and comes after extensive research and development.
Smurfit Kappa invested over €60 million in sustainable water treatment technology installing anaerobic water treatment processes that do not need oxygen and subsequently use less energy, followed by aerobic treatment to ensure low COD results. The treatment transforms water pollutants into biogas which is then reused as fuel in the company’s combined heat and power plants. This milestone is the latest in a series of sustainability achievements and follows on from Smurfit Kappa reaching full chain of custody certification for its entire raw material supply chain earlier this year.
