As the contacts and contracts made and signed at Tissue World Düsseldorf are being rolled out across global industry networks, event organiser Informer Connect has announced the highlights and unrivalled attractions and networking opportunities set to replicate Düsseldorf’s success – first at Ho Chi Minh City in November 2025, and then the next “Big One” in 2027 … in Portugal’s capital and largest city Lisbon.
Global tissue’s largest exhibition and conference saw attendees from all over the world come together to see old friends and make new ones, talking to customers and peers.
Hundreds of delegates also attended the conference – themed Future-Proofing the Tissue Industry for Sustainable Growth – which offered insights via deep-dive talks in Senior Management Sessions, Q&As, and the latest technical advances.
Over 50+ speakers from industry-leading companies included Sofidel Group’s Luigi Lazzareschi, Fine Hygienic Holding’s Ali Jalal, LC Paper’s Pau Vila, Valmet’s Jenny Lahti Samuelsson, Toscotec’s Stefano Pecchia and Gabriele Romanini, and A.Celli’s Riccardo Cattani.
They gave their latest insights covering topics including strategic risks, international conflicts, trade corridors, pulp’s supply chains, the energy transition and the decarbonisation of tissue plants, advanced digital solutions, and hot embossing.
A new dynamic addition to the conference – Unlocking the Future: Pilot Plants & The Tissue Revolution – was an interactive and insightful session that put the spotlight on pilot plants, cutting-edge technologies, and the innovative products they bring to life.
It showcased companies at the forefront of research and development, offering a unique opportunity to explore, feel and touch the latest advancements in materials, fibres, additives, and production techniques.
Tissue World is heading to Hi Chi Minh City, Vietnam! 25-26 November 2025
Tissue’s next big move: Ho Chi Minh City. Be there to connect, innovate, and grow in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic and future-focused business hubs.
This brand-new event, held at the 5-star Equatorial Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, opens the door to one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
Tissue World Lisbon 7-9 April 2027
The next European edition of Tissue World will take place in Lisbon, Portugal – a brand-new destination for the tissue industry’s leading event.
A rising tissue performer, Portugal is a cost-effective travel hub, a green economy leader and has world class venues and attractions.
It will be held at the Feira Internacional Lisboa, Rua do Bojador, 1998-010 Lisbon, between 7-9 April 2027.
For those who couldn’t attend Tissue World Düsseldorf, here TWM summarises a selection of key points emerging from conference talks and themes.
REVISITING TISSUE WORLD 2025 IN DÜSSELDORF
Resilience in the new reality
Donato Giorgio, President Global Supply Chain, Essity
Prepare for the unexpected: A resilient network – Supplier network – Technology – Distribution network
Design for resilience
– collaboration with suppliers
A resilient supplier base is key to mitigate risks and ensuring continuity in supply chains
AI-driven supply chain risk monitoring:
- Strategical assessment of supplier risks with exposure scores and risk indices
- 24/7 global incident monitoring
- Supply chain transparency of sub-tier suppliers and risks.
Sourcing diversification:
- End-to-end value stream focus across all strategic sourcing categories
- Multiple suppliers and materials qualified to reduce dependency, enhance agility, and mitigate supply disruption risks
- Multi-tier approach and resilience also beyond tier 1 suppliers.
Supplier Relationship Management (SRM):
- Optimisation of our value chain through strategic SRM approach
- Innovation and sustainability are key value drivers
- Improves our supply chain agility and suppliers’ responsiveness.
Technology designed for resilience
Lauded as a “ground-breaking” concept for sustainable tissue production, Essity has an exclusive collaboration with Voith to take tissue-making to the next level. Aiming to drive a completely new, scalable decarbonisation process across the global paper industry, in 2023 Essity and Voith announced an exclusive partnership working together on a pilot plant at Voith Paper in Heidenheim, Germany, which will enable CO2-neutral paper manufacturing, while reducing water consumption by 95%.
After becoming the first company in the industry to produce tissue in a CO2-free production process using renewable hydrogen (Kostheim, Germany), the first tissue producer to operate a paper machine on geothermal steam (Kawerau, New Zealand), Essity is about to achieve another major milestone in its commitment to reach net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.
Digitally enabled distribution network
Amplify workforce impact through purposeful technology and organisation set up
Digital suite of solutions
- Touchless transports for 95% of the 12,000 daily transactions with two regional centres dealing with Europe on the one hand and the Americas on the other hand
- 70,000 forecast combinations handled via Advanced analytics and Machine learning
Leverage flows at scale
- Centrally orchestrated for transportation, demand planning, supply planning
- Standardised global processes fostering cross-categories benefits
Recruit and retain top talents
- Supply Chain Hub in strategic location
- From traditional planner to data scientist profiles with an upskilling strategy.
KCPM investments in times of special challenges
By Iurii Golovchenko, Chief Executive of Ukraine’s Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill
Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill (KCPM) is the largest enterprise in Ukraine’s industry and has been in operation since 1982. It produces base paper, sanitary paper products from wastepaper and pulp, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, cardboard packaging, and egg containers.
- 2,500 employees
- Over the past 25 years, €400m has been invested in the modernisation of the company, with the support of its shareholder Pulp Mill Holding
- Between 2022 – 2025, KCMP invested €40m
- The company’s share in the domestic pulp and paper market is 30%.
Main sectors of production include:
- Carboard production 250,000tpy
- Base paper production 70,000tpy
- Corrugated production 355m m2 per year
- Sanitary products 355m units
- Urban wastewater treatment, heating 50,000 residents.
€400m has been invested over the past 25 years, €40m of which during the last four years with the support of Pulp Mill Holding. The source of investments for 2022-2025 is exclusively own funds.
Investments during the full-scale war included:
2022: €6m
2023: €7.3m
2024: €10m
2025: €19m.
Case No.1 – Energy efficiency and independence
Challenge: The urgent need to invest in energy efficiency and independence has been caused by several factors:
- Enemy missile attacks and the occupation of part of the territories in Ukraine led to the loss of 66% of generating capacity – 22.6 GW.
- In April 2024, shelling completely destroyed Trypillia TPP, the largest power plant in Kyivska oblast.
- Constant blackouts.
- Fluctuations in electricity and gas tariffs.
Primary resource: In 2012, KCPM carried out a reconstruction of its own thermal power plant to ensure stable and continuous operation of the enterprise, as well as the heating and hot water supply to Obukhiv.
- The power generation capacity of the TPP is 38 MW.
- The energy needs of the production are currently 28 MW.
- The deficit in the Ukrainian energy system became the reason to invest in the modernisation of the existing equipment – three Siemens gas generators.
Solution: Considering the challenging situation in the country’s energy sector, we decided to use our self-produced energy more efficiently.
To ensure the efficiency and safe operation of the equipment under heavy load, the following components are being replaced:
- Siemens gas generators (24000 h) for GTU-2 and GTU-3.
- Purchase of Siemens power unit for GTU-1.
- The project cost €7.3m.
Result: The reliability of energy supply was ensured by stable operation of the thermal power plant, producing energy for the needs of KCPM.
- The technological processes of KCPM have been optimised for energy efficiency and economic viability.
- The enterprise can operate in the “energy island” mode, i.e. without connection to the national power grid of Ukraine.
- The total energy savings (in terms of thousand kWh) for 2022-2024 are 15,000 kWh (€500,000 annually) due to the modernisation of equipment and production process optimisation.
Case No.2 – Modernisation of the drying part of PRM-2
Challenge: Upgrade of the drying part of PRM-2, which was brought into operation in 1988, is complicated by a number of challenges:
- The main difficulty is transportation of the large-sized Yankee cylinder.
- Logistical constraints due to the war in Ukraine significantly complicate delivery.
- Careful route planning and additional approvals are vital for safe transportation.
Challenge: Prior to the full-scale war, in 2016 the Yankee Dryer for PRM-1 was transported along the Dnipro River by cargo barge.
- Currently, this transportation way is not accessible in Ukraine due to the destruction of Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in 2023 and constant enemy shelling.
Challenge: For Ukraine, the dam’s explosion caused the loss of 335 MW of power generation capacity at Kakhovka HPS and the shipping channel from Kakhovka to Zaporizhzhia.
Challenge: The only possible option for delivery is by sea and by land using vehicles. The overland route, from the ports of Reni or Odesa to Obukhiv (800km), has a number of difficult, impassable road sections for a road train, which has no analogues in terms of size in Ukraine.
Solution: A road train will be formed from the Reni port with the following parameters (m): 40*6,15*5,8 – 140 tonnes, considering the weight distribution of the cargo.
Result: Replacement of the drying section of a paper machine offers several important benefits:
- Improved industrial safety.
- Increased service life.
- Reduced energy consumption by up to 9%. Compliance with EU standards
- The total cost is €7m.
- Yankee cylinder diameter (Toscotec, Italy) – 6,000mm.
Case No.3 – Sustainable waste management
Challenge No.1: Since February 2022, a shortage of wastepaper has been significant, caused by several factors:
- Migration of the population; around 10m people emigrated abroad;
- Difficulties in the stable operation of procurement enterprises due to military threats and hostilities;
- Destruction of logistics chains for regular imports on favourable terms.
Solution: Increase of network capacity of our own procurement enterprises, which are located in the largest regional centres and cover the whole of Ukraine.
- 105,000 tonnes – in pre-war 2021.
- 250,000 tonnes – the annual wastepaper requirement of KCPM.
- 130,000 tonnes provided by own procurement enterprises in 2024 (+25,000 tonnes compared to the pre-war level).
Realities of war:
- In the cities with the most difficult security situation, the company managed to increase its results by the end of 2024, exceeding the levels before the full-scale invasion.
- In Kherson, the company stopped its wastepaper collection due to constant shelling.
- Since February 2022, three new sites have been opened: in Odesa, Kharkiv and Kyivska oblast.
Challenge No.2:
- Taking into account Europe’s best practices in waste management, in 2022, despite the war, it was decided to invest in environmental projects.
- The goal is to minimise production waste (fibre waste, jute, film), to organize efficient disposal and recycling of residues.
Steps to overcome the challenge
- Sorting: Careful sorting of production waste.
- Reducing volume: Changes in technological processes.
- Installation of special equipment for residue compaction.
- Shedding and separation: Installation of equipment for waste shredding and separation
- Sale of waste: Establishing sales chains for shredded and sorted residues
- Corporate culture: Increase of the general culture of the company’s employees in waste management.
Solution: The equipment for shredding jute (a waste product of paper and cardboard production) was put into operation.
WEIMA WPL 15000 Hydro single-shaft shredder simultaneously shreds the waste and separates the film and metal for efficient sorting of the residues for further sale.
All waste is purchased by recycling companies.
The project cost is €2m.
Result: Recycling of 100% of jute.
- Established cooperation with waste recycling companies:
- fibre waste is bought for brick production, film shredded by a shredder is used as SRF fuel.
- In 2022-2024, the sale of waste facilitated the reduction of the load on the landfill by 18.7 thousand tonnes.
Social mission of KCPM (2022 – 2024)
Thanks to its own investments and the support of Pulp Mill Holding, the mill managed to retain a professional team of employees, providing them with a full social package and raising their salaries every six months.
- Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill is one of the largest taxpayers in the Kyiv region and Ukraine.
- €5m was allocated to charity projects and support for mobilised employees. Currently, every 10th employee serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- The company is included in the list of enterprises that are critical to the Ukrainian economy.
Managing pulp supply chain risk through strategic sourcing
Ali Jalal, Chief Procurement Officer and Chief of Sales for Parent Rolls, Fine Hygienic Holding
Founded in 1958, Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH) is a leading tissue brand in the Arab world, and Fine a household name for tissue in Jordan. It has four main hubs of operations: Jordan, Egypt, KSA and UAE, producing 220,000tpy of tissue, 1.2bn baby diapers and 120m adult incontinence.
What is supply chain risk? When we speak of supply chain risk, we are referring to the potential occurrence of a problem along a company’s supply chain, such that the provision of a good or service is prevented. The event is usually sudden and unforeseen, and most often capable of bringing the production process to a halt.
What is strategic souring? The Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing defines Strategic Sourcing as:
The process of developing channels of supply at the lowest total cost, not just the lowest purchase price. It expands upon traditional organisational purchasing activities to embrace all activities within the procurement cycle.
The following is how we apply the seven steps of Strategic sourcing to manage supply chain risk. As we go through each step, we will outline how we use it to manage supply chain risk for pulp.
Seven steps of strategic sourcing:
The first step is to Understand the category. While this step is straightforward, it is by far the most important as it sets the stage for the factors that define your supply risk profile.
Understanding the category covers developing knowledge of the product and its use in your operations, the elements and the factor that affect supply and demand and the knowledge of the macro and micro economic fundamentals that pertain to the end product.
Once this is achieved, you can put together a list of potential risks that affect the sourcing of your category.
The next step is to Identify sources of supply. In this step, you identify your current and potential suppliers, those operating in global and regional markets and those trading your raw materials. This step is used to develop the list of your key suppliers and your back up suppliers and providers for pulp.
Once this is done, you can then Determine the sourcing strategy. Here, you can apply a matrix to determine how you treat your raw material with respect to how easy it is to source the material versus the profit impact it has on your final product cost. Pulp is a strategic item for tissue producers but has some leverage characteristics.
With the sourcing strategy defined you can look at Selecting the suitable sourcing process.
The two main methods for bale pulp sourcing are:
- Sourcing on the spot market, through several suppliers and traders
- Sourcing based on contracts from a select number of suppliers and traders with an agreed periodic delivery schedule based on an agreed pricing mechanism.
What defines which process to use depends on how you view your end product, your ability to work with multiple grades and suppliers, the cash position to support big deals or smaller frequent shipments, your logistics network, and the strength of your supplier relationships.
In general, contract buying is more directed to customers who have brands and focus on the relationship and the partnership to yield benefits. Spot buying is focused on the opportunistic/market driven activities. It covers a range of suppliers.
With sourcing process defined we go on to Supplier selection and negotiation.
To manage risk, you need suppliers that have flexibility in supply and experience in dealing with risks. Supplier selection should clearly have an element of risk management, not just prices. Moreover, when you go into negotiations, make sure to put this as part of your ask and evaluation. Do your homework properly and understand your limits. Have a backup plan so you can walk away if you need to.
With the selection done and negotiations finalized, you move on to Implementation and transaction. While this is straightforward, it can lead to risks if it is not done properly. As such make sure the “paperwork” is addressed – contracts, agreements, POs… and agree on the planning, scheduling and delivery process. Put effort in getting the “operational teams” up to speed and backend processes working. Ultimately when “issues” happen or a risk becomes a reality, they are the best to get things fixed quickly.
Finally Review and develop relationships as supply chain risks are dynamic. Like all relationships, communication is key. Work with your partners, communicate and be ready for challenges. Together you can all win!
Setting the Table for Change – Trends & Forces Driving Sustainable Dining Solutions
Robert Dackeskog, President and Chief Executive, Duni Group
A unique control of the entire value chain for table covers and napkins
Strategy for growth – A Trusted Sustainability Leader in our Industry by 2030
Strategic priorities:
- Increase innovative offering to customers and consumers
- Grow positions in Europe and Asia Pacific
- Enhance operational efficiency and enable regional differentiation
Becoming circular at scale – going net zero – living the change
Navigating a changing world: key forces shaping demand and behaviour
- Fragmented regulations
- Volatile global landscape
- Conscious consumers
- Sustainability
How to make sustainability fit both the planet and the bottom line?
Price, quality, performance, innovation, consumer behaviour, sustainability, profitability
Innovation: the key to sustainable solutions and future-proofing our industry
Our approach:
Innovation at the core of sustainability
- Smarter designs and materials
- Partnerships to drive industry change
- Our key innovation areas:
- Bio-based Products
- Swan-labelled Products
- Using shrimp shells and other waste for bio-materials
- Smart Production Techniques
- Airlaid Technology
- Recyclable and compostable materials and techniques
- Optimised Product Design
- Sustainable Packaging
- BiciCompost
Is digitalisation the game-changer for a sustainable dining revolution? Data analytics, digital tools, insights.
How to build resilient business models in the face of global uncertainty?
Value chain:
Full control – from raw materials to end-of-life
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
Strategic acquisitions:
- SETI: In 2024, Duni Group boosted its tabletop product converting capabilities after acquiring a 70% stake in Slovenia’s SETI. SETI is based in Kranj and is a converter for standard and customised high-technology tabletop products such as napkins, table covers and coasters in airlaid and tissue.
- Poppies Europe: In 2024, Duni Group announced its acquisition of the UK’s leading paper tableware company Poppies Europe. The move strengthens Duni’s presence in the sustainable dining market in the United Kingdom, while offering “significant synergies across manufacturing, logistics and distribution.”
- Strengthen local presence and diversify markets to enhance resilience.
How do you tackle a world where sustainability rules are anything but universal?
- Fragmented sustainability regulations create confusion and complexity.
- Inconsistent regulations across regions give an unfair competitive edge to some businesses.
- We set the highest standards as our baseline, turning compliance into market leadership.
- Future outlook:
- Innovation is key to shaping a sustainable future!
- Turn challenges into opportunities through sustainability!
- Stay agile and proactive!
- Collaboration and shared commitment are essential for success!
- Let’s lead the way to a more sustainable future, together!
