Essity has said it is the first company in the industry to produce tissue in a CO2 emission-free production process using renewable hydrogen at its production facility in Mainz-Kostheim, Germany.
The company initiated the pilot for CO2-free tissue production in the second half of 2021.
It encompassed efficiency programmes and electrification through renewable energy, using hydrogen as a final building block to replace natural gas in the hood dryer of the papermaking process.
As a result, Essity said it has successfully achieved a CO2-free production process for tissue.
Donato Giorgio, President of Global Supply Chain at Essity, said: “With this initiative, we have become the first in the world to use renewable hydrogen for tissue production.
“This is a major milestone in our ambitious climate agenda and a big step toward a decarbonised society.
“We are creating a sustainable process that is setting a new benchmark for the industry.”
The company said that up until now, the paper drying process has relied on natural gas to achieve the required high temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius, and renewable energy has not been a viable alternative in this part of the process.
By using hydrogen in the drying process, Essity said it has demonstrated that energy intensive production processes can also become CO2 emission-free.
The breakthrough is part of the company’s ambitions to have Net Zero emissions by 2050.