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In Suceava, the former Paper and Cellulose Plant opened in 1962 was privatized in the '90s and became the company Ambro, part of the French group Rossman. There, the most manufactured type of paper in the world, the paper from which corrugated cardboard is made, is still produced. In turn, one of the most used packaging materials in the world.
The paper is made from 100% waste paper. This makes the production process more difficult because recycled fiber loses its strength characteristics through recycling.
Every day, 550 tons of waste paper are processed to obtain 500 tons of recycled paper.
The factory began using cardboard waste for paper production only in 2007. Until then, the paper was made from wood. A change that came out of necessity, as explained by Roxana Chiș, ESG manager at Ambro:
"At that time, there were some market entries by investors in the furniture sector, who exploited forests. (2:05) And if the raw material consisted of wood waste, they took everything and did not sell us the fiber needed for cellulose. (2:20) So we found ourselves at risk of closing operations and had to quickly reorient. At that moment, it came out of necessity, and we can say that's how the thread of the circular economy was opened."
In the absence of raw material, the company was therefore forced to completely change its business model. It invested 15 million euros in new equipment to be able to produce paper from cardboard waste instead of wood waste. The transition from linear to circular not only helped them survive in the market but proved to be quite profitable.
Mihai Banu, technical advisor at Ambro:
"In principle, compared to the period when it was made from cellulose, electricity consumption has decreased to about 50% of what it was before. And the steam consumption used before for making paper and cellulose was 3-4 times more than it is now. Freshwater consumption for making cellulose and paper was 4-5 times higher."
Seeing the advantages of the circular economy, the company continued to invest in such measures. It installed a cogeneration plant that cost 9 million euros. An installation that brought a reduction in electricity costs, a reduction in the carbon footprint, and energy independence.
Circularity then went further, to the other factory owned by the company, on the same industrial site, the corrugated cardboard factory. Which came to operate in perfect symbiosis with the paper factory. The paper is sent to the cardboard factory as raw material, and the scraps from the cardboard factory are sent back to the paper factory and become pulp for new recycled paper.
How the transition from a linear business model to a circular one proved to be a real business asset is revealed in episode 12 of the campaign "Second Life. Circular Economy Models", produced by Asociația Soluții Sustenabile with the help of the environmental consultancy company Stratos. A project initiated with the aim of accelerating Romania's green transition by providing examples of good practice from the business environment.
You can watch the other 11 episodes here.
