Cleaner production

No industrial process can take place without releases into the air. We are committed to reducing our emissions into the atmosphere to as low as possible in all our operations, through a set of ambitious improvement targets supported and enabled by a rolling investment programme.

The main emissions to air that result from pulp and paper manufacturing include SO₂, CO₂ and particulates, mostly resulting from the combustion of fuels needed to produce energy. Our chemical pulp mills also emit total reduced sulphides (TRS) which are formed during the process.

Sulphur Dioxide Emissions (SO₂)

Significant improvements in SO₂ emissions, emitted during fuel combustion and energy conversion, during 2007 saw us reduce our annual tonnage from 6,831 tonnes to 5,615 tonnes from the previous year. By changing the fuel used to power a paper machine in our Israeli operations from heavy oil to natural gas we have reduced the mill's SO₂ emissions by 25% from the 2006 levels. And a 21% reduction has also been achieved over the same period at the Richards Bay mill by reducing our consumption of black coal and increasing the use of natural gas.

Building on these achievements, we have been targeting significant SO₂ reductions at our South African Merebank mill, where we are also due to install a low-NOx burner.

*This graph includes data for our environmentally material operations only

Total Reduced Sulphides (TRS)

The characteristic smell of chemical pulp mills is caused by reduced sulphur compounds formed during the process. The graph below illustrates the improvements made in the total reduced sulphide emissions at our chemical pulp mills. The improvement can be attributed to the reconstruction of the soda recovery and bark boilers at the Syktyvkar mill in Russia and to the modernisation of the evaporator in the recovery boiler at the Świecie mill in Poland.

Mondi has set a target to reduce its TRS emissions to the atmosphere by 65% in 2010 against the 2005 baseline (in absolute terms). To date we have reduced our total TRS emissions by 60% to 153 tonnes in 2007.

Please note that the above graph includes data for our environmentally material operations only. Baseline data has been adjusted to include data from Stambolijski and Mondi Shanduka Newsprint. The Sykytvkar mill has only reported its H₂S and methyl mercaptans, which account for 80% of the mill's total TRS emissions. The Świecie mill has calculated its TRS emissions based on averages of samples taken at various intervals. This could lead to some inaccuracies in the numbers reported.

Particulate Emissions (Dust)

Particulate emissions from the pulp industry are suspended solids emitted by recovery boilers, lime kilns and bark boilers. The significant reduction in the particulate emissions at Mondi’s mills can be attributed to the reconstruction of the soda recovery boiler and bark boiler at the Syktyvkar mill, the installation of the precipitator on the recovery boiler at the Richards Bay mill and the modernisation of the evaporator in the recovery boiler at the Świecie mill.

Please note that the above graph includes data for our environmentally material operations only.

The chemical oxygen demand (COD) test is used to measure indirectly the amount of organic compounds in water, including adsorbable organohalogens (AOX).

AOX and COD are two of the most significant pollutants emitted during the paper-making process. These are therefore two priority investment areas for Mondi, and challenging targets are in place across the Group to help us achieve ‘acceptable’ wastewater effluent levels.

The ongoing investment programmes at all our sites are successfully contributing to year-on-year progress.

COD

For COD, we are committed to a Group reduction of 30% from 2005 production levels by 2010. We have already successfully reduced COD levels by 21% from 138,189 tonnes in 2005 to 108,819 tonnes in 2007. Significantly, 35% and 56% reductions have been reported at the Syktyvkar mill in Russia and the Richards Bay mill in South Africa respectively since 2005.

Please note that the above graph includes data for our environmentally material operations only. Baseline data has been adjusted to include data from Stambolijski and Mondi Shanduka Newsprint.

AOX

Our reduction in AOX levels has been successful overall, with tremendous progress being made - particularly through our decision to replace elemental chlorine as a bleaching agent for paper with advanced, cleaner elemental chlorine-free (ECF) technology. The Group target is to reduce AOX levels by 30% from the 2005 level by 2010. The Group has already surpassed its 2010 target, successfully driving levels down by 65% to 152 tonnes in 2007.

Please note that the above graph includes data for our environmentally material operations only. Baseline data has been adjusted to include data from Stambolijski and Mondi Shanduka Newsprint.

Waste disposal is complex for Mondi, made more so by our operations in many different countries and jurisdictions, which can have different waste classification regimes. Across the business there are two quite separate waste management priorities - disposal of the by-products of our production, and disposal of our products once they have been used by consumers.

The disposal of the green liquor sludge, created in the pulp production process, is a challenge for all business. Finding a solution is a major focus area for Mondi. We are also undertaking constant reviews of all landfill operations to ensure their safety, with a particular emphasis on the quality of nearby groundwater.

In South Africa, ash from the coal burning process accounts for most of the waste that is landfilled. The Merebank and Richards Bay mills account for 35% of the Group's total solid waste that is sent to landfill.

In 2007, we successfully achieved our 20% reduction target by reducing this number to 366,893 tonnes. In particular, significant reductions have been achieved at our Syktyvkar and Świecie mills.

We continuously seek practical and beneficial uses for our solid waste, including energy recovery, soil improvement and brick manufacturing.

Please note that the above graph includes data for our environmentally material operations only. Baseline data has been adjusted to include data from Stambolijski and Mondi Shanduka Newsprint.

At Mondi, we continuously face two main issues in the use, conservation and protection of fresh water.

Firstly, protecting supplies in our forestry operations within water-scarce areas of the world such as South Africa. The second major issue is how we use water in our intensive industrial processes throughout the world. Our ongoing challenge is to achieve consistent reductions, both in the quantities of water we use and in the amount of water-borne pollutants that result from our processes.

Please note that the above graph includes data for our environmentally material operations only. Baseline data has been adjusted to include data from Stambolijski and Mondi Shanduka Newsprint.