India’s paper industry has cut down consumption of water by 80% and looks to reduce it further, making investments of Rs 25,000 crore (approx. $250 billion) in sustainable production processes in the last few years.
A release issued by the Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA), the apex national body representing the Indian paper industry, said that several industry players have taken environmentally friendly measures to reduce their carbon and water footprint by deploying modern technological solutions and captive power generation to achieve energy efficiency.
Pawan Agarwal, President, IPMA, says, “Integrated paper mills have reduced water usage from 200 cubic metres used earlier to around 40 cubic metres to produce a tonne of paper, with a concerted effort to bring it down further. The industry has invested to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore in sustainable production processes and capacities in the last few years.”
Agarwal said that the paper industry had reduced power consumption and the integrated plants are producing 40% of the electricity by utilising biomass from the pulping process. He also pointed out that the industry has turned “wood positive” by planting more trees to source key raw materials. “The industry has worked incessantly with over five lakh marginal farmers over the last several years, successfully bringing 12 lakh hectares of largely degraded land under plantations,” IPMA stated.
The IPMA President also claimed that the paper industry has been one of the leading performers under the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme under the government’s broader National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).
