Reducing energy and water consumption

Making paper requires water, which must be disposed of after use. Australia’s publishers take every measure to cut down on water consumption used during the production of newspapers and magazines including adding recycled water to create the pulp for making newsprint.

When the water is unable to be re-used it is then treated and discharged. At Norske Skog’s Albury Mill, located on the Murray River, a $10million project was undertaken to stop the discharge of treated waste water altogether. A large storage dam was constructed and over 350 hectares of irrigated forest was planted adjacent to the Mill. The water used in the paper making process now undergoes two treatments before being used to irrigate these pine plantations.

At Norske Skog’s other plant in Boyer, Tasmania, they have worked hard to improve the quality of its treated process water, spending over $20million on a state of the art effluent treatment plant.

Similar emphasis is placed upon the reduction of energy usage in the newspaper and magazine production process, whereby de-inking old newspapers and magazines to produce pulp uses one-sixth of the energy required to produce pulp from raw wood. This substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions.