As of January 2022, the Swedish-based hygiene and health company Essity is the first in the world to produce tissue paper on a large scale without any fossil-based CO2 emissions. Together with Gasum, Essity’s production facility in Lilla Edet successfully switched over from natural gas to biogas, allowing carbon dioxide emissions to be reduced to zero under normal operations.

Gasum first delivered liquefied biogas (LBG) to its customer, Essity, at the end of March 2021 during a testing period. After just nine months, Essity is now the first in the world to produce tissue paper on a large scale without fossil CO2 emissions having switched over to LBG for all deliveries. This remarkable step towards a carbon-neutral future was achieved by replacing natural gas with biogas at their Edet Bruk production facility in Lilla Edet, Sweden. The mill produces Essity products under brand names like Tork and Lotus.

“Essity wants to contribute to a sustainable society. We help customers and consumers to make choices that reduce negative impact on the environment and minimize our carbon footprint. We are proud to be first in the world with large-scale tissue production without fossil CO₂ emissions. This means we can now offer products like kitchen- and toilet paper that people use daily, with a better sustainability profile. It is just one important step of many to break barriers to well-being through leading and sustainable hygiene and health solutions,” says Christian Carlsson, Site Manager at Edet Bruk tissue mill.

Liquefied biogas is produced from food waste, manure or other biodegradable raw materials, and is therefore a 100% renewable fuel that can reduce CO2 emissions over its life cycle by up to 90% compared to conventional fuel.

In the case of Edet Bruk, the transition from natural gas to biogas will reduce fossil CO2 emissions by around 9,000 tonnes annually. As natural gas and biogas are largely methane, an interchangeable switch between the two was possible and cost-efficient as no further investments were required.

“As one of the largest biogas producers in the Nordic countries, we are very excited to be part of Essity’s transition. Working together at the forefront of sustainable energy solutions generates experiences and lessons that can be used to accelerate the transition for other industries as well. By continuing our investments in increasing biogas production, we will be able to help more actors in the industry, maritime, and the transport sector to take the steps needed to become carbon neutral,” says Tommy Mattila, Vice President, Industry, Gasum.