Chung Hwa Pulp is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint by investing in forestation initiatives and designing efficient paper products that are both durable and 100% recyclable.
The company’s business began over 50 years ago at the Hualien mill, which is still in operation, along with two newer mills in Jiutang and Taitung. As times have changed, the company has become more aware of the risks of climate change.
In response, the company has decided to dedicate itself to forestation projects to balance out the carbon emissions created by its mills. According to Business Today, Chen said the company’s average annual carbon output before 2018 was around 900,000 tons.
Chung Hwa Pulp Gen. Manager Ray Chen speaking at the Green Life Festival (Business Weekly photo)
Thanks to the company’s own forest of over 30,000 hectares, those emissions have been offset by about 300,000 tons. By continuing to invest in forestation projects, Chung Hwa Pulp hopes to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050.
In addition to minimizing its carbon footprint, the company also aims to design paper containers that are durable enough for reuse, but also capable of being recycled easily. In Taiwan, despite a high rate of recycling, many paper products contain a plastic coating, which makes them difficult to sort and reprocess.
Chung Hwa Pulp recognized this problem and sought to create a more efficient product better suited to the recycling process.
The result was “CircuWell” (益利), a line of fully recyclable paper food packaging products that avoid the use of plastic elements while still maintaining high durability to hold many different kinds of food substances. The lack of plastic coating reduces the time and cost of sorting and reprocessing at recycling facilities.
Ray Chen explained that the reason the paper containers are still durable, despite the plastic lining, has to do with a treatment process that can tightly layer nanofibers within the plant’s cellulose. These fibers are transparent, printable, conducting, and they are even stronger than some plastic coatings. Many industries are just starting to realize the potential future applications of these durable, printable nanofibers, according to Chen.
Chung Hwa Pulp recognizes the importance of sustainability and carbon neutrality in an industry that must be committed to protecting the world’s forests.
Chung Hwa Pulp hopes that with smarter designed packaging, the paper recycling business can be greatly enhanced, thereby extending the life and usability of each tree’s pulp. This in turn will reduce the rate at which trees are felled out of demand for new paper packaging products.
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