Stora Enso offsets the carbon emissions generated from the production and delivery of Multicopy Zero by purchasing carbon credits to achieve certified CarbonNeutral® paper. Natural Capital Partners – a recognised global leader in credible business climate action programmes – supports Stora Enso in the design and delivery of this programme. Stora Enso’s main contact at Natural Capital Partners is Tom Popple – Senior Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability. We had the opportunity to talk with him about the idea of net zero emissions, the company and its plans for the future.
The company was founded in London more than 20 years ago when we pioneered the concept of offsetting emissions through tree planting programs. We made it our mission to create credible and scalable mechanisms and high quality solutions for businesses to take climate action.
We were the first to provide a clear set of guidelines for businesses to achieve carbon neutrality back in 2002, with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. Every year since then we’ve continued our commitment to providing a robust framework for credible carbon neutral action, updating it annually to follow the latest scientific and industry best practice with guidance from an advisory group. The essence of The Protocol is to identify which emissions are avoidable and what can’t be changed and therefore will need offsetting. It gives companies the third-party guarantee they need to demonstrate the quality and integrity of their CarbonNeutral® certification.
We work with more than 300 companies around the world, many of which are large, multinational corporations, but we also have mid-sized and family-owned businesses on our client list. No matter the size, we tailor carbon programs according to business needs.
I’m pleased to say we’ve been recognised as Best Offset Retailer by Environmental Finance for nine years in a row, which I think shows our commitment to a quality service for our clients.
Carbon neutrality is achieved by calculating a carbon footprint and reducing it to zero through a combination of in-house efficiency measures and supporting emission reduction projects. We help companies choose these projects, which often deliver benefits to local communities and biodiversity beyond the carbon reduction through renewable energy, improved cookstoves or forest protection and creation.
The wonderful thing is that we work with more than 350 projects across 40 countries, so companies can select ones that align with their business operations, products or services, and contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are important to them. To make Multicopy Zero a carbon neutral product, Stora Enso chose to support three projects from a shortlist, based on their brief to us – projects in China, Vietnam and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Humans’ urge to communicate has always been strong – and with the evolution of paper, the written form of communicating opened a whole new world of efficiency, suddenly dismantling geographical boundaries. Naturally, the history of papermaking is closely connected to societal, industrial, and cultural events.
Eco-awareness and higher demands on sustainability features among customers tend to lead to good things. One current example is the initiated project at Stora Enso to certify all paper pulp grades as compostable, to helps consumers make more eco-friendly choices.
In 2021, the Multicopy production base in Nymölla mill took a step further in the fossil free journey, with Stora Enso entering a partnership with energy company Gasum. We had a talk with Erik Woode, Director, Project Development & Execution, at Gasum, to get a status update after one year of turning residue water from production into fossil free fuel.