Van Houtum Papier set new standard - first in the world with 'Cradle to Cradle' paper

Van Houtum Papier, an independent paper company based in The Netherlands has announced that it is the first to produce paper according to the 'Cradle to Cradle' or C2C standards operated by MBDC - in Europe, the certification is overseen by EPEA.

The 'Cradle to Cradle' product and process design philosophy was the brain child of William McDonough and Michael Braungart who founded MBDC in 1995 to promote their eco-effective design concept. There are some overviews on YouTube: The man himself and a review of a conference in Maastricht (in Dutch).

MBDC/EPEA are commercial organisations (charge a significant fee for C2C certification) and not regulated (accountable, independent), so some critics argue that certification of this kind lacks credibility when it is self-regulating. However, there is no question that their approach to design is holistic and goes beyond the 'cradle to grave' concept which has been promoted for decades. In the words of MBDC, C2C describes an approach in which, "products and services are designed based on patterns found in nature, eliminating the concept of waste entirely ........ optimising materials to be food either for natures ecosystems or for humans industrial systems - perpetually circulating in closed systems that create value and are inherently healthy and safe".

For the paper chemical producers this philosophy offers opportunities to design products which are biodegradable, based on sustainable raw materials and which are inherently safe. The Van Houtum Papier initiative is one to watch, but in the words of Henk van Houtm, "We will first look at the market response"......... will C2C certified paper carve out a valuable niche in the market?

A book has been written by McDonough and Braungart giving details of their admirable philosophy and there are a number of reviews available in the blogosphere (eg blogcritics). There are also some excellent blogs giving some insight into MBDC (eg greencitizenship).

Consumption of tissue, towel and hygiene products to show future growth

At the Niece Tissue conference, Esko Uutela has reported that the global consumption of tissue products will continue to grow by around 4% per year until 2011.  This is good news for paper chemicals suppliers with a good range of products to offer this industry segment (eg Ashland, Nalco), provided profitable pricing can be achieved.

There are regional differences with the 'old' economies such as Japan, North America and Western Europe showing low relative growth when compared to the growth areas of China, East Europe and the Middle East.

Some specific information reported by Uutela was:

• China will add around 4.3 million tons
• Western Europe 1.8 million tons
• Latin America 1.7 million tons
• Eastern Europe 1.2 million tons
• The 'At Home' market will grow faster than the 'Away from Home' segment
• There has not been further consolidation - the top 4 in 2009 produced 38% of the global tissue, whereas they produced 42% in 1999
• Kimberly-Clark remains No 1 and SCA has moved to No 2 following the deal with P&G

The details of Uutela's presentation and other topics covered in the recent conference can be obtained from Tissue World.

The world of tissue and towel ..........

The June/July issue of Tissue World has just been published. There are a number of interesting articles such as a review of the Russian market and a good 'World Review 2007', covering the aspects of the tissue market across the globe - relatively stagnant but quality leaders in North America and Europe; 'booming' markets in China, Brazil; potential markets in India and Russia.

Worth a read.

Nalco expand relationship and become Exclusive Distributor of Evonik Goldschmidt's Tissue Chemicals in Central and South America

Nalco Company and Evonik's Goldschmidt Industrial Specialties announced that they will expand their co-operation and Nalco will now also be the exclusive distributor of Evonik's tissue additives in Central and South America. In July 2006, Nalco became the exclusive distributor of Evonik's tissue products in Europe and an agency agreement between the companies covering the United States, Canada and Mexico was finalised in February 2007.

Evonik's range includes products marketed under the following brands: AROSURF PA, VARISOFT, Z-QUAT, REWOQUAT and TEGOPREN and are complemented by Nalco's strong range of process chemicals and their excellent service model at paper mills. This further strengthens Nalco's position in tissue chemicals and further challenges Hercules' leadership position in this market segment.

New Publication: Technology Study on Developments in Tissue Chemicals and Chemical Treatment

Canda International (Nick Dunlop-Jones) has authored a new Pira International report on, 'Developments in Tissue Chemicals and Chemical Treatment'.

The priorities for tissue manufacturers are similar to the rest of the paper industry: reduce costs (including fibre and raw material costs), energy consumption and water usage, and increase environmental compliance and growth through new product development targeted at consumer value and product performance. These priorities drive the development of paper chemicals with products that bring strength, savings in processing costs and unique functional features. This new study looks at the range of chemicals used in the manufacture of tissue, their applications and the trends driving their development. Find out about:

• The products used along the entire process of tissue and towel manufacture
• Main suppliers and the regional differences in the industry
• Legislation and regulations affecting the industry now and in the future

Essential reading for:

• Papermakers
• Tissue converters
• Pulp suppliers
• Paper machinery and equipment suppliers
• Consultants and analysts
• Chemical suppliers