Earth Overshoot Day, marked today, served as the occasion for The Navigator Company to reveal that it has invested around 164 million euros in ESG projects in the last 18 months, most of which are aimed at decarbonization, modernization of equipment, as well as efficiency energy and water.
According to a statement issued by the Portuguese company, the new Recovery Boiler in Setúbal stands out, which will reduce direct emissions of fossil carbon dioxide by around 136 thousand tons per year, equivalent to a quarter of the country's emissions. Group registered in 2022; the new Washing Tower and Presses, in Aveiro; the new biomass Lime Kiln, in Figueira da Foz; the conversion of the Lime Kiln, in Setúbal, to burn biomass; or the new Photovoltaic Plant, in Figueira da Foz; and also several sustainable packaging solutions.
New features in single-use packaging: eucalyptus cellulose replaces fossil plastic in food serving and food packaging
After having launched, at the end of 2021, a new line of “packaging” products, through the “gKraft” brand, the company aims to develop innovative packaging solutions that replace current plastic ones, of fossil origin, with products from renewable sources, biodegradable, recyclable and carbon neutral, based on endogenous raw materials, coming from planted forests.
Flexible packaging or paper with barrier properties, for example against oils and fats, are among the products to be developed. At the beginning of the second half of 2024, Navigator also plans to inaugurate a new integrated production line for molded eucalyptus cellulose parts, intended to replace single-use fossil plastic packaging in the food service and food packaging market, in Aveiro.
This continuous commitment recently earned it the distinction as the most sustainable forestry company in the world. Since July 12th, and according to the ESG Risk Rating by Sustainalytics, one of the most reputable ESG rating agencies worldwide, Navigator has been at the top of the list of 85 global companies in the Paper & Forestry industry cluster and occupies the 1st place among 63 companies that make up the Paper & Pulp subset, being in the top 5% among more than 16,200 global companies in all activity segments.
Energy and water efficiency of industrial operations consumed more than €33 M in the last 5 years
In compliance with its own Responsible Management Agenda 2030, and in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Navigator has invested, over the last five years, more than eight million euros in energy efficiency measures in the company's four industrial complexes . This translated into energy savings of around 100 GWh/year, avoiding the emission of around 23 thousand tons of carbon dioxide.
Currently, all of The Navigator Company's factories have Energy Efficiency Action Plans, meaning the company is implementing self-consumption photovoltaic (PV) solar energy projects that allow the installed PV capacity to be increased from the current 12 MWp to approximately 38 MWp.
In addition to self-consumption production, there are other energy measures underway: LED lighting in industrial buildings, thermal efficiency projects, improving efficiency in the production of compressed air and optimizing cooling systems.
In terms of water efficiency, Navigator has implemented measures to reduce the need to use water resources in its operations and optimize its reuse and circularity, in an investment that exceeds 25 million euros.
Currently, it returns 78% of captured water to the environment, while specific use (per ton produced) in industrial operations is 5.1% lower than in 2019, the reference year for the 2030 goals: reducing use by at least 33% specific water content (m3/t of product) in industrial operations.
These results include investments such as the evaporation line at the Aveiro Paste Factory, the reduction of water used in the preparation of wood at the Figueira da Foz and Setúbal Factories or the recovery of boiler purges in Figueira da Foz. The company The goal is to achieve a 33% reduction in the specific use of the water resource.
