Voith’s Papermaking for Life

Voith Group includes Voith Paper, which is well known in the banknote paper making world as the manufacturer of paper machines. In its 2022 Sustainability Report it gives details of its ‘Papermaking for Life’ programme designed to contribute to more sustainable paper production.

The programme has the target by 2030 to improve its customers’ carbon footprint:

• 100% CO2-neutral paper production thanks to energy-optimised products, digital solutions, disruptive concepts and the efficient use of renewable energies

• 90% freshwater savings thanks to a completely new papermaking process

• 90% recycling rate thanks to the development of new fibre streams.

Voith offers solutions across water, energy, fibre and circular economy and digitisation. It has a full innovation programme, of which one area is using renewable energies as efficiently as possible and identifying suitable storage options.

Voith uses the ISS ESG rating agency to measure its environmental work, scoring the premium rating of B- last year, making it one of the world’s top companies in plant and mechanical engineering.

Over the past 10 years Voith sites have reduced energy consumption by 34%, water consumption by 44% and waste volumes by 38% in relation to sales.

In addition, all Voith locations worldwide have been climate-neutral since the beginning of 2022. This was achieved by increasing the share of renewable energies in the overall electricity mix from 38% in 2021 to 80% in 2022. In the same period, the company’s own photovoltaic and hydroelectric power plants generated 8.3 GWh of electricity. Voith also made energy-saving changes and installed more efficient solutions.

The Voith Group reduced GHG emissions by 40% in fiscal 2021/22 and voluntarily compensated for the remaining emissions.

Although Voith’s work is primarily in the commercial, rather than the banknote, sector, the approach, reporting, work and commitment to the environment is clear. No doubt they are a useful source of expertise for the banknote industry both generally and for banknote production.