Arauco: world's first certified carbon neutral forestry company

Arauco has achieved this year its goal of carbon neutral certification. This means that, at a global level, the company’s carbon dioxide captures are greater than its emissions, which in addition to being a significant contribution and real step forward to address the climate crisis, it positions Arauco as the world’s first forestry company to meet this important goal.

As one of Araucos process technology partners, ANDRITZ is very proud to support them on their journey towards climate neutral pulp production.

Araucos achievement is sustained by two complementary paths: efficiencies at an operational level that allow the company to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and at the same time, an increase in CO2 captures by the native forest, forest plantations, and carbon stored in forestry products. Additionally, in the 90’s, the company trailblazed a relevant path regarding emission reductions: integrating clean and renewable energy from biomass into its production processes, thus contributing to the much needed decarbonization of the country’s energy grid.

Price Waterhouse Coopers was in charge of auditing the estimation of the carbon capture from forests and its storage in forest products. Deloitte then developed a neutrality protocol which was applied to verify Arauco’s global operation –and that other companies and industries can also use – considering all of the company’s businesses for the year 2018. In this context, Arauco attained neutrality by generating a net surplus of 2,599,753 tons of CO2e.

It should be noted that, in addition to this important commitment, the company announced a year ago - as part of the United Nations Climate Summit held in New York- its adherence to the Science Based Targets, a global initiative that calls on companies to adopt a science-based emissions reduction trajectory to limit the planet’s rise in temperature, in alignment with the Paris Agreement.

To continue to move forward with greenhouse gas emission reductions, the company will strive to produce more clean and renewable energy, replace fossil fuels that have a high carbon footprint; incentivize suppliers to reduce their own carbon footprint; and continue to increase the reuse of byproducts from industrial processes, among other initiatives.

ANDRITZ is a major supplier to Arauco's MAPA project, with its top technology being chosen for a complete wood processing plant, fiberline, black liquor evaporation plant and a complete white liquor plant. The MAPA project, at its start-up in 2021, will result in the most modern mill operating in the 21^st century.