The Portucel Soporcel group’s business is based on a cycle of sustainable development. Its products come from forests managed with the strictest respect for the environment and are manufactured using natural, renewable energies. The environmental performance of its mills reflects its large-scale, permanent investments in the best available environmental techniques. Between 2000 and 2007, the Group’s investment in environment protection projects amounted to some 270 million euros.
Increasing the eco-efficiency of its production processes with the aim of minimising environmental impacts is all part of the Group’s commitment to environmental responsibility, as reflected in the reduction in the use of natural resources and recorded level of emissions.
The Group’s environmental performance has been extremely positive, as demonstrated by successive improvements in its production process - a result that is due to tight, rigorous controls, monitoring and stability of the production processes. Namely:
- Reduced water consumption per ton of manufactured products;
- Increased use of renewable energy;
- Decreased consumption of fossil fuels;
- Reduction of CO2 emissions;
- Improved waste management.
The goals achieved are the result of the Group’s efforts in environment protection over the last few years. It has been a pioneer in the area of quality certification (Portucel was the first company certified in 1988). The Group currently has certifications 
in Quality, Environment, Safety and the Chain of Custody. All the Group’s mills are certified to ISO standards 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, and their laboratories are accredited.
The Group’s Policy on Management Systems clearly reflects the aim to achieve excellence in the production and marketing of high quality pulp and paper within the principles of sustainable development.
Eco-efficient Products
The Group’s paper is truly ecological, biodegradable and recyclable, manufactured from renewable resource planted specifically for this end.
By printing on this type of paper, consumers are also contributing towards sustainability of forest plantations that originate the wood used in its production. Recycling this paper after use promotes its transformation into other paper products with different, less demanding characteristics, thereby promoting a sustainable cycle.
The Group’s strategy also involves developing and selling products design to obtain an efficient use of natural resources.
The modern technology and the use of the forest species Eucalyptus globulus, which enables to manufacture a greater volume of paper while consuming a lower volume of wood has allowed the Group to produced 75 g/m2 products as an alternative to the standard 80 g/m2 European writing paper, currently leader in this field with a market share of over 80% (Cepifine). The 5g/m2 reduction allows a more efficient use of resources since the same number of reams can be produced with reduced use of raw materials.
The Group has two low grammage products in its range, Discovery 75 g/m2 and Navigator Eco-Logical 75g/m2, the latter voted product of the year by Portuguese consumers in 2005.
In the field of innovation and targeting consumers concerned with the re-use of fibres while aware that office paper made with 100% recycled fibre (post-consumption) generally lacks the minimum quality suited for modern office equipment and therefore might not be environmentally or economically suitable, the Portucel Soporcel group has launched a pioneering product at European level – Navigator Hybrid, made with 30% recycled fibres and 70% new fibres, which contributes to re-using resources and to the continuous planting of new trees thanks to the incorporation of virgin fibres.
The environmental responsibility behind these concepts is thereby extended to consumers and incorporated in the Group’s products: to generate and maintain natural resources, use them efficiently and re-use them in an environmentally correct way.
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