Pulp Matters 1/2022

F IBRE PHENOMENA

T he global demand for pulp has increased and is expected to reach new heights in the coming years. The global megatrends driving the development are population growth, urbanisation, and changes in consumer behaviour. The size of the middle class is growing in rising economies like China and developing countries in Asia. This boosts the consumption of consumer goods such as tissue products and packaging. On the other hand, the fight against climate change has escalated the need to find renewable and recyclable materials to replace fossils. Uruguay, a relatively small South American country with a population of 3.5 million, was previously known as a major beef exporter. However, since 2018 pulp has reached the same level as the country’s main export product. UPM’s first pulp mill, Fray Bentos, has been in operation since 2007. Located on the banks of the Uruguay River it produces 1.3 million tonnes of pulp annually. The second mill, Paso de los Toros, is pipelined to be up and running by 2023. Together the mills will produce over 3 million tonnes of eucalyptus pulp a year. Álvaro Fitipaldo is the Director of UPM Forestry Operations in Uruguay. He has worked in the forest industry throughout his career and at UPM since 2004. The UPM pulp mills consume eucalyptus wood supplied from sustainably managed local forest plantations. As UPM’s pulp production multiplies, what does this mean for the sustainable management of eucalyptus plantations?

Álvaro Fitipaldo Director, Forestry Operations UPM Uruguay

“It is a challenge for sure, but we have been preparing for this for the past few years. A lot of new technology has been implemented, and processes have been digitalised. We have developed the standards for all our activities and have a professional and committed team to ensure sustainable operation,” Fitipaldo says. OPTIMAL CONDITIONS Forestry in Uruguay is a relatively young sector. It began with the ratification of the National Forestry Act in 1987. The law allowed the establishment of the first eucalyptus and pine tree plantations, and today around 6% of the territory of Uruguay consists of forest plantations. UPM has been developing eucalyptus plantations in the country since the early 1990s.

8

PUL P MAT TERS 01/2022