UPM-Biofore-Magazine-1-2017-ENG

TEXT SAARA TÖYSSY   PHOTOGRAPHY FORTUM, LASSILA & TIKANOJA

both regarding the recycling rate of materials and our future development efforts,” adds Tervo. “Overall, the sourcing of industrial waste management services is becoming more andmore professional, with companies seeking innovation and better practices during each round of negotiations. The forest industry has

Around we go the shape of future waste management

long stood out as an excellent recycler. The industry is exceptionally knowledgeable about managing material streams, as integrated mill sites have been recycling side streams internally for decades,” says

As we move toward a waste-free future, the challenges of waste management can only be solved by open, cross-industrial partner networks. UPM works together with its waste management partners to promote the circular flow of side streams.

Tero Svinhufvud

Tero Svinhufvud , Vice President of Sales at Fortum.

Balancing technology, finances and regulations

Solutions already exist for the reuse of most industrial side streams. The challenge lies in balancing regulations against financial considerations, technology and practices. On the road to zero landfill waste, the problems associated with these four categories are relevant both to UPMand waste management specialists. The four are also closely interlinked. Of these four categories, the ‘practice’ part is the easiest to tackle once all other challenges have been solved. “The recycling requirements of industrial companies are constantly being influenced by the consumer market. The goal of the circular economy and the biological and technical material cycle is for waste to be reused as rawmaterial as close to its source as possible. However, this will not take place overnight. The change will require solutions that take into account both financial imperatives and technical solutions,” says Tervo. “Apart from badly contaminated soil, all materials can already be recycled, but often the costs are too high to make the process viable. It is essential that

T he disposal of UPMwaste at landfills will end in Finland within only a couple of years. The same target will apply globally by 2030. This presents a number of challenges, some of which can be solved quickly by taking immediate action, but others require a long-term approach, a newway of thinking, and a vast partner network. UPM’s Zero SolidWaste to Landfill project aims to find sustainable end uses for five different production side streams: ash, sludge, green liquor dregs, bark sand, andmixed waste. In the challenging task of utilising these side streams more efficiently, UPM’s waste management partners play an important role, starting with the meticulous sorting andmonitoring that this requires.

even unstable markets.

Russia.

In Finland, UPM’s day-to-day waste management is handled by two companies: Lassila & Tikanoja, and Fortum. Lassila & Tikanoja provides a variety of services, including waste management, property maintenance, cleaning, environmental construction and process cleaning. They also supply UPMwith recyclable rawmaterials in the form of waste paper collected from households and businesses. Fortum meanwhile handles UPM’s hazardous waste collection and treatment throughout Finland. Both companies have a comprehensive portfolio of process industry customers in Finland. Fortum also serves businesses in the Baltic region, and Lassila & Tikanoja offers real estate services in Sweden and waste management and recycling services in

Their facilities are typically streamlined and they are making a constant effort to improve efficiency. It is our job, then, to anticipate the needs of our customers so that they can focus on their core business,” says Antti Tervo , Vice President, Industrial Services

What kind of role do these companies currently play in solving the challenges of UPM’s side stream recycling – and how will their role change in the future? The

direction is clear: Waste management companies will make an increasingly important contribution as expert consultants. Their service models, too, will evolve in step with changing customer needs. The future will see a growing degree of cross-industrial collaboration to promote the circular economy. “Our industrial customers often operate in challenging and sometimes

Antti Tervo

at Lassila & Tikanoja. “The current trend is clear: resource andmaterial efficiency are becoming increasingly important in industry. Both industrial companies and their service providers need to respond to this trend. This is why we have set clear targets for our partnership with UPM,

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