21 May 2024: Stora Enso, a leading provider of renewable packaging solutions, has announced that it is postponing its decision to convert two paper machines at its Langerbrugge site in Belgium into a high-volume recycled containerboard production line.

The Finnish company had been considering the potential conversion as part of its strategy to expand the Langerbrugge facility and capitalize on its prime location in the heart of Europe. However, after conducting a thorough study, Stora Enso concluded that the current supply of recycled containerboard in Europe is sufficient to meet market demands.

intl1 21may24 1Rebekka Thielemann, VP, Product and Sales Recycled Containerboard, Stora Enso"Our study on the opportunity to deliver more recycled packaging to the market proved positive. However, as the availability of recycled containerboard in Europe currently meets market needs, we decided to postpone the conversion decision, which will be taken in due time," said Rebekka Thielemann, Vice President of Product and Sales for Recycled Containerboard at Stora Enso

Despite deferring the containerboard conversion plans, Stora Enso remains committed to its paper customers and the Langerbrugge site's legacy as a cornerstone of paper production.

"While we remain agile and responsive to market trends, our dedication to our paper customers is unwavering," Thielemann stated. "We are fully committed to continuing to provide the high-quality products and service excellence that our clients have come to expect from us for the foreseeable future."

The Langerbrugge mill, founded in 1932, is one of the most efficient recycled newsprint and recycled supercalendered magazine paper mills in the world. It processes approximately 540,000 tons of recycled paper annually, which is used in various consumer packaging, including paper cups collected through circularity initiatives like The Cup Collective.

Stora Enso highlights the Langerbrugge site as a model of how tradition and technology can converge to create a robust, circular economy. The mill is self-sufficient in steam and produces about 75% of its own electricity, mostly from renewable biofuel and wind sources.

The site's sustainability efforts extend beyond its operations, as evidenced by the 4-kilometer hot water pipeline opened in 2016 between Langerbrugge and the nearby Volvo Cars facility in Ghent. This solution heats Volvo's buildings and reduces their Europe-wide CO2 emissions by 24%.

While the containerboard conversion plans are on hold for now, Stora Enso remains committed to innovation and environmental stewardship at the Langerbrugge site, positioning it as an expert partner in circularity and a provider of renewable paper solutions for a new era.