New Method for Benchmarking Emissions Could Help Decarbonize EU Paper Industry

     Emissions accounting for both greenhouse gas emissions and pollution emissions remains a need for the industrial sector. Just as the U.S. oil & gas industry developed protocols for measurement, verification, and reporting (MVR) for methane and VOC emissions, the industrial sector is in the process of doing this as well. One instance is the development of a benchmarking system for emissions accounting and comparison in the paper industry. The Swedish EPA and Linköping University developed such a benchmarking system.

     Like other industries, the pulp & paper industry is notoriously energy-intensive and emissions-intensive. According to TechXplore:

“Globally, the pulp and paper industry accounts for 4% of energy used by the industrial sector. Through its Industrial Emissions Directive, the EU has set efficiency requirements for the industrial sector to reduce climate impact. An important tool for this is to make comparisons between factories within an industry—so-called benchmarking.”

"But this has not been possible in the paper industry, because the mills have been so different that comparable results have not been achieved," Kristina Nyström explains.”

     The researchers developed a calculation method to compare emissions of different paper facilities. It has the potential to be used throughout the EU and beyond. The method involves dividing paper production into standardized processes such as pulp production, dissolution of purchased pulp, drying of pulp, or paper production. This method enables benchmarking and cross-comparison and should help some facilities become more efficient. Even small efficiency improvements in energy-intensive industries are valuable. So far, it seems to have been well-received among facilities.

“In Sweden, is the pulp and paper industry accountable for approximately half of the total industrial energy use.”

     The paper was published in Applied Energy.

     Developing the benchmarking system involved mapping energy flows within facilities. The method is in accordance with the revised EU Industrial Emissions Directive's (IED) ambitions for decarbonization. The method will also likely be applicable to emissions benchmarking in other energy-intensive heavy industries. Varieties of a process-based benchmarking approach have already been applied to cement, steel, pulp & paper, sawmill, and rubber industries.

     The researchers had to compare different types of pulping: chemical pulping and mechanical pulping. Benchmarking, or standardizing, these calculation approaches is important for truly understanding emissions. Waste heat recovery is an important aspect of the paper industry and many other industries that reduce emissions. They developed the best available technologies (BATs) for each process. 

     They also had to map the energy flows as shown below.

     They had to devise a way to evaluate different types of paper mills as well.

     Calculations were developed for electricity consumption, heat consumption, fuel consumption, and fossil fuel consumption. The one for fossil-fuel consumption is shown below.

     The new calculation methods are currently being evaluated for inclusion in the revised European Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). According to the paper in Applied Energy:

“One of the significant outcomes of this study is the development of a calculation method specifically designed to facilitate the implementation of the revised European Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). The importance of well-designed KPIs cannot be overstated in this context. If the method is implemented to support benchmarking under the Directive it will be spread to all pulp- and paper industries in Europe, thereby guiding their work for energy efficiency.”   

 

References:

 

Paper industry could become more energy-efficient with a new measurement method. Science X staff. October 16, 2025. Paper industry could become more energy-efficient with a new measurement method

A calculation method enabling energy benchmarking in the pulp and paper industry: Adopting a methodology that bridge the research–policy implementation gap. Olof Åkesson, Kristina Nyström, Elias Andersson, and Patrik Tholland. Applied Energy. Volume 401, Part A, 15 December 2025, 126685. A calculation method enabling energy benchmarking in the pulp and paper industry: Adopting a methodology that bridge the research–policy implementation gap - ScienceDirect