Metsä Board and Solifood have extended their collaboration to the Tako mill. During the production of virgin fibre paperboard, by-products containing fibres are produced there, which Solifood uses for wood-based soil improvement for local businesses.
The co-operation of Metsä Board with Soilfood began with a research project initiated by the Natural Resources Institute Finland in 2015. The study investigated how wood-based fibre sludge to stabilise the structure of field soils and thus counteract soil erosion and the leaching of nutrients from fields into bodies of water. The two companies are also working together to develop further new solutions for the Sensible utilisation of existing side streams from production.
„Our goal is to have no more landfill waste from the processes of our cartonboard mills after 2030. Currently, more than 99 per cent of our by-products from production are already being used either as materials or energy. We want to focus on our core competence as a manufacturer of virgin fibre cartonboard - but at the same time we also want to look for further opportunities to promote the circular economy. That's why partners like Soilfood are so important to us.“
Mika Leino, Environmental Director of the Metsä Group
Good coordination between the factory and Soilfood is particularly important for the process: „The unique location of the Tako factory in the centre of Tampere poses special challenges, as there are no large storage areas on the factory site,“ says Jaakko Ikonen, VP of the Tako Board Mill. Soilfood currently collects fibre sludge from the Tako factory on a weekly basis.
„From the point of origin, Soilfood takes responsibility for handling the side stream. In practice, the fibrous sludge must be mobilised almost immediately after it is produced. The number of loads varies depending on the plant's production plans and quantities. The products that Soilfood then produces from Tako's fibre-rich side stream are ultimately supplied to farmers in the surrounding area as soil improvement products.“
Eljas Jokinen, Managing Director of Soilfood
In agricultural use, these soil conditioners increase the content of organic matter in the soil and increase its water retention capacity. At the same time, the nutrients from the wood are returned to the soil. The fibres also reduce the environmental impact of agriculture by increasing the carbon stock in the soil and reducing the leaching of nutrients into the water.
Source: Metsä Board
