Environmentally friendly resource use - Taiwan's experience in pulp and paper production

Fiber supply, waste reduction and pollution control have long been key chal lenges facing the pulp and paper industry in Taiwan. Water usage, energy co nsumption and capital effectiveness are also high on the list. An average o f 5,213 hectares of plantation was established each year on the island in t he past decade to provide a wood volume of approximately 26 thousand cubic meters annually. To complement the supply of increasingly expensive virgin fiber, the industry in 1997 re-utilized about 4 million tons of waste paper , of which nearly 70% was collected domestically. This secondary fiber inpu t for paper and board production eliminated both the construction of ten in cinerators and 3.65 million tons of CO2 emission. The industry is in a better position than most other industries to institut e sustainable development in its operating practices. Innovative techniques and substantial capital investments have been implemented to accomplish a very impressive degree of environmental protection 72.5% of the mills meet the environmental regulations, water usage per ton of product has been redu ced from 50m(3) to 10-12 m(3), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspension solid (SS) in the effluent have been minimized to conform to the most strin gent regulations issued for 1998. All of this has resulted from an average investment in facilities of 2.72 millions U.S. dollars per annum during the last four years. As for energy reduction, many co-generation systems have been in operation and those under construction will double the capacity by the year 2002. With all these endeavors, it is hoped that the industry will become a susta inable and healthy one that is globally competitive; environmentally compat ible and a key contributor to the global economy and society.