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Neenah Paper has always been proud of its “green” identity. Much of the recycled paper that the Neenah, Wis., supplier produces carries Green-E, Green Seal and Forest Stewardship Council certifications. Nearly everything about the company’s production process is eco-friendly to reduce the plant’s natural gas consumption and its carbon dioxide output and to make the most out of papermaking byproducts.
In January, Neenah Paper received the ultimate recognition for its green efforts when it was profiled on the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” television program. Neenah Paper was part of the “Environmental Tech” episode that featured companies that use innovative applications of sustainable technologies.
“The purpose of the show was to feature products that we take for granted every day— like paper,” says Meredith Christiansen, production manager for Neenah Paper. “Not everyone understands the sustainable assets of the papermaking process.”
Annually, Neenah Paper converts 5,000 tons of sludge from paper production to steam, electricity and glass aggregate using a patented and award-winning method. The method reduces waste sent to nearby landfills.
“We initiated the burning of the sludge through a corporation now known as Thermagen Power Group,” Christiansen says. “We buy it through the Fox Valley Energy Center.”
Last year the company began buying “Green Steam” from the energy center to dry paper during the manufacturing process and heat the paper mill. Christiansen believes the proximity of the paper mill to the energy center helped convince the History Channel producers that Neenah Paper was the right pick for the “Environmental Tech” episode.
“They contacted us after getting a news release off the wires about our renewable energy purchase,” Christiansen says. “Because the energy center was only a few blocks away from our mill, we told the producers that you can not only see our plant and feature it on the show, but you can also feature the seven-story boiler at the energy center that converts the sludge into steam, electricity and glass aggregate. It’s really a fascinating process.”
The filming was completed one day in October 2006 and only three months later, the episode premiered. “At Neenah Paper, located along the Fox River in Wisconsin, they’re recycling a lot more than paper,” the narrator says, after the more than one million viewers are shown the process of manufacturing recycled papers and converting the wastewater into beneficial uses. “Everything from water to sludge to steam power is part of a giant self-sustaining loop.”
Christiansen says it’s great that Neenah Paper is recognized for its eco-friendly efforts, but in many ways the company is environmentally conscious “because we really have to be. Our paper mill is in the middle of a downtown area. We’re near hospitals, banks and restaurants, so people are very aware of what we do. Plus, we really believe that we have to be environmentally conscious because papermaking is so resource-intensive.”
—LaShell Stratton
