DS Smith, an International Paper company, has activated a new biomass boiler at its Rouen paper mill, marking a transformative €90m investment in low-carbon energy infrastructure.
The project replaces the mill’s coal-fired boiler with a renewable energy solution powered by biomass waste, driving significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting DS Smith’s journey to full circularity.
The new boiler, which will process approximately 94,000 tonnes of biofuel annually, will reduce carbon emissions by 99,000 tonnes per year and eliminate the mill’s reliance on fossil fuels. In real terms, the volume of carbon emissions removed is roughly equivalent to the annual energy use of around 13,000 French households, or taking around 40,000 cars off the road for a year.
The approach taken at Rouen is a circular one. The biomass used will be sourced from local industrial and municipal waste wood including construction and furniture waste, with 70% sourced from Paris and 30% from Normandy, as well as by-products from DS Smith’s own paper production processes. This circular approach will divert up to 70,000 tonnes of waste wood from landfill each year, aligning with DS Smith’s 2030 zero-landfill target.
The Rouen biomass boiler project is one of several initiatives DS Smith has launched across Europe to modernise the business’ energy infrastructure. The boiler’s activation is the culmination of 9 years of collaborative planning between DS Smith, the French authorities and industrial partners.
Aligning with France’s Green Industry Bill and the European Green Deal Industrial Plan, the groundbreaking project was granted approval by the Regional Biomass Scheme in 2022 and is supported by local authorities including a €15m subsidy from the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME).
The Rouen project underscores the advantages of France’s established wood recycling and biomass infrastructure, which has been in place since 2011. France is unique in this space in having the long-term strategic framework needed to attract comparable investments in renewable energy.
