Australian Paper opens new mill

Australian Paper has opened a wastepaper recycling and de-inking plant in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley as part of its ‘turnaround strategy’ after four years of consecutive losses, and the closure of its NSW Shoalhaven mill in February. Australia Paper says the $90m investment – which includes the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) funding of $9.9m, and the federal government funding of $9.5m as well as Victorian government help – in Maryvale in the Latrobe Valley will see its fortunes change for the better. The Maryvale mill will produce recycled copy paper, and will soon extend into envelope and printing papers. The plant will employ 17 people for ‘day to day operations’, and Australian Paper expects some 250 flow on jobs to be created as the plant continues its operations. The Shoalhaven mill saw 75 jobs go after operating for 59 years producing paper for passport and birth certificates. Australian Paper Recycling Plant -RZDSpeaking with Australian Printer, Craig Dunn, senior marketing manager sustainability at Australian Paper, says: “Since the announcement of Australian Paper’s turnaround plan, we have been undertaking an organisational structure to improve productivity and efficiency, working closely with our suppliers to reduce input costs and pursuing growth markets to increase our market share. “Recycled copy and printing paper is a growing market and Australian Paper is well placed to meet this demand with premium, Australian made recycled copy and printing papers. The Maryvale recycling plant is an important part of our growth strategy.” He says Australian Paper can only operate and produce 100 per cent recycled Australian paper with the industry’s support. Dunn says, “We appreciate the Australian printing industry’s support for local manufacturing jobs by purchasing Australian made paper. With the opening of our Maryvale recycling plant we will continue to expand our range of premium recycled printing papers to meet the growing demand from corporate and government sectors.” Peter Williams, chief operating officer of Australian Paper, says “This plant will take up to 80,000 tonnes of wastepaper out of Australia’s landfill each year, which is enough to fill a tennis court to more than twice the height of Melbourne’s Eureka Tower. CloserLook3d“It is a vital part of our future operations and we thank everyone who has made this investment in regional Victorian manufacturing possible. Paul Klymenko, CEO of Planet Ark, says the opening of Maryvale plant is a great win for recycling, because it will create green jobs. “The Australian government has specified that it will purchase 100 per cent recycled papers from July 1, and we are hopeful that all government departments, federal and state, will recognise the sustainability advantages of Australian-made 100 per cent recycled paper over imports when making their purchase decisions.” Williams says the environment benefits of this project will be ‘significant’, and rejects the idea of imported recycle paper, saying it only ‘adds to Australia’s landfill and also generates significant sea-freight emissions’.  “In contrast, removing 80,000 tonnes of wastepaper from Australia’s landfill saves up to 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year, which is equal to taking more than 70,000 cars off Australia’s roads. “The current Australian market demand for recycled content office papers is only one third of the new plant’s capacity, so we need everyone’s help to lift the demand for Australian-made recycled content paper and do the right thing for our local environment.”

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