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Klabin Pulp: Originary from 100% planted forests | Klabin
In Brazil, we are the only producer that makes and offers three types of pulp: hardwood (eucalyptus), softwood (pine) and fluff, all produced at a single industrial unit designed especially for this purpose that creates multiple solutions for our daily lives. Klabin’s pulp come 100% from trees planted in forests that hold globally recognized certifications covering everything from the logs to end products, ensuring sustainability and safety throughout the entire process.
Our products comply with the many different quality properties and requirements demanded by our clients and are designed for the production of paper for sanitary purposes, disposable sanitary pads and diapers, packaging paper, printing and writing paper and even special applications, with custom solutions that add even more value to the final product.
HARDWOOD
LyptusCel™ is the Klabin hardwood pulp, with guaranteed origin and ready to provide the best prints. LyptusCel™ uses eucalyptus wood from 100% planted forests and is certified by globally recognized entities. The product can be used in printing & writing papers, the tissue line (toilet paper, facial tissues, napkins), among other products.
FLUFF
PineFluff™, as the name implies, is our fluff pulp made from the pine softwood planted in our forests and manufactured on a large scale in Brazil for the first time. A product made from 100% Brazilian raw material, specially designed for the absorbent hygiene products industry, such as diapers, wet wipes and pantiliners.
PULP: WHAT IS IT USED FOR AND WHAT KINDS ARE THERE?
When we talk about pulp, usually we think about paper, but that it is just one of the many possibilities offered by pulp, which is one of the world’s most used materials due to its versatility. It is part of everyone’s daily life and one of the main exports of Brazil, which has consolidated its position as the world’s second largest pulp exporter.
Used since antiquity, the earliest historical records of pulp’s use as a raw material dates back to 105 BC. With applications in a wide array of products, pulp can be classified into different types based on its characteristics.
WHAT IS PULP?
Pulp is one of the components of plant cells, and is the most abundant element in plant cell walls, with logs, for example, typically composed 50% of pulp. Formed by glucose molecules linked by hydrogen bonds, the substance’s structure is organized into chains, which form the fibers used in various important applications in the industry.
Pulp is abundant in nature and found in various fruits such as coconut, in grasses such as bamboo and in great quantity in cotton. However, it is mostly extracted from tree logs, especially eucalyptus and pine.
WHAT IS PULP USED FOR?
Pulp imparts stiffness to the cell walls of plants, making them more resistant to impacts and natural conditions such as sun and rain.
The material is used to make products such as paper, fabric, disposable diapers, corrugated board, construction materials, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and fuels, and has many other possibilities that are still being discovered. It also is very important in medicine, with various applications in the pharmaceutical industry, such as in the production of water gels and as a component of dermatologic and dental formulas and of pill fillers and capsules.
WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF PULP?
In the industry, pulp is classified into three different types, depending on how the fibers are organized.
Softwood pulp – Extracted from conifer trees, such as pine, with filaments ranging from 2 to 5 millimeters in length. It is used especially to make materials requiring high strength, such as corrugated board, paper bags and paperboard.
Hardwood Pulp – Ranging from 0.5 to 2 millimeters, hardwood pulp is found in hardwood trees, such as eucalyptus, and is the material used to make thinner papers since it results in soft and absorbent materials. Hardwood pulp is used to make papers for notebooks and notepads, as well as tissues, toilet paper, napkins and special papers.
Fluff pulp – Fluff pulp is made from softwood pulp derived from pine trees. It has special properties, such as very high fluid absorption and retention, as well as structural homogeneity and uniformity,
which is why it is used to make baby and adult diapers, sanitary napkins and wet wipes.
PULP: A SUSTAINABLE RAW MATERIAL
In addition to its versatility, pulp also is a renewable material that can be extracted using sustainable processes and trees from certified forests planted for this purpose.
Pulp also has shown to be a promising alternative for replacing fossil-based, non-renewable materials, such as plastics, with the growing use of paper bags, packaging and cups examples of this movement of growing awareness of the use of more sustainable materials.
HOW IS PULP EXTRACTED?
In the past, the pulp extraction process was entirely artisanal by mixing various materials rich in vegetable fibers, such as hemp, tree bark and scrap fabric. Today, pulp is mainly found and extracted from logs for market. In Brazil, all pulp is produced exclusively from trees harvested from forests certified and planted for this purpose.
The pulp extraction and processing technique is called pulping, which begins with breaking down the bonds between the fibers in the wood, which can be done chemically, mechanically or a combination of both. The pulp then undergoes various processes, depending on the final product, which in certain circumstances could include a bleaching process.
PULP PRODUCTION AT KLABIN’S PUMA UNIT
Klabin is a referent in pulp production in Brazil because of its high sustainability and efficiency, which is assured by the pine and eucalyptus forests planted especially to achieve high yields.
Thanks to our forest stewardship and mosaic planting technique, Klabin’s forest areas play important functions in environmental preservation and biodiversity conservation, while also helping to combat global warming. Klabin’s commitment to sustainable development and production processes with the lowest possible impact is confirmed by various international certifications.
Klabin’s pulp is produced at the Puma Unit, located in Ortigueira, Paraná, using highly sustainable and technological processes. Inaugurated in 2016, the Puma Unit was our biggest investment ever and made Klabin the only company in Brazil to offer solutions in hardwood, softwood and fluff pulp, with annual production capacity of over 910,000 tons.
Our commitment to sustainability is an integral part of all steps of our production process. The Puma Unit has smart waste management and is self-sufficient in energy generation and sells surplus energy to the national grid. The impact of its greenhouse gas emissions is 50% lower than the level required by law.
Technology and innovation are major allies in preserving the planet’s resources to ensure a sustainable future for the next generations. Learn more about the story of the Puma Project, Klabin’s largest investment ever, on the Project page.
AFTER ALL, WHY IS PULP IMPORTANT?
Given its numerous applications, pulp has major economic relevance in the world and is especially important for Brazil, with the country’s pulp and paper industry accounting for 1.2% of its gross domestic product. The country was a pioneer in the production of hardwood pulp and is a major global player in the industry.
Pulp is a major ally in building a more sustainable future. After all, it helps to reduce the use of fossil-based materials since it can replace them with excellence, while also serving as biomass for the production of biofuels and serving as an important component in a wide array of industrial sectors.