British paper and packaging company DS Smith has unveiled a £48m (€56m) investment in a new fibre preparation line (F-line) for the PM 3 at the Kemsley paper mill in Kent.
A state-of-the-art drum pulping and screening system that more efficiently separates fibre from contaminants such as plastics, barriers and coatings will also be installed as part of this initiative.
Commissioning of the new stock preparation plant is due early in 2026, the company informed. PM 3 has a capacity of 290,000 tpy of white-top testliner, plasterboard liner and other corrugated case material (CCM) grades.
The new system will maximise the use of materials in the recycling process in addition to reducing water usage and energy consumption. Carbon emissions and production waste will be reduced by more than 6,000 t, more than 39,000 t annually, respectively.
Niels Flierman, Head of Paper & Recycling at DS Smith commented: “The installation of the new fibre preparation line will ensure that we can continue to make high performing papers more efficiently while delivering on our medium and long-term sustainability goals.”
In 2022, DS Smith already installed, in partnership with E.ON, a combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Kemsley, saving 36,000 t of carbon emissions per year. The company also started trials with straw pulp as sustainable alternative to wood fibres.
At the Kemsley mill, DS Smith operates 3 paper machines with a total capacity of 830,000 tpy of paper and board made from 100 per cent recycled fibre.
PM 4 can produce up to 250,000 tpy of paper and board (125-210 g/m²). The latest machine, PM 6, was installed and rebuilt in 2008. It can produce 290,000 tpy of lightweight corrugated case material (85-130 g/m²).
Kemsley is the largest paper recycler in the UK, recycling up to 1 million t of paper and card every year.
