What is bagasse?
Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous residue that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice. It is used as a biofuel for the production of heat, energy,
What is bagasse?
Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous residue that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice. It is used as a biofuel for the production of heat, energy, and electricity, and in the manufacture of pulp and building materials.
What is Agricultural waste?
Agricultural waste, or agricultural residue, contains all parts of the plant that are released with the processing of agricultural crops like rice, grain, and sugarcane and are not suitable for human nutrition, like stems and leaves. This consists of about 80% of the harvest. The food industry only uses a small part of the agricultural crop. Often, only the seeds, fruits, roots and juices are used, which is about 20% of the plant. Because the vast majority of the plant is not of value to the food industry, we call this agricultural waste or agricultural residue. However, to envoPAP, it is anything but waste. We use it as a raw material for high quality paper and paperboard.
How much agricultural waste becomes available worldwide every year?
The four most cultivated agricultural crops worldwide are rice, grain, corn, and sugarcane. These crops have a total weight of over 16,500 billion kilos per year. About 80% of that weight can be regarded as agricultural waste and becomes available annually.
Is there enough agricultural waste available for the production of paper and paperboard?
In Europe, all people and companies together use approximately 77.4 billion kilograms of paper and cardboard per year. To transport this volume, more than 5 million trucks are needed. To make these 77.4 billion kilograms of paper and carton, we only need about 1.8% of the worldwide available agricultural waste.
Why hasn’t agricultural waste used as a raw material for paper before?
This has to do with paper demand, worldwide population growth, and technical innovation to be able to make high quality paper and paperboard nowadays from agricultural waste. A hundred years ago, paper and paperboard was also made from agricultural waste. However, due to quality aspects, the paper industry at the time switched to virgin wood fibres as raw material. EnvoPAP makes it possible to again use agricultural waste as the most logical raw material for paper and paperboard. This is what we call ‘Wealth from Waste’.
Why do we use agro-waste to make paper?
We know that forests are threatened and endangered around the world, so it is important to us to find alternative materials that do not require virgin forest resources. With bagasse, we can still use high performing disposable "paper" products, but know that we are choosing a product that is made from rapidly renewable and reclaimed sugarcane instead of trees.
Most types of trees in Europe have a growing season of between 25 and 40 years. For pine and spruce, this is between 70 and 80 years. For birches, this is between 35 and 40 years. For eucalyptus trees, this is between 12 and 15 years. In comparison: agricultural land produces at least one harvest per year. Agricultural waste becomes available every year.
Can our paper be recycled?
Our paper is certified to be 100% recyclable by Intertek.
Is envopap better than recycled paper?
EnvoPAP is made with green energy from agricultural waste. This is a clean raw material that does not need to be purified first, like recycled paper. Moreover, natural liquids are released from agricultural waste that are suitable for generating green energy. Environmental research shows that EnvoPAP has 29% less environmental impact than recycled paper. EnvoPAP is well disposed towards recycled paper, as this is also a good example of reusing waste material. EnvoPAP is perfectly suitable for recycling.
Environmental benefit of EnvoPAP with regard to paper made from bamboo or Miscanthus (elephant grass)?
EnvoPAP is made from agricultural waste, with green energy. This residue is largely available every year. Residue that is otherwise taken as waste, will now get a new purpose. It is a secondary raw material. On the other hand, bamboo and miscanthus (elephant grass) is especially grown to be turned into paper, which means it is a primary raw material. Bamboo and miscanthus (elephant grass) have become popular because the growing season is faster than that of trees, but not faster than that of agricultural crops.
Why we don’t have FSC or PEFC or EU Eco Label?
EnvoPAP is made from agricultural waste and with 100% green energy. Using agricultural waste as raw material for quality paper is logical, as well as innovative. It is so innovative that renowned (environmental) organisations such as FSC, PEFC, EU Eco label, and the WWF, do not yet acknowledge this raw material for paper and paperboard as a possibility in their policy. Therefore, EnvoPAP cannot yet be certified for a FSC or an EU Eco label. EnvoPAP leads the way and i