Company Name: International Paper

Location: Spain

Water in the circular economy

International Paper’s mill in Madrid, Spain, is a state-of-the-art example of public-private partnership (PPP) in action. This is the first mill in the European Union to produce 100% recycled containerboard using 100% recycled water in partnership with the local municipality. The mill is the exclusive partner for Fuenlabrada’s community recycling program, bringing in over 400,000 tons of recovered material annually, much of it from the local area. In turn, the mill produces over 1,000 tons per day of containerboard using reclaimed wastewater in a process linked to the municipal system for both water supply and wastewater treatment. Onsite, the mill operates a unique anaerobic wastewater treatment system, minimizing sludge waste generation. The system also produces enough biogas to replace 25% of traditional fossil fuels for the mill’s energy needs. It sends the partially treated effluent to the municipal treatment plant, where it undergoes further treatment and then returns to the mill for reuse. This process saves over 2 million m3 of water each year, equivalent to the consumption of about 60,000 people. In a water-stressed region that is seeing increasing demand for water resources, this PPP creates economic and sustainable benefits for all stakeholders, including the local community, the municipal partner and International Paper.