Pulp and Paper Industries: Moving Towards Water Sustainability

This study was conducted on secondary literature by Bharg Modi and Sonia Grover for the water conservation of pulp and paper industries. The article talks about the challenges and reflections from best practices that could be used as learning to improve water consumption of Pulp and Paper Industries in India.

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Paper is one of the most essential items in our daily lives. Even after so many technological advances that the world has witnessed; paper has not lost its importance in the daily lives of people. From newspapers to paper bags, paper is a product that is around everyone in one form or another. The per capita consumption of paper in India is at 15 kg, whilst the global average stands at 57 kg. Paper was first invented by a Chinese court official Cai Lun, during the Eastern Han period (25-220 CE). In the year 1812, the first paper mill was set up in Serampore (Bengal) but it didn't survive because of the low demand for paper. After 58 years in 1870, another paper mill was established in Ballygunj near Kolkata and soon paper industry became the core industry in India.

Industry Overview in India

As per the Centre for Pulp and Paper Research Institute, there are in total of 900 paper mills in India out of which 526 are in operation. All mills combined have an installed production capacity of 29.11 million tonnes and 23.99 million tonnes are operational installed capacity. India consumes 22.83 million tonnes of paper and paper products per year. Different types of raw materials are used for the production of different products out of the pulp. Three types of raw materials that are used include-1) Wood-based, 2) Agro-residue-based, and 3) Recycledfibres-based. Seventy per cent of the raw materials in India and China are agro-residue based and India and China combined are responsible for 80 per cent of the agro-residue-based pulp production in the world. Based on raw material used, it has been reported that 76 per cent of India's pulp and paper market uses recycled fibres, 18 per cent uses wood as their raw material and 6 per cent uses agro-residue for production.