Cartonnerie Gondardennes (CGW), a manufacturer of corrugated base paper and corrugated board, is investing 1.7 million euros this year at its Wardrecques site in the Pas-de-Calais region, to further reduce water consumption. Work will be carried out on all 11.5 hectares of roofs at the production site, to recover over 125,000 m 3 of rainwater. Water consumption for the manufacture of one tonne of paper would thus fall to 2.7 m 3 this is 75% less than the volume used in the sector, according to the company.
The protection of water resources, and therefore the search for alternatives in water management, is common practice for paper and cardboard manufacturers. In France, the LEMA law (loi sur l'eau et les milieux aquatiques), drawn up in accordance with European regulations in 2006, lays the foundations for French water policy.
Sustainable development was already a topical issue for the company ten years earlier, with the installation of a closed water circuit at its Wardrecques site in 1992, making it possible to discharge zero wastewater into the natural environment.
Pulp is made from recycled waste paper and filtered water from the Neufossé canal, which runs alongside the site. The residues are sent to a wastewater treatment plant to be reintegrated into the manufacturing process, and so on. The result is low water consumption: currently, before this new investment, the plant requires only 3.6 m 3 per tonne of corrugated board versus 10 m 3 in open circuit.
And to further optimize plant performance at the Wardrecques site, an additional investment of 900,000 euros is planned.
