Circular bioeconomy: paper made with agro-industrial and leather waste

The bioeconomy is a hot topic these days, right up at the top of policy agendas. It involves using renewable natural resources as a raw material. The circular bioeconomy introduces circularity into this concept: using what would otherwise be thrown away, using spent biological resources to regenerate ecosystems and minimising waste.

The ECESP website has a good selection of circular bioeconomy-themed content. This series will shine a spotlight on it.

Circular bioeconomy concept: paper made with agro-industrial and leather waste

Favini: manufacturing paper with agro-industrial and leather waste

Favini has various lines of high-quality paper, each with specific qualities:

• Tree Free is made from renewable fibres from annual plants such as bamboo and cotton.
• Shiro Echo, the FSC™ Recycled-certified eco-friendly paper, made of 100% recycled fibres.
• Alga Carta was first made using the algae that grows to excess in the Venice Lagoon. They now use algae growing elsewhere as well. This paper is 10% algae.
• Crush uses agro-industrial waste such as by-products from citrus fruits, grapes, cherries, lavender, corn, olives, coffee, kiwis, hazelnuts and almonds. This makes up 15% of the total material used, along with 40% post-consumer recycled paper.
• Remake reuses pulp from discarded residue from leather manufacturing. This pulp makes up 25% of the total, along with 40% post-consumer FSC certified recycled fibre and 35% virgin FSC certified fibre.
• The Refit range reuses manufacturing residue from the wool and cotton industries, which make up 15% of its raw materials. Another 40% is FSC certified post-consumer recycled fibres, and the remainder is FSC certified virgin wood pulp fibres. Favini takes waste product from cotton textile manufacturing processes, often left as fluff on the side of the machine, and after a special treatment introduces it into the pulp that is used to make Refit. 
   

Results

Favini:

• makes papers which are recylable and compostable,
• uses recycled paper and waste bio-based materials in place of virgin wood biomass as far as possible; the virgin wood biomass it does use is FSC certified,
• avoids using harmful chemicals,
• reduced the amount of dangerous waste it sent to landfills by 80% from 2009 to 2023,
• reduced its water consumption by 37% from 2009 to 2023 by installing a closed-loop recycling system.