What are the emissions of a paper mill that de-inks waste paper?

A recycled paper mill pulps waste paper, removes ink by flotation and dries the sheet on steam cylinders. Steam for drying and electricity for pulping are the main sources. De-inking sludge going to landfill or boilers adds a waste line.

Main sources

• Boiler fuel for drying steam.
• Electricity for pulpers, screens and the paper machine.
• Sludge disposal, in Category 5 if sent out.

Biogenic part

If the mill burns rejects or sludge, the fibre carbon is biogenic. Plastic in the rejects is fossil.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.

• Agro-residue paper mill
• Kraft paper supplier data

Sources: GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.