Customer-Focused Sustainability: A Higher Level of Success
Sustainability success is often described in terms of a company’s internal environmental and social gains – yet most profound impact lies in delivering continuous benefits to customers. By making process optimization its business model in an industry with a renewable resource at its core, AFT’s business has always been built on green principles.
Small manufacturers competing with companies a hundred times their size have no choice but to build their portfolio on clear, verifiable benefits to their clients. In a mature industry like pulp and paper, based on a renewable resource, benefits to clients mean cutting fewer trees, using less and fewer chemicals and consuming less energy. This is how AFT officially begins its sustainability journey - one that, in practice, started long before the competition.
The very first exercise of compiling AFT’s carbon footprint led to uncovering that AFT save roughly 19 times more carbon footprint to its clients than its entire operations (scope 1,2 & 3 as per ghgprotocols.org) produces. As far as sustainable suppliers go, this is hard to beat.
Big picture and day-to-day
AFT’s products and processes help mills address both big-picture and daily challenges -from energy, water and wastewater efficiency to fiber performance and pollution reduction. We retrofit wisely, providing only what’s needed for productivity rather than replacing full systems unnecessarily. Longer wear life of parts contributes to the same goal.
All our products are designed to enhance pulp quality: fewer flakes, less air and contaminants, and better fiber development – all leading to better sheet formation. This, in turn, saves (a mill’s) raw materials and reduces chemical usage. Although such benefits are harder to quantify, they significantly contribute to both our customer’s success and a more environmentally friendly industry.
Rapid payback, based on reduced energy consumption and fiber recovery in the final stages of screening, is the norm. We always encourage decision-making on those factors alone - Yet they are only part of the overall gains.
More sustainable fiber-based solutions across traditional and alternative pulping are always top of mind for our customers and for us. Reduced energy consumption, waste minimization, increased output potential, and improved recyclability in safer workplaces must happen daily.
Always seeking new options
Innovation is the key to finding lasting solutions to environmental and business challenges. We strive to find ways to reduce fiber, energy and water consumption and to minimize waste through continuous improvement of our stock preparation and fiber processing equipment.
A few highlights include our process and product advantages:
Energy Savings
AFT's minimizes energy use across the entire pulp and paper manufacturing process:
- Finebar ® refiner platesTM achieve energy savings of up to 15%, reducing customers’ operational costs.
- Finebar® MiniSegmentsTM provide optimum pulp quality development at lower energy.
- Our energy saving GHC² rotors and the MaxSaver tail screen for fiber recovery and waste reduction deliver a combined yearly CO2 reduction of 118 kton per year, equivalent to removing more than 25,000 cars off the road.
- On energy savings alone, the POM® approach flow systems across their installed base, further reduce mill emissions by 75 kton of CO2 per year, equivalent to more than 16,000 cars off the road.
Water Reduction:
AFT optimizes water usage in pulp and paper mills with solutions that reduce the need for excessive water in various stages of production, notably through screening products operating at record-high consistencies.
Thanks to customers who adopted POM® systems worldwide, 9.5 million liters of water are saved every year.
Because of the compact design POM® paper machine approach flow systems run more efficiently than traditional wet end systems with large silos and tanks. This results in faster grade changes with less waste, and greater sheet cleanliness with fewer chemicals needed.
Advantages from process audits and analysis
AFT’s sustainability approach is integrated into our overall culture – from product development and operations to and supply chain selection. Our proprietary SimAudit™ simulation software helps evaluate and select appropriate equipment for specific customer needs, optimizing both return on investment and environmental impact.
Safety and Health
Designing for safety and health is integral to AFT solutions. A notable example is our proprietary DiamondWire technology - a wear resistant, hexavalent chromium free surface treatment that brings environmental and health benefits.
Finebar® MiniSegments™ make refining plate changes easier and safer. Their long life of the plates also reduces operator time required to change them. The lighter design and longer wear life of Finebar plates contribute to an additional 2.7 kton CO2 reduction yearly, equivalent to removing 600 cars off the road. This benefit stems from lower raw material (metal) usage and the reduction of the volume of transportation from fewer plates being manufactured and shipped globally.
Less maintenance, more control
Further benefits of Max™ screening portfolio can be calculated from the longer lifetime of the equipment, rotating assembly, and performance wear parts – achieved by operating screens at lower rotating speeds combined with proprietary wear- resistant surface treatments.
The MaxEdge™ refiner eliminates gland packing in favor of a no-flow mechanical seal, reducing maintenance needs and preventing fiber loss. Its compact, hydraulically optimized design enhances energy efficiency.
Our IIoT solution, the AFTLinx™ integration unit adds digital capability, allowing remote performance monitoring, real-time diagnostics, and optimization — another step toward sustainable performance gains.
Less pollution:
AFT's technologies contribute to less environmental pollution by focusing on resource conservation and waste reduction. For instance, continuous de-trashing with ADS screening reduces energy consumption and saves fiber, impacting the overall environmental footprint.
At AFT, we take pride in being proactive leaders — driving customer advancements that lead to sustainable progress, safer workplaces, and a healthier planet. Every AFT employee shares this commitment.
Customer success is the foundation of our broader vision of sustainability.
We will continue to innovate by listening, observing, and partnering with our customers to advance fiber-based solutions for the planet.
About the Author
Christophe Hayart, Director, Total Quality
I joined AFT in 2006. From the design and successful commissioning of the first Finebar conical filling almost 20 years ago to driving operational excellence and sustainability initiatives today, my work with AFT took me to pulp and paper mills all over the world. Although the occasional detour to a surf break along the way has sweeten the deal, I have made my career at AFT because of it’s undeniable support to my professional growth and positive impact on my life. Over the years, I have been directly involved in the development, sourcing, manufacturing, sales and/or troubleshooting of almost every product in AFT’s offering. I am proud to be part of an organization that continuously look for new ways to have an impact on the daily operations of its customers and truly help advance paper making best practices.