Mondi South Africa excels in energy resilience and efficiency, contributing to our Net-Zero pathway

To deliver against the Group’s ambitious Net-Zero targets, we upgrade our operational infrastructure to use less energy to manufacture our packaging and paper products. These investments in energy and process efficiencies are implemented across our business and contribute to the reduction of our GHG emissions from our operations (Scope 1).  

Our operational excellence teams are key contributors to our Net-Zero pathway. A great example comes from Mondi Richards Bay (South Africa): In 2021, the new upgraded recovery boiler was commissioned, reducing GHG emissions by a targeted 250,000 tonnes per year, a significant step towards the mill’s journey of decarbonisation. 

The South African team then took their commitment further and collected more ideas for energy and process efficiency improvements. Over the last 4 years, a new approach to energy savings was adopted. A broad range of initiatives were executed, resulting in a 7% improvement in energy efficiency.  

We took on the challenge of building a more energy-resilient production in Mondi Richards Bay, and the team did a great job! They showed great dedication and ownership in delivering against our initiatives. The roadmap for our future is set. We have ambitious plans to boost the mill’s energy efficiency further

- Mark Miller, Head of Reliability & Planning at Mondi Richards Bay 

Securing business value through energy improvements 

The energy team started the journey with a review of the key areas and existing energy assets on site, such as the mill’s power boilers and evaporators. 14 energy efficiency projects were identified and executed over a 2-year period. Furthermore, an extensive benchmarking project identified an additional 16 possible energy efficiency improvements, which were integrated into the energy projects portfolio. 

The team also participated in a pilot of the Group’s Energy Efficiency program. The program was conducted via the best practice ISO 50001 framework, which provides a practical way to improve energy use through the development of an energy management system (EnMS). The EnMS developed for Mondi Richards Bay applied systematic processes as well as practical and detailed energy-saving plans. The plans were driven by dedicated ‘Energy Champions’ enabling a sense of passion and ownership for energy efficiency among the colleagues involved. By the end of 2023, the mill achieved ISO 50001 certification. 

“We are proud to have obtained ISO 50001 energy certification in half the target time. The certification process has transformed our mindsets, leading to clear processes and greater workforce ownership. Our achievements in energy efficiency and resilience in Richards Bay are now taken up by other Mondi plants, which makes us very proud”, summarises Yusuf Abbas, energy engineer at Mondi Richards Bay.  

Recognising a great project performance 

The Richards Bay mill’s project achievements were also recognised as a winner in the ‘Driving performance’ category of the 2024 Mondi Diamond Awards. The internal awards showcase projects that stand out across the Group to recognise outstanding performance and share lessons learned.   

Mondi Diamond Awards

Recognising achievements

Learn more about the Mondi Diamond Awards