West Coast Paper Mills Limited (WCPM), the first company in India to replace bamboo with 100 percent hardwood as raw material in its products, is committed to harmonizing its business interests with the world’s critical need for a cleaner environment. WPCM’s ‘minimum impact-best process’ technology forms the core of its commitment to green production, resource conservation, responsible waste management and a reduced pollution load. The conviction of WPCM to operate in sync with environmental concerns is enshrined in a comprehensive Environment Management System (EMS), which is practiced across the organization in all spheres of its activities. It further targets an internal net zero carbon trade that provides green energy using renewable resources to the extent it relies on fossil fuels.
Sensible Sourcing of Raw Material
Guided by the principle tenet of environmental responsibility, the company manufactures paper and boards using raw material and technology that protects the earth’s natural resources and bio-diversity for generations to come. WCPM uses wood derived from casuarina, eucalyptus, subabul, acacia and other hardwood for manufacturing paper. Majority of raw material is sourced from private cultivators of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, while adhering to eco-friendly environmental norms. We are the first company in India to replace bamboo with 100 percent hardwood as raw material in our products. Established in 1955 at Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, our mill processes mixed hard wood, a conventional raw material, to fulfill the paper needs of various industries, such as printing, writing, publishing, stationary, notebooks, packaging & some value added products as MICR, paper straw etc. In order to manufacture some specialty papers, WCPM imports pine wood pulp in small quantities.
This helps in preserving the country’s forest resources and enhancing its sustainability. We are certified for FSC Chain of Custody, which indicates that the wood is being sourced from well-managed plantations and ensures that only legally harvested wood is used for manufacturing paper/paperboard. The forests, from where we source our raw material, are managed responsibly to address the social, economic & ecological needs of the present and future generations.
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Protecting Environment with Captive Plantations
West Coast Paper Mills is one of the leading companies in India to make successive use of captive plantation techniques to increase the productivity and sustainability of our plantations. The method of clonal forestry used in captive plantations has gained wide acceptance in India. Plantation managers and foresters having a progressive mindset have accepted this advanced technology for increasing the green cover over land affected by deforestation. Over the years, we have effectively adapted the clonal technology strategy for our tree improvement programme. We aim to increase the effectiveness of land in surrounding districts using tree improvement techniques for agro-forestry. Through our efforts, we want to help rural communities to enhance the productivity, suitability and sustainability of their land use.
Nurturing Nature with Latest Technologies
In line with its motto to infuse sustainability in state-of-the-art technologies, WPCM has successfully established a well-equipped quality control lab cum research centre , that support for further improvement of checking the different wood species for pulp manufacturing. The company is having full-fledged captive power plant that is sufficient for our own power & steam requirements. The company’s plan is to target an internal net zero carbon trade that provides green energy using renewable resources to the extent it relies on fossil fuels.
Its investment in a brand-new 725 TPD Metso Art of Technology fiber-line, replacing the old technology with environmental friendly being elemental chlorine free (ECF) bleaching processes and the in-house pulping street has enabled the production of consistent quality of high-bright and hi-strength pulp with improved cleanliness and lasting freshness with least pollution load. The ‘wood to paper’ process mastery and product research has enabled WPCM to produce a wide portfolio of wood-free papers and boards of highest quality. The ECF bleached surface sized paper is manufactured through online process monitoring and quality control systems to facilitate excellent physical, surface and optical properties that meet the international quality standards with cost effectiveness, safety and environmental objectives, simultaneously emphasizing on innovativeness and sustainability with the help of technology infusion.
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Preserving Resources in All Processes of Paper-Making
As part of its commitment to the protection of the environment, WCPM has installed 1.75 MW wind farms in south India as an initiative towards the generation of renewable source of power through wind energy, harnessed and used to fuel its processes. WCPM has own their responsibility to conserve the natural resource Water. Lot of water saving ideas with 3R principles, resulted water intake reduction from initially 68000 KL/Day to about 43000 KL of water per day, which is drawn from the river Kali. We believe that efficient energy management is the key to enhanced profitability. As a result, WCPM has sought ways to harness renewable resources to enhance its self-reliance in power. We use both self-generated and purchased power for production purposes. We have achieved complete self-sufficiency in power generation. Apart from self- generation, we also have the provision for grid connectivity of 8250 KVA. Our captive power generating capacity is 74.80 MW.
The Way Forward
Enjoying a pedigree of standing over the past 65 years, the West Coast Paper Mills plans to attain customer loyalty by providing the highest standards of quality products suitable for various business segments and for all age groups across India & the world. It further targets an internal net zero carbon trade that provides green energy using renewable resources to the extent it relies on fossil fuels. WCPM will continue to focus on innovative production processes through constant research and development as well as to use environment-friendly technology to cater to the interests of future generations, as well as excel in serving the demands of paper and paper products worldwide.
