Paper and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa said it is investing almost $100m in a sustainable biomass boiler in Colombia which will reduce its global Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by about 6%.

Smurfit Kappa has successfully implemented biomass boilers at several other locations including the Nervion, Piteå and Sangüesa paper mills in Europe.

The boiler, which will be constructed at its paper mill in Yumbo, Colombia, will replace the fossil fuels currently used with different types of organic waste to generate cleaner energy.

The organic waste will be comprised of pine and eucalyptus bark from the company's own forestry plantations, waste from its wood treatment plant, and ashes and sludge generated during the paper-manufacturing process.

It said that when the new boiler is operational, the mill will significantly reduce the site's fossil fuel usage and deliver significant cost savings.

Laurent Sellier, CEO of Smurfit Kappa in the Americas, said today's investment reinforces its commitment to Colombia, a strategic growth market, and to its sustainability targets.

"The commissioning of this state-of-the-art biomass boiler is a further material step towards our 2030 and net zero emissions targets and to protecting the environment and creating a greener world," Sellier said.

The new boiler is expected to be up and running by the end of 2024.