In 2023, the pulp and paper industry contributed 1.2% of industrial sector greenhouse gas emissions and about 0.6% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

How Biomass Energy Reduces Paper’s Carbon Footprint

Biomass refers to organic materials—primarily wood residues and other plant-based byproducts—that can be burned to produce heat, steam, or electricity.

The paper and wood products industry produces more carbon-beneficial biomass energy than any other industrial sector. The paper industry uses biomass energy by efficiently using leftover materials in the manufacturing process, such as bark, chips and liquid biomass.

The sustainable use of biomass energy to power papermills reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The paper industry’s use of biomass energy prevents about 181 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere each year. That’s roughly equal to removing 35 million cars from the road. [2]

The U.S. paper industry was among the first to take voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2020, U.S. paper companies had reduced Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions (CO2 eq) per ton of product by 36% from a 2005 baseline. This reduction is attributed to the predominant use of carbon-neutral biomass fuel, the switch from coal and oil to less carbon-intensive fossil fuels such as natural gas, and equipment and process enhancements that improved energy efficiency. [2]

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