Commitments

Discover how Primabake and PDL use their expertise to put sustainability at the heart of their industry while manufacturing quality products

life

Privileged Location

Located at the heart of the Thonon-Les-Bains, between the Léman Lake and the Alps, PDL has long been aware of the environmental sensitivity of its position and its responsibility in helping to maintain the region.

Over the years, PDL has always sought to emphasize planet-preserving processes to integrate an ecological dimension from the very conception of its papers.

Preserving Biodiversity

Total site area: 155,283 m2

31,767 m2 built-up area (20%)

7,030 m2 parking (5%)

116,506 m2 green spaces (75%)

2 types of green spaces :

Tendeded gardens

Managed natural areas (biotope close to the Dranse delta nature reserve)

Committed to preserving the environment, PDL carried out reports on its surrounding fauna & flora, to determine its impact on surrounding species and put measures in

place to protect them.

The Biodiversity Audit® carried out in 2012 depicts that PDL is not disruptive in terms of biodiversity, as its site contains many green spaces with rare species of plants and a wide variety of fauna.

The nearest NATURA 2000 site is the Dranse Delta Special Protection Area under the Birds Directive, and the Dranse Delta Special Area of Conservation under the Habitats Directive, located around 600 m to the north of the site.

In addition to fostering a wide diversity of flora, the NATURA 2000 site is a migratory corridor for fish and a staging area for many bird species, as well as a wintering site for some of them.

PDL has been investing in reducing its environmental footprint and the environmental impact of its processes.

In order to ensure manufacturing processes are ‘clean’, PDL has invested in eco-friendly equipment and innovation.

In France, paper pulp is made using by-products of the forest.

To manage where the paper pulp comes from, PDL worked hard to become FSC® & PEFC -certified, demonstrating that the pulp used comes from sustainably managed forests.

PDL Outdoors

Biodiversity Audit

Natura 2000

Clean Processes

Certifications

Clean Processes

Since 2004, PDL has been investing in reducing its environmental footprint and the environmental impact of its processes.
In order to ensure our manufacturing processes are ‘clean’, PDL is committed to:

reducing the amount of pollutants discharged into our waters
investing in renewable energy sources
reducing our energy consumption
recycling our solid waste
reducing our water consumption
recovering the steam generated by the Thonon wastewater treatment plant

Eco-Friendly Investments

A modern Water Treatment Plant

The installation of a water treatment plant on site, and a Wet Air Oxidation (WAO) system, which converts lignin into a valuable by-product instead of burning and emitting CO2.
More than 92% of pumped water is treated, then returned to surface water supplies.
PDL's Suspended Solids (SS) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) emissions are 70% lower than required by local regulations and 98% of its produced waste is recycled by approved facilities.

A PCC Unit production

PDL has gradually replaced titanium dioxide with PCC (precipitated calcium carbonate) for thin papers over 34 g/m².

It acquired a PCC production unit in order to extend the approach to all product ranges.
Unlike titanium dioxide, whose reserves are tending to run out, PCC can be produced in abundance.
Its manufacture requires CO2 and is energy-efficient. Such investment has allowed to reduce the use of fossil fuel and introduce a renewable locally produced renewable feedstock.

A Biomass Boiler

Some parts of the paper manufacturing process, particularly the drying stage, require a huge amount of steam.
PDL’s biomass boiler produces 50% of the site’s steam demands.
It has reduced our CO2 emissions by 11,500 tonnes per year, therefore helping to reduce global warming, which is partly caused by the production and transmission of CO2.

Eco-Responsibility in Action

Managing Supplies' Origin

Reducing Environmental Footprint

Managing Supplies' Origin

by controlling the origins of the paper pulp.
PDL adopted a ‘green’ procurement policy, opting to purchase supplies from certified forests, to ensure sustainable environmental management.

Using Clean Manufacturing Processes

Reducing Environmental Footprint

by using eco-design strategies from the paper development stage onwards. Acting from the design stage is the most effective and important way to improve the environmental profile of the product.

The possibility to opt for a paper with a lower grammage enables to use less raw material, and consumes less from conception to delivery.