Schut Paper – Residual fiber as raw material

Tomato fibers

The residue left from the horticulture sector – like tomato plant fibers cultivated in greenhouses in the Westland area – is available for free. By comparison, for the usual wood cellulose, paper producers pay up to €500 per ton. The paper sector has created a new supply chain which also has value to the horticulture market. After two years of development, Schut Paper launched Valorise. This is a result of collaboration with growers, knowledge centres, and universities for the circular value of fiber from agricultural residues such as tomato plants. The optimal scenario is that agricultural residue (e.g. tomato and paprika crops) is not composted, but that 100% is used as raw material for the paper sector and as an ingredient for other industries. In 2015, the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) voted Schut’s paper from tomato plant fiber one of the twenty most innovative products in the pulp and paper industry. Since the introduction of the paper, it has been successfully used for various publications and materials.