7 Western Arterial, Alton, Richards Bay, South Africa
The Mondi Richards Bay mill was commissioned in 1984. It produces two key products: Baycel, a premier grade bleached hardwood pulp made from 100-percent eucalyptus fibre, and Baywhite, a white top kraft linerboard. Both Baycel pulp and Baywhite linerboard are FSC™ Chain of Custody certified, giving to customers the confidence of using products that are produced using wood from certified sustainable forests. In 2005, the Richards Bay mill underwent a major expansion project that increased its capacity to more than 720 000 tonnes per annum from 2005. The modernisation of the Richards Bay operation enabled the mill to significantly reduce its impact on every aspect of the environment, from air quality to water consumption through to solid waste reduction. The SilvaCel woodchip plant, also located in Richards Bay, produces more than one million tons of eucalyptus and wattle woodchips each year, which are exported to Japan and the Pacific Rim.