Smurfit Westrock introduced new 2030 goals in its sustainability report released Tuesday, and it noted more targets are in the works.
This sustainability report covers the 2025 calendar year and is the first one to integrate coverage of the combined companies since Smurfit Kappa acquired WestRock in July 2024.
After the deal closed, Smurfit Westrock launched a materiality assessment to determine which topics are most relevant to the combined company, the report says. It evaluated impact materiality and financial materiality, identifying 11 relevant sustainability topics including climate change, water, circular economy, biodiversity and sustainable forestry, and transparency and compliance, among others.
Because of the integration, Smurfit Westrock did not previously have public, date-aligned sustainability targets. The newly announced targets for 2030, compared to a 2019 baseline, include:
- Reduce scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions across operations by 28%.
- Cut water intake at mills by 22%.
- Reduce waste sent to landfill from mills by 24%.
Smurfit Westrock’s previous sustainability report detailed separate initiatives by WestRock and Smurfit Kappa. The latter company previously had a goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. And WestRock aimed to reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 27.5% from fiscal years 2019-2030.
SW is “exploring having its targets science-based approved,” and is reviewing a scope 3 target as part of its approach to aligning with the Science Based Targets initiative. The report mentioned working on “improving the consistency in the reporting” of scope 3 data. SW considers scope 3 reporting “an iterative process. Our objective is not static compliance, but progressive improvement.”
Emissions and fuel
In 2025, SW’s scope 1 and 2 emissions across all operations totaled 10,813 metric kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalent. For paper mills alone, the total was 9,528 metric kilotons. Scope 3 emissions for the year totaled 11,499 metric kilotons.
Four sites in France completed “decarbonization upgrades” and achieved net-zero emissions last year, according to the report. Some initiatives included transitioning to 100% renewable electricity, replacing fuel-powered forklifts with fully electric models, and replacing older gas and fuel oil boilers with options that involve high-efficiency heat pumps. These efforts are expected to reduce emissions by about 300 metric tons of CO2e annually.
Additional medium-term decarbonization projects slated for this year through 2030 include ensuring two North American paper mills use natural gas to offset coal and electrifying a European recycled paper mill.
Last year, biofuels made up 55% of the fuel that SW directly used in its operations. Natural gas came in second, at 36%, and other fossil fuels were third at 5%.
Materials and forestry
Recycled fiber represents 55% of the raw materials that SW paper mills consumed in 2025, while 45% were virgin fiber materials. SW has 70 recovered paper depots that provided an estimated 13.1 million tons as a feedstock in 2025.
All of the wood SW used last year to manufacture virgin paper or pulp “came, at a minimum, from responsible, non-controversial origins.” About 35% was from sustainably managed forests certified under “FSC, PEFC and/or SFI standards,” while 65% came from “non-controversial sources.” Approximately 8.5% of the wood came from the company’s own FSC-certified forests and plantations in Brazil and Colombia.
SW’s entire mill system is chain-of-custody certified, and an estimated 70% of the paper produced in 2025 was CoC certified, the report says.
Waste
Most of the waste generated at SW mills is material rejected during the recovered paper pulping and screening process, according to the report.
The non-hazardous waste from mills that is sent to landfills is the “starting point” for the company’s waste reduction efforts. In 2025, paper mills sent 1.5 million metric tons of waste to landfill and sent 1.7 million metric tons for recycling.
Hazardous waste totaled 45,000 metric tons, or 1.4% of the company’s total mill waste globally.
