Asia Symbol has strengthened its long-term sustainability strategy with a roadmap to cut greenhouse gas emission intensity by 30 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
The company has aligned its climate strategy with the UN Global Compact, GRI Standards 2021, IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, SASB standards for the pulp and paper industry, and a double-materiality framework that evaluates both environmental impact and financial risks.
Asia Symbol’s 2030 sustainability targets include a 30 percent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions, increasing renewable and clean energy to 95 percent of the energy mix, reducing water use and air emissions per unit of product by 30 percent, achieving zero solid waste to landfill, reusing more than 95 percent of water, sourcing 100 percent of chips and pulp from responsibly managed forests, auditing 100 percent of key suppliers, maintaining lost-time injury frequency below 0.5, increasing women in leadership to 25 percent, implementing Individual Development Plans for 100 percent of core employees, supporting more than 100,000 students through education initiatives, benefiting 1 million people through community projects, and ensuring at least four volunteer hours per employee annually.
Asia Symbol reported significant progress during 2025. Greenhouse gas emissions intensity declined to 0.43 tCO₂e per ton of products, representing a 10.74 percent reduction from the baseline year, while renewable and clean energy accounted for 73.60 percent of the company’s energy mix.
Water consumption fell to 9.12 cubic meters per ton of product, down 35.26 percent from the baseline, while air pollutant emissions dropped to 0.27 kg per ton of product, representing a 65.68 percent reduction. Water reuse reached 96.26 percent, and landfill waste totaled 12,691 tons, with the Guangdong and Jiangsu operations achieving zero solid waste to landfill, Asia Symbol sustainability report 2025 indicated.
Allen Zhang, President for Fiber Business of Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) China, said: “Based on business operations, we have established clear sustainable development goals for 2030 and implemented normalized tracking and optimization mechanism.”
Renewable energy continues to play a central role in Asia Symbol’s decarbonization strategy. The company has installed 51.78 MW of rooftop solar photovoltaic capacity across its manufacturing facilities, generating annual savings of approximately 17,000 tons of standard coal while avoiding around 42,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
Biomass energy generated from black liquor during the pulping process now contributes more than 83 percent of total energy consumption at key operations, significantly reducing dependence on fossil fuels and supporting a circular energy system.
The company also reported direct greenhouse gas emissions intensity of 0.44 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per ton of finished product while expanding industrial waste heat recovery systems that provide heating for approximately 30,000 households. These systems help avoid an estimated 380,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Asia Symbol is also accelerating the replacement of coal-fired systems with high-efficiency natural gas infrastructure to further improve operational emissions performance.
Water stewardship remains a major sustainability priority. Asia Symbol operates closed-loop recycling systems that enable zero wastewater discharge at key facilities while processing 40,000 tonnes of municipal reclaimed water every day. These systems conserve approximately 10 million cubic meters of freshwater annually, strengthening regional water security and reducing dependence on freshwater resources.
The company has expanded its carbon management by completing its first comprehensive Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions inventory covering raw materials, chemicals, transportation and logistics. Scope 3 emissions data are now integrated into supplier assessments, improving procurement decisions based on carbon intensity and environmental performance.
Asia Symbol has also expanded its portfolio of low-carbon products. The company has developed carbon-neutral ivory paperboard, copy paper and offset paper certified under ISO 14068-1:2023 by SGS. Its copy paper has become the first carbon-neutral certified paper product in China, reinforcing the company’s leadership in sustainable paper manufacturing.
Environmental investments continue to support Asia Symbol’s sustainability transition. Asia Symbol (Shandong) has invested nearly RMB 30 billion, including RMB 7 billion dedicated to environmental protection. Asia Symbol (Guangdong) has invested more than RMB 10 billion, including more than RMB 700 million in environmental initiatives. Phase I of Asia Symbol (Jiangsu) involved RMB 6.48 billion of investment, including RMB 347 million for environmental protection.
Overall, Asia Symbol has invested nearly RMB 50 billion in sustainability-related projects. Since 2020, around RMB 20 billion has been allocated to cleaner production technologies, energy efficiency improvements and environmental infrastructure upgrades. The company has also invested RMB 70 million in reclaimed water infrastructure and more than RMB 160 million in community development and social sustainability initiatives.
Additional sustainability achievements include 100 percent Individual Development Plan coverage for core employees, female management representation of 21.84 percent, a lost-time injury frequency of 0.24, an average of 4.2 employee volunteer hours, support for 15,942 students during 2025 and 114,143 students since 2017, while community programmes benefited 62,993 residents in 2025 and 745,771 people since 2017. The company also reviewed 100 percent of key suppliers, while 43.35 percent of chips and pulp were FSC, PEFC/CFCC-certified or sourced through due diligence-compliant systems.
Through large-scale investments in renewable energy, solar power, biomass utilization, water conservation, responsible sourcing, carbon-neutral products and Scope 3 emissions management, Asia Symbol continues to strengthen its transition toward low-carbon manufacturing while advancing its long-term goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
SHAFANA FAZAL
