Its discharged carbon dioxide is used directly to produce calcium carbonate filler for the papermaking process.
If the whole papermaking industry in China adopts the Gold East standard, Ko said, it would eliminate roughly 3 billion cu m of waste discharge a year.
The use of recycled paper can greatly ease the shortage of resources in China's papermaking industry. According to an APP China report, a ton of recycled paper can produce 0.8 tons of finished paper, saving 17 trees, more than half the papermaking energy, and reducing 35 percent of water pollution.
At present, the waste paper recycling rate in China is only 30 percent, in stark contrast to Japan's 78 percent, Germany's 83 percent, and nearly 100 percent in Finland.
APP China's Ningbo Zhonghua Paper Co Ltd, one of the largest manufacturers of white paperboard in China, has mature paper recycling experience.
It collects discarded newsprint, office paper and magazines from residential and business communities, and reuses them as raw materials for paper production.
With 85 percent of its pulp raw material coming from waste paper, Ningbo Zhonghua has recently implemented its third-phase project -a world-leading paperboard production line. With strict de-inking processes, the whiteness of the paper it produces meets national standards.
"In the long term, we foresee an increase in demand for pulp and paper products manufactured according to international sustainability standards. While we already supply many of our overseas customers with those products, we are excited to see an emerging domestic interest. The sustainability of our business - to be the pulp and paper provider of choice - therefore resides in the sustainability of our practices," said Ko.
APP China has also been actively committed to poverty alleviation, benefiting the community and local economy by providing job opportunities, contributing to society through charity activities.
At present, APP China employs 20,000 staff, cooperates with hundreds of distributors, and indirectly provides jobs for 500,000 workers from rural areas.