In July 1953, Companhia Portuguesa de Celulose began production trials of pulp and paper at a factory built in Cacia, in the Aveiro district, in the center of the largest eucalyptus forest area in Portugal. It was at the Cacia Factory (image above) that, in 1957, and for the first time worldwide, paper pulp was produced from eucalyptus using the Kraft process, considered excellent for the manufacture of high-quality paper.

This factory was a crucial milestone of innovation for this sector in Portugal and a turning point that established Portugal as an international reference. It also represents the beginning of a journey that would transform a Portuguese company into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP) and uncoated woodfree paper (UWF): The Navigator Company.

Currently, the production of Cacia Industrial Complex reaches an annual volume of around 320,000 tons of bleached eucalyptus pulp, which is transformed into specialty papers such as décor or high-quality tissue. It also integrates a biomass cogeneration plant associated with the pulp mill and a biomass thermoelectric power plant to produce renewable energy.

The use of non-edible parts of animals is a practice that dates to Antiquity. During centuries, this use was limited to the removal of fat from tissues to make candles and soap. In the early 19th century, the first rules were created for the routing of these by-products to enhance their reuse, which can be considered the beginning of the circular economy. It was at this time that the first units for the treatment of animal by-products, also known as “recyclers” or “tallow factories”, began to emerge.

In the 20th century, more precisely in the 1970s, the first companies that would give rise to the ETSA Group emerged, whose activity is based on the recycling of animal by-products, transforming them into bioproducts. The benefits are numerous, such as enhancing the recycling of nutrients and energy through reintroduction into the chain itself and removing from the environment substances with high potential for contamination. This concept of the circular economy has reduced the dependence on plant-based sources, thus decreasing the demand for cultivable areas and minimizing the destruction of forests.

Now, with half a century of experience, ETSA is a leading operator in industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, human food, fertilizers, animal feed, biodiesel, or aquaculture.

2023 marked the centenary of the Maceira-Liz Factory in Leiria, owned by Secil, a company dedicated to the production and marketing of cement, concrete, aggregates, mortars, and hydraulic lime.

The Maceira-Liz Factory has stood out over these 100 years as one of the most innovative industrial projects ever carried out in Portugal. Built between 1919 and 1923, in the aftermath of World War I and the severe crisis resulting from the pneumonic flu, the project was, at the time, considered the most modern in the world. From the strategic vision and innovation capacity, resulted a factory that marked a decisive evolution in the manufacture of cement and in the construction sector.

100 years later, the Maceira factory remains current, aligned with the decarbonization and sustainability roadmaps of the global, European, and national cement industry, which foresee the carbon neutrality of the cement and concrete value chain by 2050. In this context, Secil has planned for this industrial unit a project to reduce CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency.