The Navigator Company is an integrated forestry, pulp and paper, tissue and energy undertaking, whose business is based on large-scale modern facilities that use cutting-edge technology and set quality standards for the sector.

The company is Portugal’s third largest exporter, and the exporter geerating the most added value for the country.
The Navigator Company accounts for around 1% of Portugal’s GDP, around 3% of is exports of goods and close to 6% of all container cargo exported through Portuguese ports.

In 2017, The Navigator Company recorded turnover of approximately €1.64 billion, on the strength of positive performance in pulp, energy and tissue sales.

Consolidating its position as a European leader in the production of uncoated woodfree printing and writing paper (UWF) and ranked sixth worldwide, the company is also Europe’s leading producer (ranked fifth worldwide) of bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP). The Company has moved into the tissue business and currently has annual production capacity of 120 thousand tons of converting paper.

The Navigator Company has successfully pursued a strategy of innovation and developing proprietary brands and premium products, resulting in a market share in Western Europe of 19% in UWF and around 50% in the premium sector.

The company sells to around 130 countries on five continents, and primarily to Europe and the United States, making it one of Portugal’s star performers around the globe.

The Navigator Company is a vertically integrated forestry undertaking with its own Forestry Research Institute (“RAIZ”).
In Portugal, it manages vast areas of forest certified under the international FSC® (license no. FSC C010852) and PEFC™ (PEFC/13-23-001) systems, with production capacity of 1.6 million tons of paper, 1.5 million tons of pulp (80% incorporated into paper), 130,000 tonnes of tissue and 2.5 TWh/year of electricity.

The Navigator Company operates some of the Europe’s largest forest nurseries, with annual production capacity of around 12 million certified plants of various species, destined to renew Portugal’s woodlands.
thenavigatorcompany.com

Navigator Brands, S.A.
The leading partner is Navigator Brands, S.A.  located at Lavos, Portugal with its own activity of paper and pulp production. With the vision “To be a global supplier of uncoated fine paper and leader in the segments of office and paper for the printing industry”, the NPF produces about 650 thousand tons of bleached eucalyptus pulp and 790 thousand tons of printing and uncoated writing papers (UWF).

Navigator Pulp Aveiro, S.A.
A empresa Navigator Pulp Aveiro, S.A. is located in the village of Cacia (Aveiro). In the center of the biggest eucalyptus forest spot in Portugal. The NPC
has a production reaching an annual volume around 350 thousand tonnes of bleached eucalyptus pulp, recognized by the pulp applications in special papers, such as décor, filters and others.

RAIZ- Forest and Paper Research Institute is a private non-profit research institute, recently recognized as an Interface Centre by Portuguese Government, committed to support competitiveness of the Portuguese pulp and paper industry, through research, consultancy, technology transfer and training, with high level of competences in forestry, pulp and paper technology, biorrefinery processes and also specialized analysis boosting new research topics and implementing sustainable forest management practices. THE NAVIGATOR COMPANY, the major Portuguese pulp and paper player, owns RAIZ (97%) together with a participation (3%) of University of Coimbra, University of Aveiro and University of Lisbon (ISA).

RAIZ has 52 permanent researchers working in three main areas: R&D, Consultancy and Specialized Services. Its main facilities are located at Quinta de S. Francisco (Aveiro, Littoral Centre/ North of Continental Portugal), includes Laboratories, pilot plants facilities and administration services. Breeding farms and molecular genetics laboratories and facilities are located at Herdade de Espirra (Pegões, South of Portugal). Under inpactus project, a new Biorrefinery Centre will be created at Creative and Science Park (PCI), at University of Aveiro.

University of Aveiro (UA), created in 1973, has now around 13.400 students distributed by 16 departments and 4 polytechnic schools. Actually, UA is
one of Portugal’s most dynamic and innovative universities, reporting, per capita, the largest number of scientific publications and patent applications.

Two Associated Laboratories of UA, namely CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials and CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies together with the Research Unit QOPNA – Organic Chemistry, Natural and Agro-Food Products brought together the required competences to address de big challenges of the project.

This University starts operating in Lisbon but, in 1308, it was moved to Coimbra, alternating between the two cities until 1537, when it was definitely settled in the city of Coimbra. With over seven centuries, UC is among the major science and technology hubs for applied and fundamental research in Portugal. UC has 8 faculties, with more than 100 master courses and 78 doctoral programs, with internationalization being one of its major areas, through teaching activities and R&D actions.

Among its 33 integrated R&D units, Chemical Engineering Department and its Center for Research in Chemical Processes and Forest Products (CIEPQPF) is of particular relevance to this project.