Kaituna Sawmill, near Blenheim, processes 130,000 cubic metres of logs each year, half of which is used in the New Zealand and the remainder exported to Australia and Asia.
Sawmills need a lot of energy to power the kilns used to dry the wood. Kaituna Sawmill has made big changes to its processes to reduce its environmental footprint, achieving a 46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through the use of a new energy system that allows the sawmill to burn wet sawdust instead of oil to generate energy to dry its timber products.
Kaituna Sawmill also has a big focus on waste reduction, ensuring that every part of the wood is used. Wood chips are a by-product generated during timber production, and these are now exported to Japan from Kaituna Sawmill through Port Marlborough. There, they will be used to make next generation cellulose nanofiber.