Green Bay Packaging (GBP) is a family-owned company with a long history of innovation, sustainability leadership, and community impact. To continue this legacy, the company has launched a once-in-a-generation modernization of its Arkansas Kraft Paper Mill—an investment exceeding $1 billion aimed at replacing aging infrastructure with state-of-the-art technology. This modernization will enhance the mill’s long-term viability and contribute to decarbonization efforts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 63% (combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions) and increasing renewable energy generation from 70% to 95%. The project is also focused on investing in the community workforce and retaining over 620 jobs.
Executing a project of this scale required securing a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) air permit. During preparation of the PSD application, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to tighten the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM2.5). This shift introduced significant challenges for air dispersion modeling and engineering design, as the team needed to ensure that proposed permit limits were achievable with commercially available technology. To address this, team members worked diligently to assess supplier capabilities and evaluate technology options that would meet both process requirements and operational needs. The effort demanded near-constant coordination between the project team and Trinity, with continuous updates to reflect evolving design considerations.
Comprehensive modeling of various equipment configurations–aligned with the dynamic site layout–proved essential to arriving at a final, compliant, and feasible plan. To navigate the air permitting process effectively, the company engaged with Trinity Consultants, leveraging their regulatory expertise and strong partnerships with the Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment, Division of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) from previous sustainability-driven projects.
