The Slovenian company Količevo Karton has reduced its use of chemicals in paper production by about 20% thanks to CO₂ from Messer. The company, which produces around 650 tons of cardboard a day, hired Messer in Slovenia to optimise its production processes. The six-month trial operation was a success: in addition to a marked reduction in environmentally damaging chemicals, the use of CO₂ also led to an improvement in the quality of the paper. From January 2009, it is expected that Messer will supply 400 tons of CO₂ a year to Količevo Karton. The company is part of the Mayr-Melnhof Group, Europe’s largest producer of recycled cardboard.