The technology relating to the bleaching of pulp relates not only to the chemicals used in the bleaching sequence but also to the washers and how the bleaching system as a whole is designed. In this paper, a novel bleach plant system called Compact Bleaching™ is presented. This system represents a paradigm shift in the design of a bleach plant, as it addresses a number of hot topics. With a Compact Bleaching™ bleach plant it is possible to reduce the electrical energy consumption by some 25%, to handle the pulp fibres more gently and to reduce the building volume by as much as 25-50%.