Environmental Performance

A global leader in the forest products industry, Resolute Forest Products offers a wide array of paper, wood and pulp products derived from a renewable resource and produced in a sustainable, environmentally responsible manner.

Manufacturing high-quality products that meet the criteria of today’s environmentally conscious stakeholders begins with responsible fiber sourcing. This entails the responsible management of forests, as well as the careful tracking of sources of supply and the utilization of recycled fiber where appropriate. Third-party forest management and chain-of-custody certifications to stringent international standards confirm the sustainability of our fiber supply.

Reducing our Environmental Footprint

Our manufacturing processes, particularly at our pulp and paper mills, have an inherent environmental impact through the consumption of resources and the generation of waste. We seek to minimize these impacts and to go beyond meeting minimum requirements through environmental management systems and continuous improvement.

Mill-specific environmental performance data can be found in the following document, taken from our 2011 Sustainability Report:

While optimizing fiber use, we have been proactively finding other ways to reduce Resolute's environmental footprint, by:

  • curbing water and energy use
  • increasing energy efficiency
  • improving effluent quality
  • reducing air emissions
  • reducing the quantities of mill organic waste sent to landfills

Actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and combat climate change are a key element of these efforts. During the course of 2012, we succeeded in reducing our scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions per metric ton of pulp and paper produced by 25% (intensity) from 2000 levels. Absolute emissions, taking capacity reductions into account, have been reduced by 65.8%, or 7.6 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year.

Our progress to-date reflects a Company-wide focus on improved energy efficiency and on switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

In 2012, renewable green energy sources, including owned hydroelectric and cogeneration facilities, supplied 68% of Resolute's energy requirements.