Below is a list of conferences being held by Two Sides and our member associations. We hope to see you there! Specialty Papers US - Sept. 21-23 (Chicago, IL) - Check out the Two Sides presentation on "Dispelling Myths about Paper and the Paper Industry" - Sept. 22nd at 10:30 am. TAPPI PEERS - Sept. 25-28 (Jacksonville, FL) - Check out the panel on "Nonwood Fiber Paper Marketing - Do's and Don'ts to Avoid Greenwashing" - Sept 26th 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. Two Sides Annual Seminar co-located at GraphExpo 2016 (Orlando, FL) - Sept. 27th 10:00 am -12:00 pm. Join us for an update on print and paper advocacy campaigns, including the major How Life Unfolds™ consumer campaign. Power of Print Seminar (London, UK) - Nov. 1. This is the Two Sides and Print Power Europe annual conference held at Stationers' Hall in London, England - a must see if you can make it! Print Media Conference (Naples, FL) - Nov. 15-18. Two Sides will be part of the sustainability panel on Thursday, Nov. 17th at 1:45 pm.

Worker safety continues to be a top priority for AF&PA members. Their commitment to safety is demonstrated in a variety of ways: through worker training programs, increased automation, adopting a host of injury-preventive measures and safeguards, and developing new equipment to keep workers safe. Because any injuries to our industry’s employees are not acceptable, AF&PA members adopted a visionary Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 goal of working towards zero injuries and measuring progress toward that vision by further improving our incidence rate by 25 percent from 2006 to 2020. Between 2006 and 2014, the incidence rate for member companies declined by 40.8 percent to 1.56. The 2014 incidence rate for manufacturing at large was 4.0 in 2014, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, more than double the rate of AF&PA members. (The incident rate measures the number of recordable cases for 100 people working 40 hours a week for 50 weeks.)

To help understand the full "label life" of their products, from the extraction of raw materials to delivery of finished label stock to customers, UPM Raflatac has collaborated with leading Brazilian converter Baumgarten on a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of label material release liners, with exciting results to report. These two frontrunner companies in the label value chain have adopted this voluntary guidance to assess - and reduce - their impact on the environment. The study will be publicly available at Labelexpo Americas in Chicago from September 13-15. Baumgarten began its LCA efforts with a foundational study comparing glassine (landfilled) and PET (recycled) release liners for a product it produces with UPM Raflatac label stock. Although PET liners are manufactured from petrochemicals, they are easier to recycle in Brazil than glassine liners. Additionally, because PET liners are thinner, they can yield more labels per roll and offer fewer roll changes on-press, allowing printers, converters and end-users to achieve greater productivity.

Scandinavia celebrated its first building awarded with PEFC project certification as Mäihä, a wooden apartment block, was unveiled at the Seinäjoki Housing Fair in Finland this July. Lakea Oy, the company responsible for the construction of the building, received their PEFC certificate at a special ceremony before the start of the Housing Fair. The certificate was issued by DNV GL, an independent certification body responsible for verifying the origin of the materials throughout the construction project, from the start to the finish. “With it being the first PEFC-certified property in the Nordic countries, this building project has been both interesting and challenging,” said Pia Tilli, DNV GL's Sales and Marketing Manager, during the certificate giving ceremony at Seinäjoki. click Read More below for the rest of the story

A new study compares the environmental costs of plastics vs. alternative materials by using accounting methods that measure and value environmental impacts. A new study by Trucost finds the environmental cost of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging is nearly four times less than if plastics were replaced with alternative materials. The study is based on natural capital accounting methods, which measure and value environmental impacts—such as consumption of water and emissions to air, land, and water—which are not typically factored into traditional financial accounting. Previous reports, such as “Valuing Plastics” (2014) by Trucost and “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics,” (2016) by the World Economic Forum, only examined the environmental costs of using plastics. Trucost’s latest study, “Plastics and Sustainability: A Valuation of Environmental Benefits, Costs, and Opportunities for Continuous Improvement,” builds on earlier research by comparing the environmental costs of using plastics to alternative materials and identifying opportunities to help lower the environmental costs of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging.

CertforChile and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), our National members in Chile and North America, have both successfully achieved the re-endorsement of their national forest certification systems. This endorsement not only confirms that they continue to meet our globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks, but also ensures that certified forest owners and companies in these countries continue to benefit from the global acceptance of PEFC. The first endorsement of the Chilean system back in 2004 was particularly significant as, alongside Australia, it became the first non-European country to be recognized by PEFC. Since then, almost two million hectares of forest have been certified in the country. The SFI program became a PEFC National member in 2001, with the SFI Forest Management Standard achieving PEFC endorsement for the first time in 2005. The SFI program has now grown to cover more than 100 million hectares of forest area in both the United States and Canada – nearly 40% of all PEFC-recognized certified forest worldwide.

AF&PA recently released our 2016 Sustainability Report, which documents the industry’s progress in working toward achieving each of the goals in our Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability initiative. Among the goals showing progress in the report is the paper recovery rate. In 2011, AF&PA set a goal to exceed 70 percent paper recovery for recycling by 2020. In May, AF&PA announced a record paper recovery rate of 66.8 percent in 2015. That is up from 65.4 percent in 2014 and nearly double the paper recovery rate in 1990,when the industry set its first paper recovery goal. The recovery of paper and paper-based packaging for recycling has fostered a dynamic marketplace that allows recovered paper to find its highest-value end use as feedstock to manufacture new products. And that is very important to the industry. click Read More below for the rest of the story

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has announced that it will disassociate from Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) and the subsidiary company Sabah Forest Industries (SFI). This decision comes after a lengthy review process of the conclusions by an independent complaints panel that conducted a thorough investigation into the complaint filed by Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) in March 2015. The complaint alleged that SFI refused to uphold the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Core Conventions on Freedom of Association (Convention No. 87) and Collective Bargaining (Convention No. 98).

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced that it, along with Serres Toundra Inc, has entered into a definitive agreement with CO2 Solutions Inc. to deploy leading enzyme-enabled carbon capture technology at Resolute's Saint-Félicien pulp mill. The C$7.4 million project involves the capture of up to 30 metric tons of CO2/day (tpd) from Resolute's softwood kraft pulp mill, the majority of the CO2 being transported to Serres Toundra's neighboring world-class vegetable greenhouse. By improving the performance of the greenhouse, while at the same time reducing the carbon emissions of the pulp mill, the reuse of the captured CO2 will provide tangible benefits to both Resolute and Serres Toundra. "We are pleased to host this innovative, first-of-its-kind project in the pulp and paper industry," stated Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer of Resolute Forest Products. "Through our participation, we will reduce the carbon emissions from our Saint-Félicien mill, as well as support the scale-up of a low-cost carbon capture technology with the potential for broader deployment."

Graphic Packaging International was recognized with a North America Award for Sustainability at the Kellogg Company's Supplier Recognition Event held in June 2016 in Battle Creek, MI. This inaugural award recognizes suppliers that have demonstrated excellence in corporate responsibility. Graphic Packaging received the award for their key understanding and support of a Kellogg Company core objective, which is to provide consumers with more sustainable products and easily recyclable product packaging. Recyclable paperboard packaging provides the content and graphics space the Kellogg's branding team needs in their communication of important sustainability stories to the consumer.

Every year the SFI Annual Conference is the must attend event for those who want to engage in discussions with some of the foremost thought leaders in the forest sector. SFI brings together people passionate about strengthening the vital links between sustainable forests, responsible purchasing and thriving communities. Network with people from the conservation, community and economic sectors who care about the future of forests. Past attendees include CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, conservation and community practitioners, tribal and aboriginal leaders, forest managers, university faculty and students, government representatives, and many more.

With some climate predictions warning that river water temperatures will exceed safe thresholds for river fish, the Keep Rivers Cool (KRC) campaign is calling for more riverside tree planting. Fish in Britain's rivers are under threat from warmer waters. Cold-water species such as Atlantic salmon and brown trout, are struggling to cope as climate change brings significant increases in temperature. Today there's a call for urgent action to Keep Rivers Cool by planting broadleaf native trees alongside river banks, creating dappled shading and stopping water from warming up.

“The European Commission (EC) recently released its proposal to integrate the land use and forestry sector (LULUCF) into the European Union’s 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. The EC’s proposal, released on July 20, reiterates its current accounting practice for bioenergy, with emissions related to biomass use reported and accounted for under LULUCF, i.e. biomass use in the energy sector is zero rated, to avoid double-counting. “This proposal reinforces the need for the U.S. to appropriately recognize the benefits of biomass energy. The uncertainty caused by EPA is putting the U.S. out of step with the rest of the world, and puts our American workers and job creators at a competitive disadvantage.

AF&PA’s Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 purchased energy efficiency goal is a great example of a sustainability goal that furthers all three pillars of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. Using energy more efficiently reduces companies’ overall energy costs, thereby improving profitability; frees up resources for other more productive investments in mills and communities; and, reduces environmental impacts. It also complements our goal to reduce water use in AF&PA member mills by 12 percent, as reducing water use has the added benefit of reducing mills’ energy consumption. On average, AF&PA members meet about two thirds of their energy demand from self-generated renewable biomass. Striving for the most efficient energy consumption is important to companies small and large because our industry remains energy intensive.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is pleased to announce its annual request for proposals for the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. Grants from SFI contribute to understanding the critical linkage between forests and communities across the range of American and Canadian forests, and represent SFI’s long-standing commitment to forest research. These projects provide the science-based data needed by resource professionals to improve forest management and to assess conservation values. SFI community grants build engagement at the intersection of sustainable forestry, responsible procurement and thriving communities. “With more than a quarter billion acres/100 million hectares certified to SFI, representing the breadth of our diverse forests across Canada and the United States, and millions more positively impacted by SFI Fiber Sourcing, SFI has the necessary scale to directly influence the future of our forests. This new grant cycle focuses on helping to quantify the impacts of well managed forests on water, biodiversity, and mitigation of climate change impacts.” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. “Our community grants will build more partnerships with community organizations that work to link communities to our future forests, and help people understand the relevancy of forests in their lives.”

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the European Commission's recent proposal to integrate land use and forestry sector into its Climate and Energy Framework. “The European Commission (EC) recently released its proposal to integrate the land use and forestry sector (LULUCF) into the European Union's 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. The EC's proposal, released on July 20, reiterates its current accounting practice for bioenergy, with emissions related to biomass use reported and accounted for under LULUCF, i.e. biomass use in the energy sector is zero rated, to avoid double-counting. “This proposal reinforces the need for the U.S. to appropriately recognize the benefits of biomass energy. The uncertainty caused by EPA is putting the U.S. out of step with the rest of the world, and puts our American workers and job creators at a competitive disadvantage.

Catalyst Paper Corporation announced that it will invest approximately $2.7 million (U.S.) in two projects at its Biron, Wisconsin mill that will improve operational efficiency and lighten its environmental footprint. One project will convert the fuel source of Biron's #4 boiler from high-sulphur coal to natural gas. The second project will modify the TMP reboiler to reclaim unused waste steam from the thermo mechanical pulping process to heat fresh water supplying the paper machines, decreasing the demand on both coal and natural gas. These projects offer significant environmental benefits. They will substantially reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, while achieving major reductions of particulate, nitrogen oxide and greenhouse gas.

Klabin, Brazil’s largest paper producer and exporter and the leading manufacturer of corrugated board packaging and industrial bags, has published a public summary of its 2016 Forestry Stewardship Plan for Santa Catarina on its website. The plan presents the Company’s initiatives for managing its forests, its social and environmental actions in the region, as well as social and sustainability policies. The Public Summary describes Klabin’s forest areas in Santa Catarina using geo-climatic, topographic, geological and hydrological data. It also sheds light on wood forestry stewardship, covering different areas and operations such as research, planning, forestation, harvest and forestry transportation, in addition to non-wood forestry stewardship practices.

Private forest owners in Latvia have reason to celebrate as the private forest association MA Krāslava becomes the first in the country to achieve PEFC sustainable forest management certification through PEFC Group Certification. Thanks to this, 23 individual forest owners have been able to certify their forests – together covering 417 hectares. “We are extremely happy that the first forest owners have begun to benefit from the possibilities offered by PEFC Group Certification,” said Martins Ailts, Board member of PEFC Latvia. “PEFC certification enables them to demonstrate sustainable forest management, gives them access to the certified timber market, and provides them with the possibility to attract some support from the government,” Mr. Ailts continued.

“We had a big sustainability goal as we set out to make the most of our rolling laboratory by driving 1 billion clean miles in alternative fuel vehicles – that’s the equivalent of well over 4,000 trips to the moon,” said David Abney, Chairman and CEO, UPS. “While attaining this goal is new, our commitment to seeking out alternative fuels actually dates back to the 1930s when UPS tested electric vehicles. With more than 100,000 drivers logging more than 3 billion miles per year, our future depends on our ability to meet the growing demand for global trade while reducing our impact on the environment.” UPS deepened its commitment to alternative fuels in 2012, when it set the goal of reaching 1 billion miles driven with alternative fuels by the end of 2017. Shattering that goal one year early, about 12 percent of the conventional diesel and gasoline fuel previously used by UPS’s ground fleet is now being replaced by alternative fuels including renewable natural gas and renewable diesel. click Read More below for details

As boiler operations are crucial to paper and wood manufacturers' ability to generate energy, American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement in response to the District of Columbia (D.C.) Circuit Court decision to vacate key parts of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule. “We are disappointed that after years of back-and-forth the D.C. Circuit Court has ruled against reason in vacating certain key standards and remanding other portions of rules that, by most accounts, are reasonable and achievable despite the extensive technically sound information and test data provide to and relied upon by the EPA. We will continue to provide sound information and data to the EPA as it responds to the remanded and vacated portions of the rule.