Earth Day is April 22, 2019, and to celebrate, we are sharing some environmental highlights from our businesses. Air, land, and water are areas where the JDI team works every day to reduce our environmental footprint. Below are some of the efforts and results:
Since 1990, our Pulp and Paper operations have reduced their carbon footprint by 55%. This puts us amongst top performers in North America and exceeds the target set by the Government of Canada and the Paris Climate Change Accord.
Today renewable green energy sources account for 59% of the fuel used at our pulp, paper, and tissue mills as well as our sawmills.
A recent $30 million investment at Lake Utopia Paper near St. George, N.B. earned the team the 2019 Industry Excellence Award from Natural Resources magazine. Natural Resources magazine’s 2019 Industry Excellence Award in Environmental Stewardship. The new environmental treatment facility turns organic waste into clean-burning biogas. This green energy replaces the use of fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. Check out the video here:
This year we will plant over 16 million trees – Nature’s air filters. Over the next 50 years growing trees on the lands we manage will absorb over 92 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. That’s equal to 350,000 cars off the road each year for the next 50 years.
NBM Railways have achieved a 31.4% improvement in fuel efficiency (2015-2018) – reducing fossil fuel consumption by over 13 million liters.
KDC and Celadon noted that in North America e-commerce trends are driving higher OCC generation in the residential recycling stream. A technology company and investment firm say they will develop two North American facilities processing more than 800,000 tons per year of mixed paper and OCC into recycled pulp and paper. The project, led by investment firm Kamine Development Corporation Sustainable Infrastructure (KDC) in partnership with technology company Celadon, will kick off next year and will involve a total investment of $300 million.
COP24 starts today, and once again, climate change is in the global spotlight. At PEFC, we have spent nearly 20 years helping to mitigate climate change through the promotion of sustainable forest management. With the inclusion of trees outside forests, we are now further enhancing our positive impact. We know that healthy, well-managed forests help combat climate change. By capturing and storing carbon, forests remove significant volumes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Through certification, we demonstrate their responsible management and enhance the value to these forests, ensuring they remain forests and continue to carry out their vital climate change mitigation actions. Click read more below for additional detail.
Georgia-Pacific is honored to be recognized with an Innovation in Sustainability award for Juno® Technology. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced its Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 Sustainability Award winners, recognizing exemplary sustainability programs and initiatives in the paper and wood products manufacturing industry. “This is the first year we are presenting awards in alignment with our new Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 sustainability goals and statement of principles on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “It is exciting to see examples of these goals in action.” Juno Technology is Georgia-Pacific’s breakthrough solution to waste diversion and resource recovery. It is a proven economical and socially responsible solution that can increase recycling and recovery across the U.S. and around the globe. “At Georgia-Pacific, we prioritize the development of new technologies that help us use fewer resources, minimize waste, and improve the environmental performance of our products and processes,” said Christer Henriksson, President of Juno, at Georgia-Pacific.
