Sustainable paper’s best kept secret: biogas (cleantechnica.com)

J.D. Irving Limited’s (JDI) partnership with Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Forest Service has led to the commercial development of advanced tree breeding, field testing and seedling production techniques. Maritime Innovation, JDI's new lab in Sussex, New Brunswick was designed to use advanced seedling production technologies based on selection from our native tree population for a range of high value traits such as fast growth rate, high wood quality, resistance to insects and disease and broad adaptation to climate change. A propagation method called Somatic Embryogenesis is used to produce large numbers of seedling from a broad range of genetically diverse trees which have been field tested across the region.

Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, is delighted to announce that two of its folding boxboards, MetsäBoard Natural FBB and MetsäBoard Pro FBB OBAfree, as well as two food service grades, MetsäBoard Natural FSB Cup and MetsäBoard Pro FSB Cup, have now received home compostability certificates complying with NF T 51-800 standard. Metsä Board’s eco-barrier paperboard MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB already holds the same certificate. “In order to enhance a circular economy our main target is that our paperboards are recycled after use. But recycling is not always possible – the paperboard may be contaminated due to its contents and therefore cannot be recycled. In such a situation compostability is the next best alternative,” says Helena Moring-Vepsäläinen, Product Safety Manager at Metsä Board.

It highlights several milestones, while noting that the company’s delivery of its sustainability commitments is an ongoing process. These include: •The launch of the company’s Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2.0 in June 2015, which remains at the centre of our operations today as we implement its commitments, including the immediate elimination of deforestation from our supply chain. •The subsequent formation of the Independent Peat Expert Working Group (IPEWG) in early 2016, which is advancing science-led approaches to responsible peatland management. •The achievement of Sustainable Forest Management certification under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forestry Certification (PEFC) – the first Indonesian company to achieve this. •The establishment of the Fire Free Village Programme (FFVP) in July 2015 – a community-based fire prevention initiative that today continues our progress towards a fire free landscape. •The expansion of peatland restoration project, Restorasi Ekosistem Riau, to 150,000 hectares supported by US$100 million over ten years, which today continues to promote the protection of important biodiversity on the Kampar Peninsula. •The implementation of a GHG monitoring project to measure emissions across production and conservation landscapes. Click Read More below for additional information.