Domtar makes progress on the sustainability goals
In both the Pulp & Paper and Personal Care divisions, they have made progress on the sustainability goals outlined in 2019. Domtar sustainability efforts targeted three focus areas: responsibility across our supply chain, including sustainable forestry principles to ensure the health of forestlands; efficiency in their manufacturing to minimize the negative environmental effects of their operations; and engagement with a variety of stakeholders.
Domtar Sustainability Update
They achieved two of our six major goals: They reduced their total direct greenhouse gas emissions and indirect emissions from purchased energy by 19 percent at their pulp and paper mills, compared to their goal of a 15 percent reduction from 2010 levels. They also completed development of a water usage model for their mills to measure and more strategically manage the full cost of using water.
In addition, they have nearly achieved two other Domtar sustainability goals that center on certified fiber procurement and employee engagement (as measured by establishing EarthChoice® Ambassador teams at each of our facilities).
Finally, they are actively working toward achieving our final two Domtar sustainability goals — targeting a 0.50 recordable safety incident rate and ensuring a 40 percent reduction in waste to landfill from pulp and paper mills.
“We have continued our progress in several areas in the past year,” says Paige Goff, vice president of sustainability. “In a few areas, we have encountered new challenges related to downtime at our mills or the business climate of our suppliers or customers. Despite these hurdles, our commitment is strong, and our performance in most areas is moving in the right direction.”
Domtar sustainability highlights from their Pulp & Paper division include the following:
- They met 34 percent of our fiber needs with certified wood in 2019, including 18 percent from Forest Stewardship Council®-certified sources.
- They beneficially reused 67 percent of their pulp and paper manufacturing byproducts, compared to an industry average of 46 percent.
- They self-generated 67 percent of the electricity used in their pulp and paper mills, compared with an industry average of 55 percent.
- They used 10 percent less water at their mills (from 2015 baseline).
Domtar sustainability highlights in Personal Care include the following:
- They beneficially reused or recycled 83 percent of their manufacturing byproducts.
- They reduced by 30 percent their direct greenhouse gas and indirect emissions from purchased energy since 2015.
In addition to their sustainability progress, they are proud of their ongoing investments in their communities, totaling $2.9 million and more than 13,650 hours of volunteer work by their employees.
Since 2012, they have donated 413,000 books to under-resourced teachers and underprivileged students through their collaboration with First Book, and since 2016, they have given more than 4.1 million diapers to families in need through their Comfort and Care program.
Watch this brief video to learn more about Domtar’s sustainability efforts and accomplishments: