Wednesday 10 March 2021

Resolute Forest Products targets 30% reduction in emissions by 2025

Resolute Forest Products has made a commitment to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. Scope 1 and 2 emissions, by 30% by 2025.

The new target builds on the company's 83% reduction in emissions from levels in 2000.

By achieving its target, the pulp, paper, tissue and wood products manufacturer will have reduced its emissions by nearly 700,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year compared to 2015 levels.

Resolute Forest Products has also made commitments to include the previously excluded wood products facilities' emissions in its inventory by 2022 and continue to report climate change data and management practices to CDP's climate change programme, including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Some of the company's more recent projects to support its goals include an efficiency enhancement at the Saint-Félicien pulp mill in Quebec to improve production capacity and reduce fossil fuel use by up to 20% as well as a modernisation of the cogeneration turbine at the Coosa Pines pulp mill in Alabama to reduce purchased electricity use by 6%.

It is also installing a heat recovery unit at the Thunder Bay pulp and paper mill in Ontario to recover waste heat and and as a result, decrease the use of fossil fuels by more than 20%.

President and Chief Executive Remi G. Lalonde said: “Resolute was an early adopter of climate action as a cornerstone of our sustainability strategy.

“Setting this new target is among my first actions as CEO, demonstrating our continued focus around this important issue. Our commitment to renewable energy is good for the environment and it's good for the bottom line. Three quarters of our total energy needs come from renewable sources such as hydroelectricity and carbon neutral biomass and more than 80% of our fuel energy comes from biomass and more than 80% of our fuel energy comes from biomass. We've been Scope 1 coal-free since 2014.”