Tackle Climate Change: Use Wood

The UK’s papermaking industry has smashed its energy-saving targets for the two-year period from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016. All 45 of the UK’s paper mills take part in the voluntary Climate Change Agreement (CCA) scheme, launched in 2001, which gifts mills partial relief from the Climate Change Levy (CCL) tax in response for them delivering proven energy efficiency improvements. The paper sector was one of the first to agree to the CCA and by 2006 all mills had signed up. For the two-year period in question, the sector’s agreed target was to deliver a 7.1% improvement on 2008’s figure, and it actually improved by just shy of 10% (9.7%). Performance is defined in terms of a specific set of energy efficiency measurements mostly related to the use of electricity. Click Read More below for more of the story.

Stora Enso has joined the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment to eliminate plastic waste and pollution at the source. The Global Commitment and its vision for a circular economy for plastic is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN Environment. For Stora Enso, signing the commitment is another step to combat the global problem of plastic pollution by providing renewable alternatives. Stora Enso will contribute by cooperating with customers and suppliers to develop circular and low carbon solutions to replace plastic packaging. The materials are based on wood fibres from sustainably managed forests and plantations. This commitment is an example of the increasing demand for alternatives to plastic, also demonstrated by the EU’s recent policy on single-use plastics. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Pratt Industries, America’s largest 100% recycled packaging company, is providing $75,000 in cash prizes to Manhattan’s Community Boards to spur the growth of residential recycled paper collection in the Borough. The contest, financially funded by Pratt Industries, has been collaboratively designed by The Manhattan Borough President’s Office, The Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (MSWAB), and The Department of Sanitation New York (DSNY). For the past two-plus decades, Pratt has operated New York City’s only paper mill, which exclusively uses 100% recycled paper, the majority of which is generated through New York City’s curbside recycling program. After the new 100% recycled paper is produced, it is used at Pratt’s corrugated box plants in NYC and throughout many of its other factories in the U.S. to manufacture tens of millions of pizza boxes as well as corrugated boxes for companies such as Amazon, Home Depot, Procter & Gamble and a who’s who of other consumer packaged goods companies. Those boxes, once used and ready to be recycled once more, as well as most of the other paper collected by DSNY, is then recycled yet again at the NYC paper mill. Click Read More below for additional information.