International Paper Publishes 2022 Sustainability Report

This month’s Member Spotlight features Rolland Enterprises Inc. A leading North American producer of uncoated papers, Rolland manufactures papers with up to 100% post-consumer content. With operations in Quebec and Wisconsin, the company’s operations include a paper mill and converting facility, as well as two state-of-the-art facilities that produce premium recycled pulp. Founded in 1882, Rolland’s enduring commitment to quality, innovation and sustainable manufacturing include sustainable sourcing, energy efficiency, water conservation, wastewater treatment technology, recycling of process byproducts and a continuing focus on further reducing its environmental footprint. Rolland uses the life cycle assessment (LCA) process to guide its sustainability improvement objectives and makes the results of its LCAs public, confirming the company’s environmental stewardship to its many stakeholders. For example, an LCA identified a gap in the company’s water consumption which enabled it to improve its water recycling systems. Today, Rolland’s paper mill has a closed-loop system that uses six times less water and recycles the water 30 times. One of the company’s most successful environmental innovations is the use of 93% renewable biogas energy to manufacture products at its paper mill — the only mill in North America to use primarily biogas for energy. An eight-mile-long pipeline feeds the mill with purified methane gas captured at a nearby landfill. This reduces Rolland’s annual CO2 footprint by 70,000 tons or the equivalent of taking 23,400 compact cars off the road for one year.

Recycling is part of American culture, with 94 percent of those surveyed saying they support it, and 74 percent saying it should be a top priority. Yet only half of Americans have access to curbside recycling, and many of those well-meaning recyclers go about it the wrong way. As a result, far too many items that could be recycled end up in a landfill. One of the barriers to proper curbside recycling is simply a lack of knowledge about how to do so correctly. That can lead people to either toss something that could have been recycled, or to wishcycle, meaning they put something in their recycling bin that isn’t actually recyclable. Our updated curbside recycling guide can help clear the air on what is and isn’t recyclable these days. Download and print this helpful infographic, or click through our gallery below for 12 quick recycling tips. Then, scroll down for more detailed information and links to helpful resources.

PEFC-certified cardboard has replaced plastic packaging around the cider can packs by UK cider maker Thatchers, significantly reducing the company’s use of plastic. Thatchers has introduced PEFC-certified board for its four and ten-can packs of ciders. Using certified cardboard for packaging is one more important step in Thatchers’ commitment to the environment. The company first started its ground-breaking initiative five years ago, introducing new duo-wing cardboard packs for its best-selling ciders. Around 100 tonnes of plastic have been saved during this time. Through this innovation, Thatchers has also been able to wipe out its use of the much-maligned plastic rings. In the last twelve months, Thatchers has saved around 20 million plastic rings from being discarded, eliminating their potential harm to the environment.