Italy embraces PEFC-certified timber for post-earthquake reconstruction

Paper Excellence is pleased to have received $8.6 million of the more than $70 million in provincial funding announced by the CleanBC Industry Fund yesterday. “This funding is being invested at four of our BC mills into projects that will reduce the mills’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve efficiency,” said Graham Kissack, Vice President, Environment, Health & Safety, and Corporate Communications. “Programs like the CleanBC Industry Fund are helping industry achieve British Columbia’s ambition for a low carbon future.” The four mills—Catalyst Crofton, Catalyst Port Alberni, Howe Sound Pulp & Paper, Skookumchuck Pulp—employ more than 1,500 people in rural BC and make an economic contribution of $2.25 billion annually. “Separate from the economic impact these mills have in their local communities, our products are spearheading carbon reduction every day,” said Kissack. “Our paper and pulp products are made from a renewable resource that often displace existing plastic products.”

In the decade since it started formally measuring its sustainability impact, Smurfit Kappa reached full Chain of Custody certification for its entire raw material supply chain. At the same time it has cut CO₂ emissions by 23% and the quality of its discharge water improved by 32%, both on track for its 2020 target of 25% and 33% respectively. Smurfit Kappa’s sustainability report, which measures year-on-year progress with a focus on five priority areas (Forest, Climate Change, Water, Waste and People), shows that over the past ten years the packaging giant has also achieved a significant reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill and has invested €60 million in water treatment plants. click Read More below for additional detail

Klabin, Brazil's largest paper producer and exporter, has registered for the first time at its State Natural Heritage Private Reserve (RPPN) called the Serra da Farofa Complex, the environmental conservation and preservation unit maintained by the company in the state of Santa Catarina, the beautiful and delicate glass frog, a rare and endangered amphibian. The Vitreorana uranoscopa species, which measures between 19 and 25 mm, is typically found in the Southern Atlantic Forest of Brazil and belongs to the Centrolenidae family.Its population is small and inhabits preserved fragments of riparian forests, laying eggs on the leaves that hang over the creeks during the breeding season. The unique features of this species are its translucent body and the sound it emits, which is similar to a spoon knocking on a crystal glass and which enabled its discovery. click Read More below for additional detail