Across industries, companies are facing mounting water challenges. Drought, flooding, pollution, and competition for supply are no longer isolated events. They are becoming regular features of a changing climate and shifting regulatory landscape.
For Sappi North America, 2014 may long be remembered as a pivotal year of change. We saw a merger of two of the biggest merchants in our supply chain as well as our two largest competitors. Coated paper markets struggled, a global economic slowdown hurt the sales of release papers, and dissolving pulp prices took a sharp downward turn. While it certainly had its challenges, 2014 was also a critical year for foundation building and refinement to position Sappi for the next generation.
The conversion of the Cloquet pulp mill to manufacture dissolving pulp resulted in increased quantities of lime mud due to the cooking requirements of this higher-purity pulp. The impact of this change can be seen in both the total solid waste to landfill and the tonnes of solid waste processed through the Cloquet Mill’s beneficial use program with local farmers.
Sappi's North American mills use only surface water sources (rivers and lakes) and return treated water to the same primary source. (At Cloquet, we return the water to a publicly owned treatment facility, where it goes through additional purification and is then returned to Lake Superior.) We returned almost 93 percent of the water we used, creating a minimal water footprint.
In this method, energy consumption from purchased electricity is calculated in terms of fuel inputs to account for different fuel efficiencies during power generation and efficiency losses in power transmission. The equivalent energy value is represented in terms of sources as per power supplier-provided data. Our Westbrook Mill does not buy power, and the mill energy profile reflects sales of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The 2013 conversion of the Cloquet pulp mill to dissolving pulp, a higher-purity pulp requiring more energy to produce, increased the energy intensity of that site. At the same time, Cloquet achieved higher use of renewable fuels, reducing natural gas, purchased electricity and fuel oil.
Intensity is a term that describes the usage of resources for, or output from, the manufacture of a set unit of product. We exceeded an aggressive five-year goal of a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity in just three years and are now working to reduce energy intensity.
These third-party certification programs provide assurance that wood-based products have been procured from well-managed forests and are legally harvested. In 2014, we purchased more kraft fiber than historic levels to support the papermaking operations in Cloquet after the 2013 conversion of that pulp mill to dissolving wood pulp. All of our purchased pulp was certified by one or more standards, which is reflected in the higher percentage of “triple certified” fiber and in part responsible for us reaching our five-year goal one year ahead of schedule.
In 2014, we invested significant resources in customer communications in order to increase brand awareness and drive sustainable performance for our business.
Through our innovative safety culture, health and wellness programs and ongoing training, we are able to attract and retain highly skilled people and help them realize their fullest potential in the organization.
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