American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the proposed National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Kraft pulp mills, issued under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Residual Risk and Technology Review process. “By signing the proposed rule, the EPA has indicated that the 2001 maximum achievable control technology (MACT) rule protects public health: That’s a positive testament to our industry’s investments and commitment to air quality and sustainability. Pulp mills have invested over $1.5 billion in state of the art controls to reduce emissions, and these technologies remain the best available. “We are continuing to review the proposed rule, but have concerns with changes to the opacity provisions for recovery furnaces that we will address in our comments to EPA.”

Domtar announced a long-term partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, established alongside the execution of the largest private land conservation agreement in Canadian history. A large private tract in Ontario spanning 1,450 square kilometers of boreal forest, which was managed as a wood supply to Domtar’s pulp and paper mills, will now be managed for research and conservation by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). The area, formerly known as the Hearst Forest, is recognized for its extraordinary ecosystem and abundant wildlife. Domtar has agreed to transfer ownership of the land to NCC for $7 million below its appraised value as a part of this partnership.

The beverage carton industry is one of the most sustainable packaging sectors in Europe. Discover how environmental organisations and manufacturers are pushing to make it even more circular. As one of the largest and most widely used sectors of the paper and board industry, packaging comes under a lot of scrutiny from governments, panels, organisations and the media for its environmental impact. Fortunately, through a lot of investment, hard work and dedication, it’s also one of the most sustainable industries in the world, with 83% of paper and cardboard packaging in Europe being recycled – the highest of any packaging material. One area of packaging that’s currently getting a lot of attention is the beverage carton industry. Made from an average of 75% renewable material, beverage cartons are a highly sustainable alternative to plastic and glass bottles, with most European recycling networks able to recycle the cartons easily.