FPAC members reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 44%, seven times Kyoto targets

Feb 12, 2007. /Lesprom Network/. The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) released on February 7 its first ever FPAC Sustainability Report, measuring FPAC member progress against a range of environmental, social and economic indicators, CNW reported. A key highlight of the report is that FPAC member companies continue to make significant strides towards meeting their climate change commitments, reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by an unprecedented 44% since 1990, more than seven times the 6% reductions called for in the Kyoto Protocol. "FPAC members have a great story to tell when it comes to climate change. The challenge has always been getting emissions down while keeping jobs here in Canada. We've done this by re-tooling and switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy such as biomass. This has helped our members reduce costs, making them more competitive, while achieving significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions, reducing pressure on landfills and improving the air quality in the communities where our mills operate," said Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of FPAC. "Since 1990, FPAC members' pulp and paper facilities have not only reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 44%, they have done so while increasing production by 20% and improving intensity per tonne of output by 54%. Our industry was also the first to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Canada committing it to even further reductions by 2010." "This is but one of the great achievements Canadians will discover in our first-ever FPAC Sustainability Report," said John Weaver, Chairman, FPAC Sustainability Committee, and President and CEO of Abitibi-Consolidated. "For FPAC members, sustainability is more than a slogan or a mantra, it is a collective mindset to be a strong, competitive, and profitable industry that can perpetuate itself while earning recognition as a good steward of the environment, a good employer, a good neighbour, and a reliable supplier and partner." "Sitting still is not an option. FPAC members are focused on continual improvement and recognize that sustainability is dynamic - as much as we know, there is much more to learn," said Avrim Lazar, President and CEO of FPAC. "Our members are committed to ensuring that their operations have the lightest possible impact on the planet. In order to achieve this, we made a concerted decision not to wait to be regulated but to move ahead on sustainability issues because they made sense from both an environmental and a competitiveness perspective." Canada is the only country in the world whose national trade association (FPAC) has made 3rd-party verified sustainable forest management (SFM) certification-to Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), or Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)-a condition of membership, and that commitment has brought about a rapid growth in SFM certification in Canada. Testament to this growth is that one month before the FPAC commitment, 17 million hectares were certified in Canada, and just 4 years later, the number has increased 7 fold, to 124 million hectares with FPAC members responsible for 96.2 million hectares or 80% of the certified forest land. Canada is well positioned in an international marketplace that is placing an increasing emphasis on the sourcing of legal fibre from sustainable and environmentally sound suppliers. However, the industry is the first to acknowledge that it cannot afford to rest on its laurels. As a result, the industry has integrated the concept of continual improvement into its operational and strategic plans, and it is collaborating with communities, Aboriginals, governments, researchers, environmental and conservation groups to ensure sustainable forest management, including protecting and restoring sensitive habitats and managing for endangered species where they exist. FPAC is the voice of Canada's wood, pulp and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade and environmental affairs. Canada's forest industry represents 3% of Canada's GDP and exports over $40 billion of wood, pulp and paper annually.