New Domtar Tool Shares Environmental, Social Impacts of Making Paper
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Domtar Corp., Montreal, Que., Canada, has launched a new online tool that allows customers to view the environmental impacts of specific paper grades, providing transparency among today's industry calculators. The tool, known as the "Paper Trail," discloses what it takes to manufacture Domtar paper and helps businesses and consumers measure their impact on the environment while also providing guidance in their choice of product.
The Paper Trail tool develops personalized reports that measure Domtar products across five categories: water usage, the distance fiber travels to a paper mill, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste sent to landfills, and renewable energy usage. Data are displayed in real-world equivalents and compared with issues such as the amount of water the average household uses or the amount of waste it generates. The Paper Trail will also illustrate how Domtar compares with the rest of the industry in these particular categories.
"We know consumers are increasingly aware of their effect on the environment and want to know where their paper comes from. We think we have a good story to tell, and part of that story is being transparent," says Lewis Fix, Domtar VP of Sustainable Business and Brand Management.
"Other paper calculators often give only part of the story," Fix continues. "They usually compare recycled and non-recycled grades and the differences in resources used, and they estimate savings based only on industry averages. The Paper Trail will show Domtar mill-specific data, and since no company is environmentally perfect, it indicates what we are doing well and what needs to be improved. We think it's crucial to share all of the information, and then let the customers make their own decisions."
Initially, the Paper Trail will measure the impact of two Domtar products—EarthChoice Office Paper and Cougar—both of which have been certified to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), More products and mills will likely be added to the new online tool in the future. The Paper Trail also provides users with a look at Domtar's mills –all of which are in North America—with additional information about each facility's environmental impact and the social and economic benefits the mills have in their communities. In areas where the environmental impact can be improved, Domtar will voluntarily disclose the information, as well as provide efforts for improvement.
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