Our air emissions have been steadily declining. Air emissions from our facilities come primarily from two sources:
Boiler replacements and upgrades at our cellulose fiber mills have had a positive effect on air quality. Between 2000 and
2011, our cellulose fibers facilities reduced their sulfur dioxide emissions by 56 percent and their particulate matter
emissions by 44 percent. In our wood products mills, we reduced air emissions of volatile organic compounds by 31 percent
since 2000. These trends are the result of process modifications and the use of lower-emitting additives as well as pollution-control
equipment that has captured or destroyed a significant amount of emissions.
One of our 2020 sustainability goals is to further reduce our air emissions by 10 percent per ton of production. We measure
this by tracking our carbon monoxide and particulate matter emissions across our cellulose fibers and wood products businesses,
since those air pollutants are monitored and reported most widely by our manufacturing facilities. In 2011, we reduced carbon
monoxide and particulate matter emissions by 3 percent in our cellulose fibers business and by 7 percent in our wood products
business, compared to 2010.
Our strategy for reducing air emissions evaluates cost effective options including process changes, efficiency improvements,
and, when necessary, add-on pollution control equipment. Our approach is to determine the most effective means to meet regulatory
requirements and improve performance while minimizing greenhouse gas and conventional air pollutant emissions.
Just as campfires release dioxin, so do our mills when we burn biomass fuel. Minute amounts of dioxin are released through
permitted air emissions, which may burn wood residuals such as bark. We are addressing the environmental impact of these emissions through techniques that improve
combustion efficiency and temperature controls.
Sustainability in Action
Triple win at NORPAC
Our Longview, Wash., NORPAC joint venture, which produces newsprint and premium uncoated paper grades for publishers, has
pulled off something even better than a win-win. In working to lessen the facility’s manufacturing footprint through their
TMP Heat Recovery Project, the mill achieved a triple win.
First, energy conservation: By capturing 90 percent more reusable steam heat and recycling (as low pressure steam
or hot water) elsewhere in the manufacturing process, the mill has reduced its demand for fresh steam.
Second, manufacturing cost savings: By recycling heat, the facility has reduced the amount of purchased steam per
ton of production by about 15 percent. This has resulted in cost savings for the mill, even as pulp production increased
by about 25 percent.
Third, environmental improvements: Projects to conserve energy and increase fiber recovery have reduced air emissions
of volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide by about two thirds (compared to 2005 levels and despite increased production).
These reductions have multiple air-quality benefits for the environment and human health, since some volatile organic compounds
can undergo transformations that may contribute to downwind visibility impairment or ozone formation.
In 2011, NORPAC was one of the six finalists for the Pulp and Paper International (PPI) Environmental Strategy Awards Mill
Category for this project.
