Verso Corporation publishes 2015 Sustainability Report
The report titled “A Principled Path to Sustainability†provides in-depth analysis of the methods by which the company has been able to achieve a sustainable balance among economic, social and environmental needs.
MEMPHIS (Scrap Monster): Memphis, Tennessee-headquartered Verso Corporation-North America’s leading producer of printing, specialty paper and pulp has announced publication of its 2015 Sustainability Report. The report titled “A Principled Path to Sustainability” provides in-depth analysis of the methods by which the company has been able to achieve a sustainable balance among economic, social and environmental needs.
According to the report, Verso is committed to procure wood only from sustainably managed forests. In 2015, 48% of the fiber used in Verso products was third-party certified. Also, 32% of the total paper sold during the year was CoC certified. The report states that the company is actively involved in efforts to increase the amount of certified fiber available to mills. The company used 70,329 air-dried tons of de-inked recycled pulp generated by its Duluth, Minnesota recycle pulp mill in its paper products. Nearly 1.4 million pounds of paper were recovered through magazine collection program during 2015. Since the inception of the program in 2008, the company has recovered 6.8 million pounds of paper.
The company reported remarkable improvement to the environmental and safety performance of its operations. During 2015, the company’s Lost Workday Incident Rate (LWIR) improved by 10% to 0.54. However, the Total Incident Rate (TIR) increased marginally over the previous year to 1.44. In 2015, the company achieved a significant milestone by rolling out an 18-month Safety Roadmap to all its mill team members. As part of the program, comprehensive safety evaluations were conducted at Verso’s paper mills to strengthen existing policies and procedures and implement new ones wherever required. Also, the leadership workshop initiative provided safety training to nearly 250 Verso leaders. The report cites that the ultimate goal of the company is to achieve zero injuries.
Verso’s Stevens Point Mill was recognized as a Green Masters Award winner for the second year in a row in 2015. The award presented by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, is in recognition of the company’s significant and ongoing sustainability practices. The mill was able to achieve 8.8% reduction over a period of two years, in carbon emissions per ton of paper produced. The total water usage by the mill registered a decline of 19% over the past two years. In addition, the mill’s energy consumption in 2015 reduced 4% over the previous year.
The sustainability report states that the company has been successful in developing wide range of innovative products that offer economic and environmental benefit. The high quality paper produced by the company contains 10-30% recycled content.
The company has partnered with customers and other important stakeholders on sustainability issues. It offers internship and co-op programs that offer hands-on experience to students, as part of its mission to educate next generation of papermakers about the sustainability opportunities offered by the industry. Verso and its employees made financial and in-kind contributions totaling approximately $638,000 to a wide variety of community organizations with a focus on education, sustainability, and local health and human services.
About Verso Corporation
Verso operates eight paper mills in the U.S., located in Jay, Maine; Duluth, Minnesota; Escanaba, Michigan; Luke, Maryland; Quinnesec, Michigan; Stevens Point, Wisconsin; Wickliffe, Kentucky; and Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. These mills have a combined annual capacity of approximately 3.6 million tons of paper. Verso's paper products are used primarily in media and marketing applications, including magazines, catalogs, and commercial printing applications such as high-end advertising brochures, annual reports and direct-mail advertising.
Scrap Metal Prices
| Copper Scrap | ||
| Alternator | 0.32 | $US/Lb |
| #1 Copper Bare Bright | 3.78 | $US/Lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | ||
| 356 Aluminum Wheels (Clean) | 0.73 | $US/Lb |
| 6061 Extrusions | 0.64 | $US/Lb |
| Steel Scrap | ||
| #1 Bundle | 460.00 | $US/MT |
| #1 Busheling | 480.00 | $US/MT |
| Electronics Scrap | ||