AF&PA Announces 2017 Sustainability Award Winners

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has announced the winners of the prestigious 2017 Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 Sustainability Awards. The winners were honored during a function held in connection with AF&PA's annual meeting on Friday, Nov. 3 in Greensboro, Georgia. These awards recognize impeccable sustainability programs and initiatives in the paper and wood products manufacturing industry. The winners were selected from a total of 23 outstanding submissions.

The following are the winners under various categories:-

Leadership in Sustainability-Energy Efficiency/Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Resolute Forest Products (RFP).

Leadership in Sustainability-Sustainable Forest Management: International Paper.

Leadership in Sustainability-Safety (Large Company): Sappi North America.

Leadership in Sustainability-Safety (Small Company): Seaman Paper Company of Massachusetts, Inc.

Leadership in Sustainability-Water (Large Company): West Rock Company.

Leadership in Sustainability-Water (Small Company): American Eagle Paper Mills.

Innovation in Sustainability: West Rock Company.

AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman commended the efforts of the award winning companies and stated that the winning projects demonstrate the continued commitment towards improvement of the sustainability of their operations.

RFP’s GHG Reduction Program helped the company to achieve 73% reduction in GHG emissions between 2000 and 2016. The company has been successful in reducing carbon emissions by 65% by 2015, as compared with 2000 levels.

International Paper won the award for its own FSC forest management group named Certified Forest Management LLC, for providing cost-effective means for small private landowners to become FSC certified.

The Sappi North America’s Cloquet, Minnesota mill was awarded for successfully reaching the milestone of two million hours worked without a lost time injury, through implementation of unique programs named See-it, Own-it, Solve-it, Fit for Work, Cloquet Safety School, Safety Leadership Council.

West Rock Company won two awards. First was for the investment in new boiler ash handling system to improve management of fly ash at Covington, Virginia, paper that resulted in significant reduction of water usage at the mill. It was also recognized for implementation of ‘Moving Products the Green Way’- a vehicle optimization tool to reduce impacts of transportation systems.

AF&PA recognized Seaman Paper Company for implementing a project to raise the paper reels of the two papermaking machines at our Otter River, Massachusetts mill.

American Eagle Paper Mills was honored for commissioning Project Phoenix to reinvent the infrastructure at Tyrone, Pennsylvania, mill aimed to reduce the use of water.