Reducing Greenhouse Gases

By working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, increasing energy savings through recycling and other responsible production and manufacturing practices, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Initiatives include decreasing use of fossil fuels through carbon-neutral biomass and cogeneration practices as well as investing in growing and sustainably managing forests that absorb and sequester carbon.

• Using biomass to generate our own electricity that is considered carbon neutral.
• Using cogeneration process to reduce energy use during manufacturing.
• Implementing responsible sustainable forestry management practices.
• Participating in the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).

Forests contribute greatly to efforts to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere because they absorb the greenhouse gas CO₂. Wood and paper products produced from those forests continue to store that CO₂ for the life of the product, helping reduce emissions. Each year U.S. forest products store the equivalent of 100 million tons of carbon dioxide, estimates the U.S. EPA.

Recovering used paper from the waste stream for recycling also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon. Recycled paper reduces the amount of paper landfilled, where it would decay and release methane into the atmosphere. The energy required for paper production is also reduced since recovering paper extends the fiber supply. Paper recycling conserves wood and other forest resources, reduces environmental impacts like energy use, air and water pollution as well as solid waste during manufacturing.