At Resolute, our commitment to sustainability is driven by our people and our culture. It’s a passion that grows out of the many communities where we operate and it is integral to our business. We are pleased to share our many remarkable achievements in sustainability for 2023. From substantial emissions reductions to an outstanding record of health and safety, last year was one that everyone in the Resolute community can be proud of.
Emission reductions
When it comes to thechallenge of reducing climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions, by the end of the year Resolute achieved a 52% reduction in absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions across our manufacturing facilities compared to 2015. Against 2000 levels, our climate actions amounted to an 89% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions at our pulp, paper and tissue mills. Over the past two decades, our carbon-reduction initiatives have cut more than 7.6 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year, the equivalent of taking close to 1.8 million cars off the road.
Resolute believes that meeting and exceeding international standards is not only good for the environment, it’s good for business. Building on the company’s commitment to certifying 100% of our facilities’ environmental management systems to the ISO 14001 standard, we achieved our target of recording fewer than 15 environmental incidents—a 42% reduction over 2015.
We increased our externally sourced certified fiber supply to 90%, surpassing our 2026 target (75%) three years ahead of schedule. 100% of the woodlands we manage continue to be third-party certified to internationally recognized independent certification standards, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and/or the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and 100% of Resolute’s manufacturing facilities have a chain-of-custody fiber tracking system compliant with SFI, FSC and/or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
International standards
We are proud of the continued third-party recognition of our facilities, as well as the A- leadership score our CDP Forests disclosure received in 2023. Demonstrating our use of current best practices and a long-established commitment to sustainable forest management, the score was higher than the North America regional average of C, and higher than the Wood & Paper Materials sector average of B. We also increased our score on the CDP Water Security questionnaire to a B management-level score, and maintained the B score on CDP Climate that we received in 2022.
Health and safety
When it comes to health and safety performance, Resolute achieved an OSHA incident rate of 0.63 across all our operations, as well as a 23.1 severity rate. And as a result of meeting our safety milestones, we have been able to contribute $694,000 to charitable and community organizations in our operating communities, well on our way to the goal of providing $1 million in financial support by 2026.
Overall, our donations and sponsorships at both the local and corporate levels totaled more than $1.37 million in 2023, including close to $500,000 that went to academic scholarships and research grants. Our community contributions were also enhanced thanks to our donation of 200 hectares (494 acres) of biodiversity-rich land on the north shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary in Quebec’s Charlevoix region to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Community relationships
We have ongoing consultative relationships and business partnerships with close to 40 Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada. In 2023, we signed agreements with multiple First Nations to renew or establish partnerships, including with the Whitesand First Nation (Ontario), Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation (Quebec) and Kitigan Zibi First Nation (Quebec) for access to fiber. Resolute also moved ahead with an agreement with the Atikamekw Council of Obedjiwan to provide byproducts to Opitciwan (Quebec) thermal plant and install a wood kiln at the sawmill. The Opitciwan facility is a 24-year joint venture, where Resolute holds a 45% interest. It employs nearly 50 workers, more than 80% of them Atikamekw. The 22-year partnership with Fort William First Nation at Thunder Bay (Ontario) sawmill, which is located on the First Nation’s land, employs over 250 workers, many of whom are Anishinabek. This facility was the first in Canada to work under regulations within the framework of the First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act, which facilitates industrial development with First Nations on their land.
Sustainability
Sustainability is an ongoing effort at Resolute, and we continue to focus on continuous improvement by providing strategic training to our workforce, including offering climate and carbon training to 49 managers and directors. We also provided foundational training on environmental, social and governance standards and trends to 53 executives, directors and managers and have trained 100% of our new employees on the company’s Code of Business Conduct.
Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee was very busy in 2023, meeting 10 times throughout the year to develop a governance charter and deploy a company-wide DE&I communications program via multiple communication channels.
Our ESG reporting follows the SASB Standards for forestry management and pulp & paper products, as well as the Global Reporting Initiative Standards. In 2021, we enhanced the robustness of our sustainability reporting by aligning it with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and related targets.
All of these achievements took place in the same year that Resolute was welcomed into the Paper Excellence group of companies, and we are excited to contribute our knowledge and our passion to our partners. Our milestones and records are highlighted in detail throughout the Sustainability section of our website, including on our Public Commitments webpage. We encourage you to learn more by visiting the Sustainability section of our website.
