MONTREAL, Sept. 16, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Richard Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Resolute Forest Products Inc. (NYSE: RFP) (TSX: RFP), has been named to Canada's Clean50, recognizing leaders who have made the greatest contributions to sustainable development or clean capitalism in Canada.
"This designation represents an important endorsement of Resolute's approach to our business and sustainability strategies, which are directly linked and interdependent," said Richard Garneau. "Sustainability principles and objectives are reflected in our vision, corporate values and the way we do business across the Company every day."
Canada's Clean50 are awarded annually by Delta Management Group. The awards recognize 50 individuals or small teams, in 16 different categories; Mr. Garneau has been chosen for the manufacturing and transportation sector.
Resolute's notable sustainability accomplishments include:
- Achieving 99.4% of its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 65% below 2000 levels, an industry-leading goal one year ahead of schedule and the equivalent of taking 1.62 million cars off the road annually.
- Making significant investments in conservation measures and fuel switching, including elimination of on-site coal use.
- Maintaining a leadership position in sustainable forest management and in the engagement of communities and First Nations. In 2013, the Company's Opitciwan joint-venture sawmill won the prestigious national Aboriginal Forest Products Business Leadership Award.
- Significantly improving safety performance over the past several years, reaching world-class levels.
- Enhancing energy efficiency and investing in clean energy at its operations, reflected in the Company's ramp-up of four power generation assets within the past year, among which is a C$65 million cogeneration facility in Thunder Bay (Ontario).
- Achieving complete transparency of sustainability reporting by using the platinum Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard.
"I am proud of the sustainability goals Resolute and our employees have achieved to date," concluded Richard Garneau. "Carefully balancing environmental, social and economic priorities strengthens our competitiveness, making Resolute a supplier of choice for our customers, and an engaged civic partner in the communities in which we live and work."
About Resolute Forest Products
Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including newsprint, specialty papers, market pulp and wood products. The Company owns or operates nearly 40 pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea, and power generation assets in Canada. Marketing its products in close to 90 countries, Resolute has third-party certified 100% of its managed woodlands to at least one of three internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards. The shares of Resolute Forest Products trade under the stock symbol RFP on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Resolute and other member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada, as well as a number of environmental organizations, are partners in the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The group works to identify solutions to conservation issues that meet the goal of balancing equally the three pillars of sustainability linked to human activities: environmental, social and economic.
Resolute is proud to be ranked by Corporate Knights as one of Canada's Best 50 Corporate Citizens for 2014. Corporate Knights is an organization recognized globally for its transparent and objective approach to measuring corporate sustainability performance.
SOURCE Resolute Forest Products Inc.
Investors: Rémi G. Lalonde, Vice President, Investor Relations, 514 394-2345, ir@resolutefp.com; Media and Others: Seth Kursman, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Sustainability and Government Affairs, 514 394-2398, seth.kursman@resolutefp.comCopyright CNW Group 2014