How to Exceed Your 5-year Emissions Goal One Year Early

For several years, Sappi North America has had a major focus on the reduction of fossil fuels and the emissions associated with combustion.
Oct 21, 2015 9:30 AM ET

Intensity is a term that describes the usage of resources for, or output from, the manufacture of a set unit of product. We exceeded an aggressive five-year goal of a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity in just three years and are now working to reduce energy intensity. Overall, our performance in 2014 against these key emissions metrics was in line with 2013. A markedly colder winter impacted fuel consumption, slightly increasing our sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, but we remain significantly below the industry average as reported by AF&PA. Sappi’s boilers currently meet most limits specified under the Industrial Boiler MACT rules due to prior capital investments and optimization of fuel mix and combustion conditions. Equipment needed for further emissions control at each of our three mills is included in our capital plans as part of our annual maintenance spending. In 2014, Summit Natural Gas of Maine completed construction of a natural gas pipeline that services the Somerset Mill and provides access to natural gas to 17 communities that the pipeline passes through. A power boiler in our on-site utilities complex that generates steam and power at Somerset was converted and can now burn natural gas, allowing us to further reduce the amount of oil we burn in our fuel mix.

Read the full Sappi North America Sustainability Report 2014 by downloading an online PDF version directly from our website here or for more on sustainability, check out our eQ microsite at: http://www.na.sappi.com/eQ/index.html