Resolute Forest Products has just been named a Mercuriades 2017 finalist in the Occupational Health and Safety and Sustainability Strategy categories.
Created by the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, the Mercuriades is the most prestigious business competition in the province. Since the event was launched in 1981, more than 10,000 Quebec companies have entered. The 2017 winners will be announced during a gala on April 24.
A winning outfit
Resolute’s entry in the Occupational Health and Safety category highlights our efforts to reduce chemical and heat burns in our mills over the past four years.
The focal point of this plan was the development of a new chemical safety suit by employees at the Kénogami (Quebec) mill. This innovation has already earned an ADRIQ (Association des directeurs de recherche industrielle du Québec) innovation award for the Kénogami and Calhoun (Tennessee) teams.
The new suit provides protection from burns caused by both heat and chemicals. Previously, workers had to choose between two suits that each protected against only one type of burn. The new protective suit is also much more comfortable as breathability has been improved.
Resolute’s plan to reduce burn incidents also involved strengthening the company’s policy on the use of personal protection equipment. These efforts have been successful: since the plan was introduced, the company has had no burn accidents, compared to the previous average of twenty such incidents annually.
Serres Toundra: sustainability in practice
Resolute is also a finalist in the Sustainability Strategy category with our joint-venture partnership in Toundra Greenhouse. The $100 million complex, slated for completion by 2020, already covers about 1 million square feet (8.5 hectares), produces 45 million cucumbers annually and employs over 100 workers. Once all four construction phases are completed, the greenhouse will cover about 4 million square feet (34 hectares) and create 400 jobs in the Lac-Saint-Jean region.
Located on land adjacent to our Saint-Félicien (Quebec) pulp mill, Toundra Greenhouse will meet 25% of its heat requirements through exchange of hot water from the mill. To achieve carbon emission reductions, Resolute has entered into an agreement with CO2 Solutions to deploy leading enzyme-enabled carbon capture technology, capturing up to 30 metric tons of CO2 per day from our Saint-Félicien pulp mill, the majority of the CO2 will then be transported to the neighboring Toundra Greenhouse to enhance photosynthesis. This C$7.4 million project not only improves the greenhouse’s performance while reducing our mill’s carbon emissions, it also actively supports the scale-up of an innovative, low-cost carbon capture technology with the potential for broader deployment.
