Company: Resolute Forest Products, Montreal, QC Canada
Company Description: Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including market pulp, tissue, wood products and papers, which are marketed in over 60 countries. The company owns or operates some 40 facilities, as well as power generation assets, in the United States and Canada.
Nomination Category: Sustainability Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sustainability Product of the Year - in Canada and the U.S.A.
 Nomination Title: A Clear Future for Cellulose Filaments at Resolute
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since 1 January 2021, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 178 words used.
Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including market pulp, tissue, wood products and papers, which are marketed in over 60 countries. The company operates some 40 facilities, as well as power generation assets, in the United States and Canada. We have third-party certified 100% of our managed woodlands to internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards.
Our sustainability strategy, based on a balanced approach to environmental, social and economic performance, is designed to enhance our competitive position, ensure the responsible management of resources in our care, and generate positive socio-economic impacts. Aligned with the principles of the circular economy, our strategy is supported by public commitments that include managing the resources in our care with the highest respect and differentiating the company as an environmental supplier of choice.
Resolute has received regional, North American and global recognition for our leadership in corporate social responsibility and sustainable development, as well as for our business practices. Headquartered in Montreal (Quebec), the company is part of the Paper Excellence Group.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 226 words used.
Resolute’s primary input – wood – is a renewable resource and we have made significant investments since 2021 to develop innovative products that maximize our use of fiber. Our goal is to advance the bioeconomy and produce innovative wood-derived bioproducts, which we believe will play a greater role in the future of the circular economy and will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the forest products sector.
To that end, Resolute has invested C$27 million in a commercial plant at our Kénogami (Quebec) paper mill to produce cellulose filaments (CF) – a new sustainable biomaterial made from wood fiber – which represents an opportunity to break into non-traditional growth markets.
CFs are extracted from cell walls of wood fibers and mechanically processed without chemicals or enzymes. They are manufactured entirely from renewable sources, resulting in a low carbon footprint.
Offering a wide variety of uses and a number of benefits, CFs can be integrated into commercial and consumer products from many industries including transportation, construction and energy, increasing the resistance and durability of those products and enhancing their economic desirability. The use of these small but mighty filaments, for example, results in lighter-weight, more fuel-efficient vehicles, more resilient coatings and stronger concrete, and many other improvements in high-performance applications or everyday products. They could soon even replace fossil fuel derivatives in the manufacture of certain products.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 232 words used.
At Resolute, we believe that entering non-traditional markets implies not only innovating in research and commercialization, but also displaying an eagerness for taking measured risks to accelerate the deployment of novel, environmentally friendly solutions.
We completed construction of our CF plant in 2022, and in 2023, we began production and testing of CF in concrete, and the preliminary findings are promising. Along with our partners FP Innovations and Performance Biofilaments Inc., we commissioned the first commercial trial of a CF enhanced industrial concrete slab as part of Resolute’s Senneterre sawmill expansion. With the help of a concrete supplier, twin slabs of concrete were poured on the Senneterre site in late 2022. The one slab contained CFs and the other used a traditional concrete mix. Our objectives were to demonstrate the effectiveness of CFs as an anti shrinkage agent, as well as to validate the mixing and pouring sequence on a jobsite.
The results we obtained were crucial in highlighting the tremendous potential of CFs. Our findings confirmed that CF products help control the evaporation of water, which reduces cracking during the initial curing of fresh concrete. We will continue to assess the impact of the filaments on the long-term durability of the concrete slab. Our preliminary testing suggests that we are effectively enhancing the value-added of wood fiber by transforming it into a 100% natural biomaterial additive for construction products and markets.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 142 words used.
In 2021, Resolute published a blogpost highlighting our investment in climate action at the Kenogami mill, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, and exploring renewable energy sources, namely with our innovative CF project.
In 2022, Research InfoSource Inc. named Resolute one of Canada’s Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders for the eleventh consecutive year. This included the recognition of the company’s investment in research and development of CF and the construction of its commercial plant at our Kenogami mill.
With the construction of our CF plant was completed in 2023, we published three blog posts highlighting the progress of the project with preliminary findings, how the biomaterial can be used on the market in various products, and the official inauguration of the CF plant, underscoring the successful establishment of a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to producing a sustainable and innovative biomaterial.
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