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CATALYST PAPER CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016
ENDURING VALUES
CONSTANT CHANGE
THERE IS ONLY ONE THING MORE CONSTANT THAN CHANGE: OUR VALUES.
SUSTAINABILITY HIGHLIGHTS
CUSTOMERS & PRODUCTS 1
Total Paper Manufactured (t) 1,755,795
Total Pulp Manufactured (for external sale) (t) 461,946
Total Electricity Sold (MWh) 149,861
Total Countries Shipped To 40
Total Customers Sold To 464
1 Includes Crofton & Rumford pulp.
PEOPLE & PLACES
Total Employees 2,573
# of Workplace Incidents Requiring Medical Attention 70
Taxes Paid to Governments $35 million
Total Direct Economic Impact $2 billion
FIBRE (1,000 TONNES)
Wood Chips Used 1,590
Pulp Logs Used 1,106
Purchased Pulp Used (virgin) 98
Purchased Pulp Used (recycled) 6
Third Party Audited % 47%
OUTPUTS
Solid Waste to Landfill (t) 146,246
Solid Waste Beneficial Reuse (t) 123,148
Total Suspended Solids Released (t) 4,120
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (t) 2,504
Total Particulates Released (t) 702
Total Reduced Sulphur Released (t) 97
Total Sulphur Dioxides Released (t) 5,110
Total Nitrogen Oxides Released (t) 4,456
ENERGY & CARBON
Renewable Energy (%) 75%
Electrical Energy Used (GWh) 3,094
Biomass Fuels Used (million GJ) 39.5
Fossil Fuels Used (million GJ) 15.3
Greenhouse Gases – Scope 1 – Direct Operations (thousand tonnes CO2e) 1,159
Greenhouse Gases – Scope 2 – Purchased Power (thousand tonnes CO2e) 310
Greenhouse Gases – Scope 3 – Supply Chain (thousand tonnes CO2e) 931
WATER
Process Water Used (million m3) 159
Cooling Water Used (million m3) 102
Catalyst is proud of our
green pedigree and our
recognition for our corporate
social responsibility efforts
(see page 20), but these
achievements are only
possible because of our
employees who treat the
company as their own.
Sustainability starts and
ends with people, and it
is our employees who live
and breathe the values
we believe in. You’ll meet
some of those people as we
highlight our achievements
in 2016.
FACTS & FIGURES
2014 2015 2016
PEOPLE & COMMUNITIES
Medical Incident Frequency (PER 200,000 HOURS WORKED) 1 2.51 2.67 2.69
Lost-Time Incident Frequency (PER 200,000 HOURS WORKED) 2 1.13 1.26 1.11
Employee Population
(ACTIVE EMPLOYEES AT YEAR END, EXCLUDING VACANCIES) 1,598 2,625 2,573
Payroll (INCLUSIVE OF BENEFITS AND EXCLUSIVE OF
RESTRUCTURING COSTS [SEVERANCE]) (MILLIONS) $186 $337 $356
Taxes Paid (MILLIONS) 3 $30 $35 $35
Spending with Suppliers & Business Partners (MILLIONS) $886 $1,613 $1,578
RESOURCE USE
Water (M3 – TREATED EFFLUENT DISCHARGES/PROCESS WATER) 110,246,970 150,284,263 158,845,561
Fuel Energy (GIGAJOULES (GJ) – INCLUDES FOSSIL FUELS AND RENEWABLES) 30,440,668 53,651,272 54,799,707
Electrical Energy (MEGAWATT-HOURS (MWh) – INCLUDES PURCHASED AND SELF-GENERATED ENERGY) 3,495,885 4,649,959 4,601,117
% Renewable Energy 90% 74% 75%
Wood Fibre (TONNES) 1,712,216 2,796,406 2,801,168
% Chain-of-Custody/Third Party Audited 54% 49% 47%
EMISSIONS & OUTPUTS (TONNES UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED) 4
Greenhouse Gases (SCOPE 1) 5 226 1,204 1,159
Particulate Emissions 6 460 837 702
Nitrogen Oxides 1,917 5,598 4,456
Suphur Oxides 3,160 8,404 5,110
Biochemical Oxygen Demand 1,261 1,982 2,504
Total Suspended Solids 2,787 4,753 4,120
Solid Waste to Landfill 76,063 142,232 146,246
1 Medical Incident: Injury requiring medical treatment other than first aid.
2 Lost-Time Incident: Injury resulting in a full work day lost, past initial treatment.
3 Includes property taxes, U.S. operations’ sales taxes, carbon taxes and PST incurred.
4 Includes emissions attributable to both paper manufacturing and production of power for sale.
5 The 2015 value has been updated to correct for a calculation error.
6 Based on actual test results; NPRI data may differ due to use of emission factors and inclusion of other sources. See page 59.
NOTE: The acquisition of the Biron and Rumford mills, at the beginning of 2015, resulted in significant increases across numerous metrics.
CATALYST AT A GLANCECatalyst Paper is a leading North American manufacturer of
diverse printing and writing papers, and of a growing line of
specialty paper products for applications such as labels, food
liners, pressure-sensitive products and specialty packaging.
We also produce market pulp.
We draw from sustainably managed and largely third-party certified forests, and
collaborate with special interest groups to contribute to the conservation of ecosystems
such as the Great Bear Rainforest and boreal forest. We use extensive amounts of
renewable, waste-based and low-carbon energy sources, in the most efficient and
cleanest ways feasible.
We operate five mills in North America with a network of well positioned distribution
facilities. This enables us to effectively serve markets throughout the continent and
the world, with freight logical options for customers. Our leading sustainability
performance and disclosure means we provide leading brands with the confidence
they need in the paper and packaging products that they buy.
ABOUT THIS REPORTThis is Catalyst Paper’s 14th Corporate
Social Responsibility Report, covering
performance from January 1 to December
31, 2016, and encompassing all of our
operations and our worldwide sales.
We became a private company in early
2017 and have chosen to maintain broad
and voluntary disclosure of our sustain-
ability-related performance through this
report, which covers our environmental,
social and other impacts.
We self-declare this report to be in accordance
with the core disclosure requirements of
the Global Reporting Initiative’s G4
Guidelines. All dollar figures are reported
in Canadian currency. Feedback on this
report is welcome and can be provided to:
In late 2016 we interviewed representatives
of a cross-section of customers, operating
communities and environmental groups,
seeking their feedback on the scope,
content and balance of our 2015 report.
Based on their feedback, we have continued
to focus on procurement practices, materials,
energy, water, emissions, effluents and
waste, compliance, transport, employment,
occupational health and safety, and local
communities, while also incorporating
more target disclosure and industry
benchmarks.
1 CATALYST PAPER
CAT·A·LYST 'kad( )l st / noun
A SUBSTANCE THAT INCREASES THE RATE OF A REACTION WHILE REMAINING UNCHANGED ITSELF.
Our values are the most constant thing in most of our lives,
embedded in what’s most important to each of us: The places
we cherish; the people we care most about; our basic health
and safety. That’s why Catalyst’s values endure – they reflect
the people who work here.
But change is just as constant, and calls us to do more than
keep up, but also to imagine. To ask, “how can we be better,
and what do we need to do to get there?” To dream of tech-
nology and possibility that changes the very nature of work.
And to innovate in order to never be obsolete.
The stories in this year’s Corporate Social Responsibility
Report have something in common: They are all about
tapping in to enduring values in times of ever-more-constant
change. These stories, and the full disclosure of data behind
them, are about us, and – by extension – about you.
We are Catalyst: A force for change, which stays the same.This year, we changed the title of our publication from “Sustainability Report” to “Corporate Social Responsibility Report” to reflect the broad disclosure we make on sustainability issues, and our social and economic impacts and results.
ENDURING VALUES. CONSTANT CHANGE.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 32 CATALYST PAPER
AT CATALYST, WE…
LISTENLISTENING TO EACH OTHER:
In Powell River, community
partners are investing in each other. 08
INNOVATE
LEARN
INNOVATION IS SUSTAINABLE:
In Rumford, customers are involved in
product development trials up close.
LEARNING WHAT’S CHANGED:
Two sustainability leaders discuss
the need to keep current on facts
in a rapidly changing industry.
10
06
COLLABORATECOLLABORATING on a successful
mill-wide project opened up a new
market for the Port Alberni mill. 12
STAY SAFE 14
GET THINGS DONEGETTING THINGS DONE is an
attitude and a practice at Biron
that came to life with an emission-
reducing project completed ahead
of schedule.16
CONTENTSCatalyst in Context 18
Customers & Products 22
People 24
Fibre 32
Energy & Carbon 36
Water 40
Outputs 42
The Results: Environmental Data 47
Our Products 64
STAYING SAFE is a choice for each
of us. Catalyst has been working hard
to ensure it’s the choice workers make,
every time.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 54 CATALYST PAPER
GreenBlue is an environmental non-profit dedicated to the sustainable use of materials in society that brings together a diversity of stakeholders and real-world and often disruptive solutions to encourage innovation and best practices to promote the creation of a more sustainable materials economy. GreenBlue manages several projects including the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, How2Recycle®, Forest Products Working Group, Environmental Paper Assessment Tool and CleanGredients.
See www.greenblue.org for more.
Catalyst’s reputation as a socially responsible paper company has been built
primarily upon the partnerships it has sought and nurtured, and one of the longest
lasting has been with GreenBlue, an environmental non-profit dedicated to the
sustainable use of materials in society. Nina Goodrich is executive director of the
organization, and her connection to Catalyst’s Graham Kissack goes back many
years. These days, their work together on the Forest Products Working Group and
the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC, a GreenBlue project) embodies the
challenges and opportunities facing a changing industry. In a recent conversation,
the two revealed their shared values and a passion for educating paper buyers to
make informed and balanced choices.
ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Nina (NG): “Many of the first sets of sustainability
goals set by companies in the 1990s were met in 2015.
Among our more than 200 member organizations, we
are seeing new sets of goals that are even more
aggressive. Companies like Pepsi, Walmart, Unilever –
all set amazingly bold goals for 2025. They know that
companies with a sustainability plan create more value
for shareholders.”
Graham (GK): “My counterparts in other companies
are talking that way, too. They understand that it’s
in their best interest to lessen their energy footprint.
Catalyst bought into this approach in the late 1980s
when we started swapping out fossil fuels. We’ve
benefited and have been able to compete because
our fuel costs are lower than our competitors.”
ON TRANSPARENCY AS A BUSINESS PRACTICE
GK: “We published our first corporate social responsibility
report in the mid-1990s. Bringing the numbers to life
with stories really challenged us, but took us to a new
level in terms of being transparent. We own our
mistakes, learn from them and try to make sure they
don’t happen again. Fundamentally, this nurtures our
customers’ trust in our company, and the products they
buy from Catalyst.
NG: “You’re right, Graham. I’ve been impressed with
Catalyst’s level of disclosure, and transparency is a
business advantage now, not a disadvantage. For a
sustainability strategy to succeed, it has to be embedded,
not tacked on. The more transparent a company is, the
easier it is to believe and trust them.”
ON THE POWER OF THE “RECYCLED” LOGO
GK: “Thirty years ago, the green movement taught us
that more recycled content was better, but it’s become
more complex than that. The availability of recovered
fibre to include as recycled content in our paper, for
example, has dropped 75 per cent in the past 15 years;
in part because most of this recovered fibre in North
America is being shipped to China. So if a customer
asks for recycled paper, it’s up to us to make sure they
understand and make choices about what they are
asking for.
NG: “The answer is to help improve the level of waste
paper collection in North America, which has topped out
at 70 per cent. Greater participation in programs like this
is the answer to increasing the supply of recovered fibre,
which is a huge source of revenue for municipalities.
Many consumers don’t know that cartons can be
recycled, for example, so education is key here.“
A conversation with Graham Kissack, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Catalyst Paper
and Nina Goodrich, Executive Director, GreenBlue
“We are a risk-taking company, willing to give things a try, learn something along the way and continuously strive to improve. Over the past two decades, this process has resulted in an enviable green pedigree that has become a powerful advantage for us.”
Graham Kissack, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility
LEARNING WHAT’S CHANGED
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 76 CATALYST PAPER
LISTENING TO EACH OTHERKEEPING THE CORNERSTONE OF A SMALL-TOWN MILL STRONG
“We just want the right people to be part of the heartbeat
of this mill.” Fred Chinn is speaking from the heart, both
as someone who has chosen Powell River as his home, and
as general manager of the best place to work in this town
of 13,000.
That it is accessible only by air and ferry makes his commitment to this community
even more resolute; the isolation means a more pronounced reliance on each other.
From Fred’s perspective, an essential part of this community is the Tla’amin Nation,
one of several Coast Salish nations whose traditional territory includes a large swath
of the B.C. coast that is based just north of Powell River. He has developed a strong
working relationship with the head of its newly self-governing nation, Hegus (chief)
Clint Williams. Fred has come to value their government’s input on joint efforts such
as the recent proposal to create an artificial reef using several of the decommis-
sioned concrete ships that are no longer required as the mill’s breakwater.
Given Powell River’s setting and culture, it has also become crucial to build a strong
employment base for the mill. “There is hope for the younger generations now,”
says Clint. “We are always going to be here. I feel there’s an unwritten reconciliation
in our work together.” Fred goes on to point out that the benefits of listening in
both directions affect many aspects of the community; from growing business
opportunities that either might not have seen without the other, to investing in a
pool of up-and-coming potential Catalyst workers.
With many new hires to counter retirements in 2016, and in the years ahead, that’s
exactly what these two community leaders are helping make happen.
In front of the welcome totems
at the government offices of the
Tla’amin Nation in Powell River,
mill manager Fred Chinn (right)
and Hegus (the Tla’amin word
for “chief”) Clint Williams are
glad for a moment to catch up
on shared business.
8 CATALYST PAPER CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 9
INNOVATION IS A SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE
Like some of the great duos in business, Dave Rosenthal
and Matt Hickey’s partnership is built on a shared focus
on ideas: One excels at bringing them to life, the other at
engaging others with the ideas. In this case, both are
exceptional at what they do because of one common
driving passion: Asking the customer.
“It’s pretty simple,” says Dave, who directs product development for Catalyst.
“Who are our customers? What do they buy? What can we supply them with?”
As a second-generation paper guy and a senior director of specialty paper, Matt is
often the one answering these questions, and from there, Dave puts on his figurative
lab coat and breathes fibre and paper technology into solutions that fit with Catalyst’s
mills. In 2016, that work resulted in the launch of Glide™, a release liner base paper
(left behind when you peel off badges or decals) that was developed for commercial
applications. Launched at last fall’s Labelexpo Americas conference in Chicago, a
modest booth and mighty sales team generated as many leads as bigger competitors,
marking Catalyst’s entry in this growing market.
“It’s critically important to diversify,” says Brian Boland, the vice president who
oversees specialty papers and product development. Noting that printing and writing
grades are declining six per cent a year, and specialty papers are growing two per
cent each year, he sees new paths as essential to the company’s future.
“There are a lot of long days that go in to making something different; learning
something different,” Dave says. “But when a customer comes in to see a trial run of
a product we might be developing just for them, and smiles… that feels pretty good.”
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PLANTED AND GROWING
After a quick check in with
colleagues Michael Brenner
(back left) and Carol MacBride,
product development guru
Dave Rosenthal checks quality
on a run of pressure sensitive
label paper.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 1110 CATALYST PAPER
There’s no keeping an energy bar or even a piece of candy
in your pocket since the Port Alberni mill went through the
rigorous process of becoming food-grade compliant. No
munching is allowed outside of the designated lunchroom
after the team spent months of hard work to achieve U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance so the mill
can produce paper used in food packaging for the U.S. market.
“It wasn’t about just cleaning up the mill; we had to change workplace practices and
processes,” says Jason Seabrook, who led the effort. “And whether a machine is
running food-grade paper or not, the entire facility has to be spotless and food-free.”
Jason, the mill’s manager of engineering & technical services, describes the incredibly
detailed inventory of work that needed to be completed: Everything from removing
bushes and plants around the mill and adding screens on all the windows to aid pest
control, a separate, FDA-designated sink for handwashing just before heading to the
floor, and yes – a contained lunchroom, the only place food can be eaten.
“There can be no chance the employee who had the peanut butter sandwich for lunch
takes contaminated hands out on to the floor,” Jason says, noting the commitment of
every single worker at Port Alberni to achieve their goal. “As soon as our employees
realized we were doing this to successfully compete in new, growing markets, they
became personally invested in even the smallest detail.” He is justifiably proud they
got there, and so quickly, which added to the company’s food-grade production at
two other facilities, as well as kosher certification at the Powell River mill.
COLLABORATING FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIESPORT ALBERNI ACHIEVES FDA COMPLIANCE
Trained as an environmental
control chemist, Ashley Popovich
(right) is part of Jason Seabrook’s
team at the Port Alberni mill.
In 2016, the mill went through
an exhaustive process and
was rewarded with approval
by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration to produce
food-grade papers.
12 CATALYST PAPER CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 13
STAYING SAFE IS IN ALL OUR HANDS
Safety is a priority at Catalyst, so when hand injuries were
trending up, a task force was formed to look at how to
address the challenge. Safety managers from each site
rolled up their sleeves and determined that requiring
employees to wear gloves as part of their personal protective
equipment would reduce the risk of injury. That led to the
introduction of a company-wide glove policy, which was
fully implemented in 2016.
“It sounds like a simple solution,” says Jason McConnell, one of the task force
members and Crofton’s safety manager. “But developing and implementing the
glove policy was a complex, thoughtful process.” With input from employees, the
task force determined which gloves made sense for each role. Consideration was
given to fit, agility and coating to ensure the right glove was worn for the right job.
“Wearing the wrong glove could actually create a hazard by impairing a worker’s
mobility or by not providing the protection they need against sharp objects,” says
Jason. “Our primary concern was to ensure the right pair of gloves for the task at hand.”
Catalyst’s new policy fits like a glove. Hand injuries are on a downward trend, and
that means safer and more productive mills for the benefit of our employees and
our customers.
SAFETY PERFORMANCE IMPROVES AFTER GLOVE POLICY IMPLEMENTED
Jason McConnell, at left, is
wearing a pair of gloves
custom-designed for Catalyst
as part of a new glove policy
initiative, while protection
officer Richard Johnson sports
a pair of leather Roper gloves.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 1514 CATALYST PAPER
He grew up 64 kilometres from the mill in Biron, and now
his two young boys are doing the same. For Chris Guldan,
raising a family in a community that balances business with
sustainable choices is a priority. Still, if you thought Chris
might wax on about the challenges of coal power, you’d be
in for a surprise.
With most of his career in the energy sector, Chris is a passionate advocate for the
use of diverse sources, including coal under the right conditions.
That said, when the Biron team responsible for energy production saw an opportunity
to accelerate the required conversion of the coal-fired boiler to natural gas, they
liked the idea. As environmental, health & safety manager, Chris supported the team
by doing the permitting and paperwork needed to complete the conversion.
During the process of reviewing and reducing the mill’s steam and energy needs, the
team was able to improve operating efficiency to the point where they could shut off
the coal power in May, seven months ahead of the January 2017 compliance date.
This saved the company almost $1 million, significantly reduced particulate and
greenhouse gas emissions that much sooner, and left the community feeling reassured
about Catalyst’s investment in its future.
And, new practices such as Tim Kaczmarek’s idea to do conversion walks to spot
steam leaks, are helping improve energy efficiency and keep the skies along the
Wisconsin River as clean as they can be for generations to come.
GETTING THINGS DONE IS PART OF OUR CULTUREBIRON TEAM SAYS “IT TAKES A VILLAGE” TO CONVERT
For Chris Guldan, fishing along
the Wisconsin River represents
the best of growing up in
these parts. It’s an experience
he wants for his sons Brayden,
4, and Mason, 2, and – as
environmental, health and
safety manager for the Biron
mill – he has a part in making
that happen.
16 CATALYST PAPER CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 17
STAKEHOLDERS
STAYING TRUE TO…
Employees, Retirees and Communities
We employed 2,573 people and were an
important part of local economies extending
from New England to Vancouver Island. We strive
to be a welcome member of the communities
where we operate (see pages 28-31).
Investors
In January 2017, Catalyst completed a
recapitalization plan to refinance the company’s
debt, improve its financial position and enable
continued pursuit of its business objectives.
Catalyst is now owned primarily by three
private equity groups.
Non-Governmental Organizations
We collaborated with environmental groups
and other organizations – a hallmark of the
way we do business. The following page
features their logos.
Suppliers and Business Partners
We sought suppliers who are as corporately
responsible as we are. We began working
on a new procurement policy to guide our
particularly important relationships with
wood fibre providers (see page 32).
Indigenous Peoples
We forged stronger and more multi-faceted
relationships with Indigenous Peoples in
British Columbia.
Governments
We worked closely with governments to
ensure regulatory compliance, to foster a
competitive business environment and to
contribute to policy development. We
supported the specific advocacy efforts
described on page 21.
Customers
We continued to market environmentally
preferred products to our increasingly
diverse and valued customer base while
extending the range of our product
offerings (see pages 22-23).
At the heart of corporate social responsibility is the recognition that our success as a company is
inextricably tied to the success and well-being of our communities and our broader society. With that
in mind, we adhere to high standards for corporate governance and ethics. We actively engage with
and take account of the interests of diverse stakeholders, while building more formal partnerships
with some. In 2016, we supported specific advocacy efforts relating to climate change, and we were
honoured to receive several prominent awards for our contributions and achievements.
CATALYST IN CONTEXT
GOVERNANCE
During 2016, the chair and all other members of the Catalyst Board of
Directors (with the single exception of the President & Chief Executive
Officer) were independent. There were six male directors and one female
director. The Board had the responsibility to approve our strategic plan
and budgets, identify and monitor principal risks, and oversee the
appointment and performance of the President and
Chief Executive Officer.
Procedures were in place to enable employees to bring potential
violations of our Code of Corporate Ethics and Behaviour, and other
concerns, directly and anonymously to the Board’s attention. Steps
were taken to heighten awareness of this whistleblower hotline.
No reports were made in 2016.
In early 2017 Catalyst announced its successful recapitalization, which
was necessary to refinance debt, improve our financial position and
enable continued pursuit of a transformational change agenda. The
company also privatized and is now owned primarily by three private
equity groups.
VANCOUVER, BC
BIRON, WI
SAUK VILLAGE, ILDAYTON, OH
ATLANTA, GA
RUMFORD, ME
TIGHE, MA
MILLS
CORPORATE OFFICES
DISTRIBUTION CENTRES
TYRONE, PA
LAKELAND, FL
RICHMOND, BCPOWELL RIVER, BC
SURREY, BCPORT ALBERNI, BCCROFTON, BC
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 1918 CATALYST PAPER
KEY PARTNERSHIPS
We worked with each of these groups to advance various initiatives described in this report.
CATALYST IN CONTEXT CONTINUED
TAKING A STAND ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Catalyst actively supports various efforts to
encourage governments to move forward
with carbon pricing and other measures to
address climate change. Catalyst believes a
carbon price is one of the most efficient and
transparent ways of reducing emissions and
encouraging low-carbon investment. Catalyst
continues to lead climate change discussions
as a member of WWF’s Climate Savers Initiative.
In 2016 Catalyst was a co-signer to some
of the largest collective corporate efforts in
North America to achieve a low-carbon
economy. This included initiatives of the
Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, Low
Carbon USA, the Council for Clean Capitalism
and Smart Prosperity.
Catalyst already pays a carbon tax in
British Columbia and in 2016 we provided
substantial input on the province’s future
climate action plans.
Climate change impacts were also as much
practical reality as policy preoccupation,
as multi-year drought conditions continued
in the Cowichan Valley (see page 40).
Catalyst worked with Indigenous and local
government representatives to encourage
senior government cooperation in finding
a long-term solution to this daunting
climate-related challenge.
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS AND DEFINING SUCCESS
Catalyst carefully tracks and discloses its performance on environmental and other important
measures. To help make sure we’re continuously improving, we also set ambitious annual
targets. On measures such as safety and sales, targets are company-wide. Others are mill specific,
and selected to help make sure we capture the most significant improvement opportunities at
each operation. We have highlighted a cross section of these targets, and our performance
against them, in relevant sections throughout this report (look for the icon at left). These targets
are a key element of our corporate social responsibility strategy, which was updated in 2016.
RECOGNITION FOR OUR EFFORTS
Canada’s Best 50 Corporate Citizens –
2016 marked 10 consecutive years of
Catalyst’s inclusion on Corporate Knights’
annual list of Canada’s most socially responsible
corporations, based on key performance
outcomes and transparency assessments –
one of only nine companies included for
a full decade.
EarthCare Award – This prestigious Sierra
Club U.S. award was shared in 2016 with
industry, environmental, government and
Indigenous partners in the creation of the
Great Bear Rainforest Land Use Agreement in
B.C., a unique contribution to international
environmental protection and conservation.
Canadian Industry Program for Energy
Conservation Leadership Award (Energy
Performance Management category) – for
the installation of new green generating
capacity at Powell River in 2015.
Energy Management Insight Award
(Clean Energy Ministerial) – for the
implementation of the ISO 50001 energy
management system at Crofton in 2015.
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 2120 CATALYST PAPER
STAYING TRUE TO OUR VALUES, WE:nn Continued to enhance customer service
processes and practices.
nn Diversified our product offering.
nn Improved transparency with attributes
like certified fibre, renewable energy
and carbon-neutral processes.
nn Leveraged our unique geographic
position as North America’s only
manufacturer with facilities across the
entire continent from east to west.
2016 OUTCOMES AND INITIATIVESnn Implemented production trials and customer
qualification processes across new product
segments including expanded label and
liner products.
nn Our Glide Graphics™ line is used as
backing for large peel-off graphics for fleet
vehicle and signage applications, and is
manufactured to highly precise specifications
at our Rumford mill. Its launch solidified the
Catalyst brand in this new market.
nn Powell River, Port Alberni and the Surrey
Distribution Centre joined our Biron mill in
completing rigorous third-party assurance
to comply with U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) standards for food
contact applications. Powell River also
achieved kosher certification.
nn Production optimization included the launch
of Rumford Offset, an uncoated free sheet
product that increased the breadth of our
product offering for customers, restarted
an idled paper machine at the Rumford mill
and increased internal pulp consumption.
LOOKING AHEADnn Product development and FDA compliance led to the early 2017 launch of two food grades:
Leap™ for flexible packaging such as bags and packets, and Bistro™ for food-services
applications such as lightweight wraps. Breakwater™, our new Away-from-Home (AfH)
towel grade, was scheduled for launch following a machine conversion at Powell River..
nn In early April, 2017 the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued Final Results of its
expedited review of Catalyst and found the company received a negligible (de minimis)
amount of subsidies during the application review period. The Final Results confirm the
DOC’s preliminary finding that Catalyst did not receive any material subsidies from the
provincial or federal governments. Catalyst expects the return of substantial deposits required
to be paid since the countervailing duty on exports of supercalendered paper to the U.S. was
imposed in 2015.
PRODUCT TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY BY MODE
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Rail (tonnes/car) 74.4 75.7 74.2 75.4 75.0
Truck (tonnes/truck) 26.1 25.6 25.4 23.0 23.0
Intermodal (tonnes/unit) 22.1 21.6 21.1 19.1 19.6
Container (% utilized) 98.2 98.1 98.4 97.4 97.7
Watching the Product Take ShapeCustomers on a mill tour at Rumford are seen here observing Catalyst operators perform
the delicate procedure of threading a new sheet in the paper machine. Customer mill visits
and sustainability audits became an increasingly common activity as Catalyst aggressively
moved into specialty paper production. Rumford hosted nearly a dozen visits in 2016, many
involving product end-users with highly prominent brands. Customers are encouraged to
interact with employees and typically come away with a strong sense of the pride, expertise
and commitment to quality of the individual employees.
Low-Impact Product ShippingIn an effort to lower carbon
emissions across our supply chain,
we continued to participate in the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s SmartWay program.
At our Canadian mills, 88 per cent
of shipments were made with
SmartWay partners – who meet
specific fuel efficiency and other
emissions-related criteria. Our U.S.
mills also became SmartWay
registered and 90 per cent of
shipments were with SmartWay
partners.
CUSTOMERS & PRODUCTSCUSTOMERS
nn Our SAGE™ designated papers, which are
chain-of-custody certified and produced
carbon neutral, comprised four per cent of
our 2016 paper sales. One dollar from every
tonne sold is used to support the work of
our stakeholder partners.
nn We deepened customer relationships and
improved low-volume shipment efficiency
through “dedicated stock” arrangements
with specialty paper customers, providing
inventory on an as-needed basis in exchange
for a commitment to larger volume purchases.
nn Our supply chain functions in Canada and
the United States were integrated into a
single Customer Solutions group, enabling
improved processes and customer service.
2016 TARGET $2.39
2016 ACTUAL $0.96
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
Most mills had a reduction in customer claims as a 2016 target. Port Alberni, for example,
targeted and achieved the following performance. See page 21 for more context on targets.
CUSTOMER CLAIMS($ PAID/TONNE OF PRODUCTION)
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
CUSTOMER CLAIMS
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
1500
1000
500
0
CLAIMS PER MILLION TONNES OF PRODUCTION (GROSS U.S. AND CANADA)
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 2322 CATALYST PAPER
PEOPLEWORKFORCE PROFILE
Catalyst employs a diverse and highly skilled workforce of about
2,600 people, the large majority of whom work at one of its five
mills and two primary offices. About 75 per cent of the workforce
is unionized. The age curve skews toward workers older than 45,
particularly among hourly employees.
EMPLOYEE COMPENSATIONnn Canadian salaried employees are covered by
a defined-contribution pension plan, with
some having defined-benefit entitlements
earned earlier in their employment.
Unionized employees are covered by a
multi-employer defined-benefit plan.
WORKFORCE TURNOVER
Hourly 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Retirement 4.9% 3.7% 5.3% 6.1% 6.5%
Voluntary Departure 4.7% 2.6% 4.0% 2.5% 3.1%
Total 9.6% 6.3% 9.3% 8.7% 9.6%
Salaried
Retirement 1.4% 2.2% 2.8% 1.8% 2.9%
Voluntary Departure 12.8% 6.8% 6.7% 6.2% 6.7%
Total 14.2% 9.0% 9.4% 8.0% 9.6%
Overall 10.9% 7.0% 9.3% 8.5% 9.6%
Turnover rate is the number of employees either retiring or voluntarily leaving employment during the year, as a percentage of the total workforce at the end of the year.
UNIONS AND MEMBERSHIP (NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES)
Canadian Operations
MoveUP 2
Unifor 716
Public and Private
Workers of Canada 384
U.S. Operations
Office and Professional
Employees International Union 9
International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers 70
United Steelworkers of America 699
United Association of Journeymen
and Apprentices of the Plumbing
and Pipefitting Industry 13
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 27
EMPLOYEES AND PAYROLL
YEAR WORKFORCEPAYROLL
($ MILLIONS)
2012 1,592 $ 206
2013 1,611 $ 183
2014 1,598 $ 186
2015 2,625 $ 337
2016 2,573 $ 356
Workforce figures are for active employees at year-end and exclude vacancies.
Payroll figures are inclusive of benefits and exclusive of restructuring costs (severance).
WHO WE ARE
nn U.S. salaried employees are also covered by
a defined-contribution or 401(k) pension
plan. All U.S. unionized employees also
participate in a 401(k) plan, and some also
participate in a defined benefit plan that is
now closed to new members.
nn All employees are eligible for additional
performance-based compensation, however,
no incentive payments were triggered for
2016 as the relevant corporate financial
target was not met.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & RECRUITMENTnn New online training resources were
provided for and extensively used by
salaried employees, and piloted with
interested hourly employees.
nn Many supervisors completed the first of
three training modules designed to enhance
supervisory knowledge and capabilities.
nn A new performance management approach
and system were implemented for all
salaried employees to align their efforts
with business priorities, and create a
framework for development planning and
performance coaching.
nn Catalyst’s recruitment efforts were supported
by a targeted LinkedIn campaign – augmented
by other social media platforms – and current
employees were encouraged to use their
networks to help identify and attract
candidates, resulting in 241 vacancies filled
across the company (78 more than in 2015).AGE CURVE OF EMPLOYEES
20-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 60+ YEARS OLD YEARS OLD YEARS OLD YEARS OLD YEARS OLD
50%
25%
0%
SALARIED EMPLOYEESPERCENTAGE OF SALARIED EMPLOYEES BY AGE
HOURLY EMPLOYEESPERCENTAGE OF HOURLY EMPLOYEES BY AGE
Catalyst activities also
supported additional
employment (indirect and
induced) estimated at
4,660 jobs in British
Columbia and 5,315 in
the United States.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 2524 CATALYST PAPER
2016 OUTCOMESnn In January, an employee was fatally injured
at the Crofton mill. This tragic incident
reaffirmed our commitment to improving
our safety performance.
nn With a focus on continuous improvement,
we reduced the frequency of incidents
resulting in lost time from work, as well as
measures relating to injury severity. The
frequency of total medical incidents rose.
nn There were significant reductions in total
medical incident frequency at Biron,
Crofton, Powell River and the Surrey
Distribution Centre. Medical incidents
occurred more frequently at Port Alberni
and Rumford.
EMPLOYEE INJURIES2016 INITIATIVESnn A two-part, company-wide safety strategy
was implemented, with all mills analyzing
their safety statistics to identify and prioritize
injury types and causes. Operational audits
were also carried out to close gaps between
current and world-class workplace safety
performance.
nn Specific initiatives included ongoing imple-
mentation of a corporate-wide glove policy
to reduce the risk of a common injury type.
How Many
How Severe
How Often
HEALTH & SAFETYHOW WE LOOK AFTER OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER
PEOPLE
LOOKING AHEADnn Mill-specific statistical analysis and follow-up
on mill audit findings will continue. A safety
conference – involving general managers,
safety managers and union safety represen-
tatives from all mills – is also expected to be
held on an annual basis.
Prior year figures have been updated to reflect post year-end adjustments, including injuries that resulted in missed work on a delayed basis due to longer-term injury progression or surgical wait times.
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
80
60
40
20
0
100
75
50
25
0
4
3
2
1
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
NUMBER OF INCIDENTS REQUIRING MEDICAL ATTENTION (MIs)
INJURY SEVERITY RATE (# WORK DAYS LOST / 200,000 HOURS WORKED)
MIs PER 200,000 HOURS WORKED
NUMBER OF INCIDENTS RESULTING IN LOST TIME FROM WORK (LTIs)
AVERAGE # OF WORK DAYS LOST DUE TO INJURY
LTIs PER 200,000 HOURS WORKED
2016 TARGET
2016 TARGET
2016 TARGET
2016 TARGET
WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCE
2016 TARGET
2016 TARGET
WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCE
Glove Policy Supports SafetyIn 2016 Catalyst introduced a glove
policy across the company. The policy
development process began in 2015
with consultations at each mill on glove
selection within the context of safety as
a company priority. Employee feedback
was incorporated into the glove selection
process, with the resulting policy reflecting
the unique needs of each location while
making employee safety the priority. To
the right are some of the cut-resistant
gloves used at our Powell River mill.
Severity Rate ReductionWe’re working hard to improve our safety
results, and our severity rate has shown
consistent improvement since 2012.
2016 TARGET 2.03
2016 ACTUAL 2.69
Safety is a company-wide priority and target. As indicated above, we targeted but did not
achieve the following reduction in our medical incident rate (per 200,000 worked):
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 2726 CATALYST PAPER
CROFTON
Jobs 583
Wages & Benefits $ 68
Local Property Taxes $ 4.7
Spending with Local Vendors $ 4.3
PORT ALBERNI
Jobs 326
Wages & Benefits $ 36
Local Property Taxes $ 4.2
Spending with Local Vendors $ 8.4
POWELL RIVER
Jobs 357
Wages & Benefits $ 40
Local Property Taxes $ 3.4
Spending with Local Vendors $ 4.3
BIRON/WISCONSIN RAPIDS
Jobs 350
Wages & Benefits $ 52
Spending with Local Vendors $ 88.4
RUMFORD
Jobs 631
Wages & Benefits $ 97
Local Property Taxes $ 3.1
Spending with Local Vendors $ 7.6
SURREY
Jobs 74
Wages & Benefits $ 4
Spending with Local Vendors $ 58.3
RICHMOND/U.S. SALES OFFICES
Jobs 193
Wages & Benefits $ 38
Spending with Local Vendors $ 25.7
DAYTON
Jobs 32
Wages & Benefits $ 17
Spending with Local Vendors $ 0.1
NANAIMO
Jobs 27
Wages & Benefits $ 3
Spending with Local Vendors $ 51.3
Workforce figures are for active employees at year-end and exclude vacancies. Payroll figures are inclusive of benefits and exclusive of restructuring costs (severance). Local spending includes vendors with addresses in the local municipality.
PEOPLE
A STRONGER DIGITAL PRESENCE
In 2016, we became a more active
participant and visible presence on many
digital platforms, providing another touchpoint
with our stakeholders.
2015 2016
Klout Score* 38 47
Twitter Profile Visits 2,245 5,362
LinkedIn New Followers 866 1,963
Website Unique Page Views 368,570 466,744
Sustainability Report Downloads 526 716
* A measure of overall social media presence, on a scale of 0-100, where 100 is the maximum social presence.
OUR OPERATING COMMUNITIESWHERE WE LIVE
COMMUNITY BENEFITS ($ MILLIONS)
Community Dialogue and SupportCommunity Advisory Forums at Crofton
and Powell River were held during 2016,
and other operations provided updates to
their respective operating communities.
Community stakeholders were kept
informed on key developments relating
to debt refinancing and the restructuring
of corporate ownership during the year.
Catalyst provided financial donations in
support of diverse community-level
initiatives near its mills – sports teams,
community festivals, support for the
disadvantaged, and others – and a
company- and employee-supported
United Way campaign raised a total of
$92,000.
In-kind and employee-volunteer support
examples include an employee initiative
at the Biron mill where used company cell
phones were collected and donated to
a charity that helps deployed soldiers to
keep in touch with families.
Catalyst further supports its communities
through access to infrastructure and
expertise, such as the Port Alberni mill’s
involvement in an earthquake and
tsunami readiness training exercise for
a Vancouver-based Heavy Urban Search
and Rescue team.
Remembering an Exodus and a New BeginningNearly 60 years ago, more than 200 faculty
and students of the Sopron School of
Forestry made their first Canadian home in
accommodations at the Powell River mill,
after escaping the repressive regime in their
native Hungary. With community members
stepping up to help them learn English and
begin to find their footing in Canada, these
young students continued their studies at
what became the Sopron Division of the
Faculty of Forestry at the University of British
Columbia. Many of them went on to make
important contributions to the province’s
forest sector and became industry leaders.
In September 2016, a large group of Sopron
alumni returned to Powell River for a mill
tour and commemorative event. Among
them was Joe Nemeth Sr. – father of
Catalyst’s current President & Chief
Executive Officer, Joe Nemeth.
The Nanaimo office was closed on December 31, 2016.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 2928 CATALYST PAPER
REST OF MAINE 165.3 (22.0%)
ECONOMIC IMPACTnn Catalyst spending on employee payroll and
benefits, suppliers and government taxes
resulted in a direct economic impact of
approximately $1 billion in Canada and
$914 million in the United States.
nn Catalyst’s activities across the regions
where we operate resulted in total indirect
and induced economic impacts of some
$957 million in Canada and $746 million
in the U.S. This also supported additional
employment totalling about 4,660 jobs
in Canada and 5,315 in the U.S. (beyond
direct employment at our mills and offices).
nn Catalyst’s combined economic impact
totalled $3.7 billion ($2.0 billion in Canada
and $1.7 billion in the U.S.) and 12,600 jobs
(6,200 in Canada and 6,400 in the U.S.).
nn Jobs, wages, property taxes and local
spending provided by Catalyst are crucial to
the economic well-being of our communities,
and have a significant impact on smaller
communities where our mills are located.
These numbers are based on current data available from B.C. Statistics and U.S. Dept. of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Direct economic impact: Measures what the company spends.
Indirect economic impact: Measures the economic impact of Catalyst contractors, vendors and suppliers.
Induced economic impact: Measures the downstream economic impact of Catalyst’s operations; for example, what a dog-walker hired by a company contractor spends in a community.
OUR OPERATING COMMUNITIESPEOPLE
WHERE WE LIVE
11+10+48+31+ATOTAL SPENDING WITH CANADIAN VENDORS ($ MILLIONS)
TOTAL SPENDING WITH U.S. VENDORS ($ MILLIONS)
GREATER VANCOUVER, B.C. 426.3 (48.3%)
RUMFORD, ME 7.6 (1.0%)
BIRON/WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI 88.4 (11.8%)
VANCOUVER ISLAND 85.6 (9.7%)
REST OF CANADA 270.9 (30.7%)
REST OF WISCONSIN 48.9 (6.5%)
REST OF OHIO 33.7 (4.5%)
REST OF U.S. 407.3 (54.2%)
DAYTON, OHIO 0.1 (<1%)
ECONOMIC IMPACT ($ MILLIONS)
EMPLOYEES (WAGES, SALARIES, BENEFITS)CANADA: $192 U.S.: $165TOTAL: $357
FIBRE & OTHER RAW MATERIALSCANADA: $304 U.S.: $378TOTAL: $682
GOVERNMENTS (TAXES)CANADA: $31 U.S.: $4TOTAL: $35
ENERGYCANADA: $174 U.S.: $84TOTAL: $258
CAPITAL PROJECTSCANADA: $18 U.S.: $10TOTAL: $28
OTHER EXPENDITURESCANADA: $217 U.S.: $179TOTAL: $396
SOCIETY (DONATIONS)CANADA: $0.06 U.S.: $0.01TOTAL: $0.07
DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT CANADA: $1,056 U.S.: $914TOTAL: $1,970
INDIRECT & INDUCED ECONOMIC IMPACTCANADA: $957 U.S.: $746TOTAL: $1,703
EMPLOYEES & SOCIETY
SUPPLIERS & BUSINESS PARTNERS
GOVERNMENTS
TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT: $3.7 BILLION
CANADA: $2.0 BILLION U.S.: $1.7 BILLION
1+22+12+7+5+53+AREST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA 99.2 (11.2%)
CHEMICALS, OPERATING & FINISHING SUPPLIESCANADA: $119 U.S.: $95TOTAL: $214
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 3130 CATALYST PAPER
STAYING TRUE TO OUR VALUES, WE:nn Ensure all our fibre meets basic requirements: Legal harvesting, compliance with
International Labour Organization Core Conventions, no genetic modification, not
from plantations and not associated with traditional/civil rights violations.
nn When possible, choose fibre that exceeds these basic requirements through certification
to one of the leading third-party systems that has demanding conservation and
sustainability standards.
nn Actively collaborate with fibre suppliers, environmental groups and other stakeholders
on forest management issues arising within specific supply areas.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT RECYCLED PAPER, YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT HELPING PAPER RECOVERYToday, only 53 per cent of Americans have access to recycling
programs and half of the recyclables are captured in those homes
with curbside recycling; so it’s not surprising that about 30 per cent
of waste paper ends up as garbage in our landfills. We want to help
change that.
Paper is one of the world’s truly sustainable products that comes from renewable forests and is
fully recyclable. That’s why Catalyst is taking a leadership role in supporting recycling to ensure
the recovery of our products at their end of life. That means less paper is lost to landfills and
more is available for re-manufacture into new products. Improving levels of paper recovery
isn’t driven by using more recycled paper, it occurs by improving collection with consumers.
Catalyst is a proud member of Recycling Works in Publishing, which is a member of The Recycling
Partnership, a national recycling non-profit organization focused on improving residential
recycling programs. Here are some of the little known truths around waste paper and recovery.
2016 OUTCOMES AND INITIATIVESnn We continued to work on revising our fibre
procurement policy so that it better reflects
our philosophy of protecting unique forest
ecosystems and driving collaborative
solutions with all forest stakeholders. We
hope to complete our new policy in 2017.
nn We implemented a single company-wide
balance sheet for SFI- and PEFC-certified
fibre supply, allowing greater flexibility to
assign credit for purchased certified fibre
to the mills where customer demand for
certified product is greatest.
nn We leased surplus lands on the Crofton mill
site to a Vancouver Island forestry company
for use in log handling operations, providing
an additional source of high-quality renewable
fuel to Catalyst in the form of waste bark.
Certification: The Leading SystemsCatalyst buys, tracks and sells wood fibre certified to three leading systems:
Forest Stewardship Council – FSC is a
long-standing international certification
program, which enjoys particularly strong
support from ENGOs, Indigenous Peoples
and customers, and widespread market
recognition and acceptance of its brand.
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest
Certification – PEFC is a worldwide program
that validates national or regional forest
management standards (including SFI)
against its own benchmarks, providing a
designation that accommodates the diversity
of global forests.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative – SFI is a North
American-based certification program. It is
overseen by an independent non-profit
organization with a multi-stakeholder board.
FIBRE & FOREST MANAGEMENTFIBRE
GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN OF FIBRE
MAINE23%
BC COAST36%
23+23+36+9+4+2+2+1+A30+70
53+47
50+50
100BC INTERIOR23%
NEW HAMPSHIRE9%
WISCONSIN4%
MICHIGAN2%
VERMONT2%
OTHER1%
400,000
1
530%
53% 50%
100%
NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING CARTS DEPLOYED
BY THE RECYCLING PARTNERSHIP SINCE 2014:C
ATA
LYST’S PAPER THAT CAN BE R
ECY
CLE
D
NO
RTH
AM
ERICAN PAPER SENT TO
LA
ND
FILL
U.S. PO
PULATION THAT HAS CURBSID
E REC
YC
LIN
G
REC
YCLED PAPER EXPORTED TO CH
INA
AM
OUNT OF NORTH AMERICAN
The single most important question on recycled paper: How are you helping to recover your waste paper products and reduce demand on North American forests?
Average number of times a
paper fibre can be recycled.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 3332 CATALYST PAPER
Nearly half of the total weight of raw materials used by Catalyst in
2016 was sourced from waste or byproducts.
SOURCE OF RAW MATERIALS
51+2+18+29+A29%
18%
51%TOTAL WEIGHT OF
RAW MATERIALS USED (EXC. WATER):
5.5 MILLION TONNES
FIBRE & FOREST MANAGEMENTFIBRE
1 Including American Tree Farm System certification.
LOOKING AHEADnn Stakeholder debate is ongoing regarding
the potential need for additional protection
and revised management practices in intact
old growth areas on Vancouver Island.
Catalyst continues to be part of multilateral
collaboration on this issue following the
joint-solutions model that resulted in the Great
Bear Rainforest Agreement that Catalyst
worked toward for nearly two decades.
nn Catalyst is supporting development (with
long-term partner GreenBlue and the
American Forest Foundation) of a new online
tool combining data on the landscape-level
sustainability of U.S. forests. This tool will
provide assurance with respect to many small
family owned plots, where certification to
major standards is often not feasible.
2016 TARGET 50
2016 ACTUAL 65
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
The amount of wood fibre lost into mill sewer systems is a measure of how efficiently
this important raw material is used. Rumford targeted but did not achieve the following
performance. (See page 21 for more context on targets.)
POUNDS FIBRE IN SEWER PER GROSS TON PRODUCTION
0 25 50 75 100
BIOFUEL (WOOD WASTE)
OTHER MATERIALS (N
ON-WASTE)
WOO
D CH
IPS
2% TIRE-DERIVED FUEL
<1% OLD RAILWAY TIES
TOTALFIBRE
NON-AUDITED
WOOD CHIPS
PULP LOGS
PURCHASED RECYCLED PULP (RECOVERED PAPER)
FSC CERTIFIED
FIBRE USE BY TYPE
CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY/AUDITED FIBRE
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2,800
2,100
1,400
700
0
2,800
2,100
1,400
700
0
(THOUSAND TONNES)
(THOUSAND TONNES)
PURCHASED VIRGIN PULP
PEFC/SFI CERTIFIED1
MASTER LOGGER
Helping eliminate problematic solid wastesCatalyst is one of North America’s largest
consumers of tire-derived fuel, burning
the equivalent of 10.8 million passenger
car tires. Old vehicular tires are a breeding
ground for mosquitoes that spread West
Nile virus and are a source of tire pile fires.
Railway companies produce millions of
waste railway ties each year, and these
are a good source of biomass fuel to
improve our boiler operations.
All of our fibre is low-risk under the FSC risk assessment process and
also meets the SFI-certified sourcing standard.
2016 FIBRE
5+31+11+53+A
47%
FSC CERTIFIED 11%
PEFC/SFI CERTIFIED 31%
MASTER LOGGER 5%
COC/AUDITED FIBRE
53%NON-AUDITED
100%LOW-RISK,
LEGAL AND RESPONSIBLE
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 3534 CATALYST PAPER
2016 TARGET 316,548 2016 TARGET 79.1
2016 ACTUAL 317,651 2016 ACTUAL 75.0
STAYING TRUE TO OUR VALUES, WE:nn Generate 33 per cent of the electricity
we need ourselves, using renewable
and waste-derived fuels as fully as
possible, and selling the surplus at
some mills.
nn Reduce our demand on the electricity
grid during periods of peak demand
and higher cost.
nn Rigorously account for and fully
disclose our carbon emissions.
nn Have industry-leading low-carbon
footprints in our B.C. mills – with an 81
per cent reduction in carbon emissions
since 1990 – and use between 90 and
93 per cent renewable energy. Our U.S.
mills are more fossil fuel reliant but
utilize diverse fuel mixes, including
extensive waste-derived fuels at
Rumford (old railway ties and tires).
ENDING HIGH-SULPHUR COAL USEnn Biron complied with Maximum Achievable
Control Technology air-emission limits
months ahead of a regulatory deadline. A
steam-generating boiler was shut down at
the beginning of May – eliminating the use
of high-sulphur coal and significantly
reducing emissions.
nn Particulate fell by 68 per cent, sulphur
dioxide by 56 per cent, nitrous oxide by
44 per cent and other greenhouse gases
were reduced by 23 per cent.
nn Energy management improvements reduced
steam demand making the boiler shutdown
possible and delivering a drop in gross
thermal energy use of 21 per cent.
nn The boiler will be converted to natural gas
in spring 2017 and used as a backup only.
nn After its first full year of operation, this
initiative is expected to generate even
greater reductions than seen in 2016.
See page 42 for more information.
OTHER 2016 OUTCOMES AND INITIATIVESnn Our already industry-leading low-carbon
performance improved further, with a
four per cent decline in corporate-wide
greenhouse gas emissions on both an
absolute and intensity basis. This was driven
by the large emissions improvement at Biron.
nn Our Canadian operations saw bump-ups in
both absolute and per-tonne GHG emissions
– see causes noted in the mill-specific data
tables on pages 51-52 – while at Rumford
there was a small absolute increase and a
small intensity decrease.
nn Powell River’s new G13 turbine provided
additional green energy generation from a
previously unharnessed low-pressure steam
source. The project team was also able to
operate the new turbine even while the
main turbine to which it is connected was
idle, increasing energy output. Careful
biomass fuel quality management further
contributed to efficient energy generation.
TOTAL FUEL ENERGY USE
TOTAL ELECTRICITY USE
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
60
45
30
15
0
4.5
3.0
1.5
0
(MILLION GJ/YEAR)
(MILLION MWh/YEAR)
(GJ/ADT)
(MWh/ADT)
ENERGY & CARBON
GJ – GIGAJOULESMWh – MEGAWATT-HOURSADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCT
ECOLOGO® Certification Achieved at Powell RiverPowell River achieved ECOLOGO®
certification (2010 CCD-003
standard), verifying that the mill
generates and uses renewable
and low-impact power. Rumford’s
ability to provide renewable energy
certificates was expanded to cover
nearly half of the fuels it uses for
power generation.
Freeing up Potential Energy SavingsUntil recently, “freeness” was the
only continuously available pulp
quality measurement at Crofton,
and was used to adjust energy
use. But through a cost-effective
instrumentation improvement
(supported by BC Hydro), fibre
length can now also be monitored,
which has allowed the mill to
optimize and reduce the energy
applied across the mill’s refiners.
This resulted in multiple energy-
saving changes and annual energy
savings of 50.6 gigawatt-hours,
contributing to a seven per cent
mill-wide energy use reduction.
FOSSIL FUELS(MILLION GJ/YR)
PURCHASED ELECTRICITY(MILLION MWh/YR)
RENEWABLES(MILLION GJ/YR)
SELF-GENERATED ELECTRICITY(MILLION MWh/YR)
INTENSITY(GJ/ADT)
INTENSITY(MWh/ADT)
ENERGY USE & CARBON MANAGEMENT
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
Optimizing self-generation of electricity is an important objective at all operations, especially where power is sold externally. Powell River targeted and achieved the following performance.
Maximizing use of renewable fuels, such as hog fuel or wood waste, is also an important objective. Crofton targeted but did not achieve the following performance. (See page 21 for more context on targets.)
POWER GENERATIONMWh
HOG GENERATIONMWh (% OF POWER BOILER 4 AND 5 GENERATION FROM HOG)
0 100 200 300 400 0 25 50 75 100
4.5
3.0
1.5
0
60
45
30
15
0
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 3736 CATALYST PAPER
OPERATIONS
M
ANUFACTURING
UPSTREAM
Inbound raw fibre 276,772
Inbound materials 131,362
Employee commuting 10,007
Business travel 4,021
Waste disposal 1,753
DOWNSTREAM
Outbound product 286,603
End-of-life paper 151,701
Printing on paper 66,522
Leased facilities 2,023
INDIRECT GHG EMISSIONS (SCOPE 3)(TONNES)
Indirect GHG emissions are based in part on annually revised BC Hydro estimates.
In 2012, Catalyst began selling some electricity externally at Powell River, and in 2015 it began doing so more extensively with the acquisition of the Rumford mill. The GHG emissions above are those attributable to paper production (figures for 2012-2014 have been adjusted). See page 49 for a quantification of the much smaller amount of GHGs and other air emissions attributable specifically to the production of power for sale.
1 Rumford Scope 2 GHGs were under-reported for 2015, and this has been corrected.
Breakdowns are based on net energy use and account for the use of some fuel energy to self-generate electricity.
From its acquisition in April 2008 to its closure in September 2012, Catalyst operated a recycled newsprint mill at Snowflake, Arizona. For better year-to-year comparability, the operation of this mill is not factored into most environmental performance metrics included in this report. It is, however, included in the figures in the graph above, given the particularly significant impact that the operation of this coal-fueled mill had on energy-related metrics.
GJ – GIGAJOULESADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCT
CO2e – CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT
These estimates of upstream and downstream Scope 3 GHG emissions are based on per
tonne estimates undertaken by the company as part of its WWF Climate Savers membership,
applied to 2016 production tonnage. In combination with known Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2
(purchased energy) emissions, they result in a total carbon footprint of 1,081 kg of CO2e/tonne
of Catalyst product. This compares to industry benchmarks in the range of 2,842-2,931 kg of
CO2e/tonne. Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Paper
Network Paper Calculator Version 3.2.1. For more information visit www.papercalculator.org.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) are reported based on measurement and calculation methodologies consistent with the Western Climate Initiative and mandatory reporting required by the Province of British Columbia.
Scope 1 emissions are those coming directly from our mills and other sources that we own or control. Scope 2 emissions are those associated with the generation of the electricity that we buy. Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions (other than Scope 2) that occur along our value chain – either upstream in relation to the inputs we buy, or downstream as our products get shipped and used.
DIRECT GHG EMISSIONS (SCOPE 1) INDIRECT GHG EMISSIONS (SCOPE 2) ENERGY MIX RENEWABLE ENERGY & INTENSITY OF ENERGY USE
1200
800
400
0
300
200
100
0
65
52
39
26
13
0
35
28
21
14
7
0
100
80
60
40
20
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012 2013 2014 20151 2016 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
(THOUSAND TONNES CO2e/YR) (THOUSAND TONNES CO2e/YR) (MILLION GJ) (GJ/ADT)(%)(KG CO2e/ADT) (KG CO2e/ADT)
1200
800
400
0
300
200
100
0
LOOKING AHEADnn Catalyst’s competitive position will be supported by the provincial
government’s decision to eliminate PST on electricity purchases over
two years.
nn A key challenge for energy managers will be to determine appropriate
energy efficiency baselines and targets as mills more frequently shift
production between increasingly diverse product lines.
ENERGY & CARBON
ENERGY USE & CARBON MANAGEMENT
ABSOLUTE(THOUSAND TONNES CO2e/YR)
ABSOLUTE(THOUSAND TONNES CO2e/YR)
ABSOLUTE ENERGY USE(GJ MILLIONS)
INTENSITY(KG CO2e/ADT)
INTENSITY(KG CO2e/ADT)
FOSSIL FUELS
BIOMASS FUELS
ALTERNATIVE FUELS
ELECTRICAL ENERGY
% RENEWABLE INTENSITY OF TOTAL ENERGY USE (KG CO2e/ADT)
61+5+17+17+ABIOMASS FUELS (WASTE WOOD BARK) 61%
ALTERNATIVE FUELS (OTHER WASTE MATERIALS) 5%
ELECTRICAL ENERGY 17%
FOSSIL FUEL 17%
ENERGY SOURCES
TOTAL GHG EMISSIONS (SCOPE 1, 2 & 3) (TONNES)
Scope 1 1,159,429
Scope 2 309,562
Scope 3 930,764
Total 2,399,755
75%OF ENERGY CONSUMED BY CATALYST COMES FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 3938 CATALYST PAPER
STAYING TRUE TO OUR VALUES, WE:nn Work to improve the quality of our
wastewater while refining environmental
monitoring.
nn Maximize treatment of all waste
streams before release back into the
receiving environment.
nn Collaborate with stakeholders and
proactively manage for the impacts
of climate change on our community
water basins.
nn Participate in the Carbon Disclosure
Project’s water disclosure report.
OTHER 2016 OUTCOMES AND INITIATIVESnn Water use increased at most of our operations
and corporate-wide reflecting a shift to
lighter papers and more specialized grades.
Total use of cooling water, was down, with
the shutdown of a boiler at Biron being a
contributing factor (see page 37).
nn Powell River maintained excellent effluent-
treatment performance. Producing more
high-bright paper grades requires a larger
mass of the microbes used in effluent
treatment, demanding careful monitoring
to prevent overloading. This fine balance
was maintained even during long high-
bright runs.
nn Crofton experienced stability challenges
with its effluent-treatment facility in
October and November, resulting in two
related permit non-compliances and a spill
of storm water runoff (see page 61).
Mill production was curtailed for a week
as the operation was returned to normal.
This was the main contributor to higher
corporate-wide Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD) levels in effluent.
LOOKING AHEADnn Rumford will continue to pursue site-specific
limits for metals in its effluent, consistent
with the findings of a recent assessment
of the Androscoggin River’s capacity to
assimilate them. State regulators support
the limits proposed and work continued at
year-end to secure agreement of the federal
Environmental Protection Agency, which
helped develop the work plan for the
assessment.
WATER USE & QUALITYWATER
SUSTAINING THE COWICHAN RIVERnn A third consecutive year of drought resulted
in significant water-management challenges
impacting the Cowichan River. This is the
source of water for the community and the
Crofton mill, and its summertime flows are
regulated by a weir which Catalyst is
licensed to operate.
nn As water supplies ran close to depletion in
September, Catalyst installed and tested a
set of 20 high-volume pumps to move
water from the lake to the river. October
rains arrived in time, although $1 million
was spent on the pumping and other water
management efforts.
A River RevivedToday’s Androscoggin River – near the Rumford mill – provides
fishing, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. But
it was once one of the most polluted in the United States.
The Androscoggin River Watershed Council – which includes
Catalyst representation – organizes an annual canoe and
kayak trip from its source on the Maine-New Hampshire
border to the Atlantic. Participants here paddle down the river.
PROCESS WATER DISCHARGES
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
160
120
80
40
0
80
60
40
20
0
(MILLION M3/YEAR) (M3/ADT)
ABSOLUTE(MILLION M3/YEAR)
INTENSITY(M3/ADT)
Consistent with standard industry practice, we track our water use based on treated effluent discharges, consisting of water use in manufacturing processes.
In 2016, an additional 102 million m3 of water was used for cooling purposes, but did not come into direct contact with manufacturing processes.
ADT – AIR-DRIED TONNE OF PRODUCT
TOTAL BOD – BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
3
2
1
0
0.9
0.6
0.3
0
(THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR) (KG/ADT)
ABSOLUTE(THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR)
INTENSITY(KG/ADT)
TOTAL TSS – TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
6
4
2
0
2.4
1.6
0.8
0
(THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR) (KG/ADT)
ABSOLUTE (THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR)
INTENSITY(KG/ADT)
ABSOLUTE (TONNES/YEAR)
TOTAL AOX – ADSORBABLE ORGANIC HALIDES
240
160
80
0
0.6
0.4
0.2
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
(TONNES/YEAR) (KG/ADT)
INTENSITY(KG/ADT)
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 4140 CATALYST PAPER
STAYING TRUE TO OUR VALUES, WE:nn Reduce our energy use and transition
to lower-emission fuels and production
processes.
nn Consistently use state-of-the-art pollution
control equipment, combined with
air-quality monitoring where requested
by regulators.
nn Reduce solid waste generation, and
find opportunities to beneficially re-use
such wastes rather than sending them
to a landfill.
ADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCT
1 In 2012, Catalyst began selling some electricity externally at Powell River, and in 2015 it began doing so more extensively with the acquisition of the Rumford mill. The emissions above and at right are those attributable to paper production (figures for 2012-2014 have been adjusted). See page 49 for a quantification of the much smaller amount of GHGs and other air emissions attributable specifically to the production of power for sale.
2 Based on actual test results; NPRI data may differ due to the use of emission factors and the inclusion of other sources. See page 59.
SOLID WASTE & AIR EMISSIONSOUTPUTS
nn The shutdown of a boiler at Biron in May
ended the use of high-sulphur coal, and
resulted in a step-change improvement in
the mill’s air-emissions performance. The
outcome of this work also drove material
reductions in corporate-wide emissions.
nn 2017 promises to deliver greater reductions
for the entire year.
BIRON EMISSIONS PERFORMANCE
REDUCTION 2016 FROM 2015 (ABSOLUTE)
Particulate 68%
Sulphur dioxide 56%
Nitrous oxide 44%
Greenhouse gases 23%
nn See page 37 for more details.
AIR EMISSIONS IMPROVEMENT AT BIRON
TOTAL AIR PARTICULATE 1, 2
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
900
600
300
0
0.9
0.6
0.3
0
(TONNES/YEAR) (KG/ADT)
ABSOLUTE (TONNES/YEAR)
ABSOLUTE (THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR)
ABSOLUTE (THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR)
INTENSITYKG/ADT
INTENSITYKG/ADT
INTENSITYKG/ADT
INTENSITYKG/ADT
TOTAL NITROGEN OXIDES1 TOTAL SULPHUR DIOXIDES1,2
6.0
4.0
2.0
0
9.0
6.0
3.0
0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0
3.9
2.6
1.3
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
(THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR) (THOUSAND TONNES/YEAR)(KG/ADT) (KG/ADT)
1 In 2012, Catalyst began selling some electricity externally at Powell River, and in 2015 it began doing so more extensively with the acquisition of the Rumford mill. The total emissions above are those attributable to paper production. See page 49 for a quantification of the much smaller amount of GHGs and other air emissions attributable specifically to the production of power for sale.
2 All figures based on actual test results; NPRI data (see page 59) may differ because it uses emission factors and includes other sources.
ABSOLUTE(TONNES/YEAR)
TOTAL TRS – TOTAL REDUCED SULPHUR 1, 2
240
160
80
0
0.3
0.2
0.1
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
(TONNES/YEAR) (KG/ADT)
3 Release of dioxin and furan into air, effluent and landfill. Results are heavily influenced by factors such as operating conditions and fuel characteristics and are often highly variable. All operation-specific emissions in 2016 were below a 0.1 ng/m3 TEQ Canadian federal standard applicable to power boilers installed since 2001, even though all Catalyst boilers predate 2001.
ADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCT
TEQ – DIOXIN TOXICITY EQUIVALENCE
ABSOLUTE(GRAMS/YEAR)
INTENSITY(MG/ADT)
TOTAL DIOXIN & FURAN RELEASES 3
90
60
30
0
.03
.02
.01
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
(GRAMS/YEAR) (MG/ADT)
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 4342 CATALYST PAPER
2016 TARGET 181
2016 ACTUAL 177
54+31+15+ASOLID WASTE & AIR EMISSIONSOUTPUTS
SOLID WASTES (TONNES)
TOTAL:264,853 Cleanup Follows
Crofton IncidentOn August 13, the Crofton mill
experienced an equipment malfunc-
tion which resulted in the ejection
of some spent cooking liquid into
the air.
Composed of organic residues that
are a byproduct of wood processing,
these materials are harmless and are
normally collected and combusted.
Impacts were primarily contained to
a residential area immediately south
of the mill. Catalyst dispatched
teams of employees to clean
houses, vehicles and other items.
ADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCT
SOLID WASTE TO LANDFILL
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
150
100
50
0
90
60
30
0
(THOUSAND TONNES) (KG/ADT)
ABSOLUTE (THOUSAND TONNES)
TO LANDFILL:141,705 (54%)
INCINERATED FOR ENERGY GENERATION:82,253 (31%)
OTHER BENEFICIAL RE-USE:40,895 (15%)
INTENSITY(KG/ADT)
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
Cutting process steam consumption was vital to enabling the shutdown of the high-sulphur
coal boiler at Biron, which in turn significantly improved air emissions. To help make this
possible, Biron targeted and achieved the following performance. (See page 21 for more
context on targets.)
PROCESS STEAM CONSUMPTION(KLBS/HR) AVERAGE
0 50 100 150 200
2016 OUTCOMES AND INITIATIVES: SOLID WASTEnn Innovative arrangements continued for
the beneficial re-use of waste products
from Catalyst mills. This included the use
of 26,357 tonnes of fly ash from Rumford
as a stabilizing material at a Quebec landfill,
and of 7,250 tonnes of sludge (mostly
residual wood fibre) from Biron as an
agricultural fertilizer.
nn Port Alberni disposed of 17,000 m3 of
sludge dredged from a waste treatment
lagoon, consistent with the terms of the
lagoon’s sale by Catalyst to the City of
Port Alberni in 2013.
nn Rumford decreased the amount of sludge
going to landfills from 12,221 tonnes/year
in 2015 to 6,293 tonnes/year in 2016.
OTHER 2016 OUTCOMES AND INITIATIVES: AIR EMISSIONSnn After improvement in 2015, Crofton
experienced visible particulate emissions
from its biomass boiler, which was shut
down for several days for cleaning and
inspection. While the resolution of a
specific mechanical failure improved
performance, investigation continued
to year end. This issue contributed to
the substantial increase in complaints
received at the mill.
In total, 46 per cent of all waste generated at Catalyst operating
facilities was either burned to generate electricity or put to some
beneficial re-use.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 4544 CATALYST PAPER
THE RESULTS: ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 4746 CATALYST PAPER
EMISSIONS ATTRIBUTABLE TO POWER SALES
In 2012, Catalyst began selling some electricity externally at Powell River, and in 2015 it began doing so more extensively with the acquisition
of the Rumford mill. Most GHG and other air emissions reported elsewhere in this report are those attributable to paper production. The figures
below represent the much smaller amount of air emissions attributable specifically to the production of power for sale.
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Historical Power Sales (MWh) 119,400 97,270 89,293 114,297 139,851
Direct GHG Emissions (Scope 1)
Absolute (THOUSAND TONNES CO2e/YEAR) 41.2 11.9 11.6 1.9 2.0
Intensity (KG CO2e/MWh) 345 123 130 18 15
Total Air Particulate
Absolute (TONNES/YEAR) 21.2 6.0 5.8 1.3 1.0
Intensity (KG/MWh) 0.18 0.06 0.07 0.01 0.01
Total Sulphur Dioxides
Absolute (TONNES/YEAR) 70 31 41 8 7
Intensity (KG/MWh) 0.58 0.32 0.45 0.07 0.05
Total Nitrogen Oxides
Absolute (TONNES/YEAR) 307 148 157 28 24
Intensity (KG/MWh) 2.57 1.52 1.76 0.27 0.17
COMMUNITY COMPLAINTS POWER SALE EMISSIONSENVIRONMENTAL DATA
TOTAL COMPLAINTS BY SITE
We track and investigate all complaints received from our operating communities, and use this information to improve our operations and
moderate our impacts. An issue with particulates at Crofton (see page 44) was the cause of a spike in complaints during 2016.
2016 ODOUR NOISE PARTICULATE OTHER* TOTAL
Port Alberni 0 0 0 1 1
Biron 0 0 0 0 0
Crofton 10 0 84 5 99
Powell River 2 11 0 0 13
Rumford 1 0 0 0 1
Total 13 11 84 6 114
Total 2015 17 5 6 8 36
Change 4 6 78 2 78
* Includes complaints proven not to be associated with mill operations.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 4948 CATALYST PAPER
BENCH MARK 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
BIRON1
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 494,488,000 446,986,000 460,202,000 491,576,000 379,712,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 1,460 1,331 1,394 1,521 1,189
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 310,846,000 305,510,000 264,255,000 220,060,000 241,451,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 918 910 801 681 756
Particulate matter kg/day 773 816 1,076 840 272
Particulate matter kg/adt 2.720 0.833 0.887 1.190 0.948 0.311
Sulphur Dioxides kg/day 15,749 14,735 16,305 15,915 6,939
Sulphur Dioxides kg/adt 14.51 16.97 16.01 18.03 17.97 7.93
NOx kg/day 6,549 5,743 6,078 6,076 3,421
NOx kg/adt 4.99 7.06 6.24 6.72 6.86 3.91
Power Boiler Dioxin ng/m3 TEQ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CROFTONTotal GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 2 162,266,000 135,050,000 147,052,000 140,403,000 170,413,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 2 236 196 206 201 256
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 9,456,000 9,419,000 12,236,000 10,298,000 11,121,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 14 14 17 16 15
Particulate matter kg/day 3 1,120 1,180 1,142 985 1,115
Particulate matter kg/adt 3 3.00 0.56 0.61 0.56 0.49 0.61
Sulphur Dioxides kg/day 5,436 6,882 7,651 4,039 3,863
Sulphur Dioxides kg/adt 14.0 2.76 3.65 3.77 2.03 2.13
NOx kg/day 2,503 2,648 2,482 2,393 2,302
NOx kg/adt 5.00 1.27 1.34 1.22 1.20 1.27
TRS kg/day 214 212 170 253 225
TRS kg/adt 0.200 0.210 0.162 0.234 0.124
Power Boiler adt ng/m3 TEQ 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.03
Ambient TRS % compliance A level 24 hour average 80.0 84.9 91.7 93.1 87.0
Ambient PM 2.5 average, ug/m3 4 7.5 4.2 6.9 7.5 4.8
BENCH MARK 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
PORT ALBERNITotal GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 5 28,850,000 28,727,000 29,981,000 30,314,000 38,087,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 5 89 92 90 96 116
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 6,844,000 6,499,000 8,660,000 7,664,000 8,792,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 21 21 26 24 27
Particulate matter kg/day 23 21 50 15 19
Particulate matter kg/adt 2.720 0.025 0.024 0.053 0.016 0.019
Sulphur Dioxides kg/day 427 512 542 542 555
Sulphur Dioxides kg/adt 14.51 0.46 0.59 0.57 0.57 0.55
NOx kg/day 695 856 975 890 644
NOx kg/adt 4.99 0.77 0.99 1.07 1.03 0.71
Power Boiler Dioxin ng/m3 TEQ 0.03 0.05 0.11 0.07 0.07
Ambient PM 2.5 average, ug/m3 4 6.3 8.1 8.0 8.7 7.1
POWELL RIVER 6
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 7 56,288,000 39,453,000 36,860,000 42,997,000 56,279,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 7 126 89 89 127 165
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 10,497,000 10,765,000 8,530,000 5,209,000 5,667,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 23 24 21 15 17
Particulate matter kg/day 79.5 54.0 50.7 79.6 73.0
Particulate matter kg/adt 2.72 0.06 0.04 0.04 0.08 0.08
Sulphur Dioxides kg/day 261 280 352 484 518
Sulphur Dioxides kg/adt 14.51 .213 .218 .306 .500 .555
NOx kg/day 1,148 1,338 1,365 1,771 1819
NOx kg/adt 4.99 0.94 1.04 1.19 1.83 1.95
Power Boiler Dioxin ng/m3 TEQ 0.02 0.18 0.01 0.05 0.01
Ambient TRS % compliance A level 24 hour average 97.8% 95.1% 91.8% 98.1% 95.9
Ambient PM 2.5 average, ug/m3 4 1.51 1.77 1.50 1.82 0.8
RUMFORD 6
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 429,265,000 459,161,000 461,749,000 497,157,000 512,900,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 1/DIRECT) 702 768 816 928 905
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/year (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 8 14,682,000 18,178,000 18,108,000 37,604,000 42,531,000
Total GHGs as kg CO2e/adt (SCOPE 2/INDIRECT) 8 24 30 32 70 75
Particulate matter kg/day 507 404 394 370 441
Particulate matter kg/adt 2.79 0.30 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.28
Sulphur Dioxides kg/day 1,791 1,892 2,049 2,022 2,105
Sulphur Dioxides kg/adt 13.60 1.07 1.16 1.32 1.38 1.36
NOx kg/day 4,104 4,027 4,136 4,130 3,956
NOx kg/adt 4.61 2.45 2.46 2.67 2.81 2.55
TRS kg/day 57 43 40 41 41
TRS kg/adt 0.450 0.046 0.036 0.034 0.040 0.030
AIR EMISSIONS
INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS: Estimates made using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator Version 3.2.1 – www.papercalculator.org
1 Biron’s air emission performance was substantially improved by the shutdown of a boiler using high-sulphur coal. See discussion page 37.
2 Increased scope 1 GHGs resulted from a nearly one-third increase in fossil fuel use, which was driven by several factors. Generation from wood waste and other renewable sources was down, due to fuel quality and various operational issues. Colder-than-usual winter weather, combined with operational issues impacting the mill’s evaporator (where waste material is concentrated for use as fuel) also increased steam and fossil fuel consumption. 2015 values have been adjusted to correct for a calculation error.
3 Increased particulates originated with the mill’s biomass boiler, see discussion on page 44.
4 There are multiple sources of particulates, and ambient levels do not necessarily correlate closely.
5 Increased scope 1 GHGs resulted from increased production of heavier grades requiring more steam to dry, in addition to various mechanical and operational issues with a boiler. A two-day maintenance shut took place in early 2017 to address the latter.
6 In 2012, Catalyst began selling some electricity externally at Powell River, and in 2015 it began doing so more extensively with the acquisition of the Rumford mill. The GHG and other emissions reported here are those attributable to paper production (past years’ figures have been adjusted). See page 49 for a quantification of the much smaller amount of GHGs and other air emissions attributable specifically to power production for sale.
7 Increased scope 1GHGs resulted from challenges with the quality of available waste bark fuel, due to weather conditions in supply areas, which necessitated greater use of natural gas.
8 Rumford Scope 2 GHGs were significantly under- reported for 2015, and this has been corrected.
ADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCTNG – NANOGRAMPM – PARTICULATE MATTERTEQ – DIOXIN TOXICITY EQUIVALENCEUG – MICROGRAM
ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 5150 CATALYST PAPER
BENCH MARK 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
BIRONTSS kg/day 756 735 704 981 798
TSS kg/adt 6.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.1 0.9
BOD kg/day 372 476 350 696 758
BOD kg/adt 4.08 0.40 0.52 0.39 0.79 0.87
Trout toxicity % compliance 100 100 100 100 100
CROFTONTSS kg/day 3,045 3,541 4,995 6,652 5,471
TSS kg/adt 8.6 1.7 1.9 2.6 3.4 3.0
BOD kg/day 1 1,464 1,850 2,105 2,269 3,488
BOD kg/adt 5.10 0.78 0.98 1.07 1.17 1.92
AOX kg/day 396 446 499 353 333
AOX kg/adt pulp 0.32 0.41 0.48 0.34 0.35
2378TCDD ppq ND ND ND ND ND
2378TCDF ppq ND ND ND ND ND
Trout toxicity % compliance 96 95 100 100 81
PORT ALBERNITSS kg/day 693 905 840 1,310 1,009
TSS kg/adt 6.8 0.8 1.1 0.9 1.5 1.1
BOD kg/day 410 410 400 490 490
BOD kg/adt 4.08 0.46 0.48 0.44 0.56 0.54
Trout toxicity % compliance 100 100 100 100 100
POWELL RIVERTSS kg/day 2 1,822 1,909 1,801 1,693 2,100
TSS kg/adt 6.8 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.1 1.4
BOD kg/day 786 956 949 908 910
BOD kg/adt 4.08 0.63 0.79 0.83 0.61 0.60
Trout toxicity % compliance 98 98 93 100 100%
RUMFORDTSS kg/day 1,963 2,370 2,782 2,387 1,911
TSS kg/adt 8.1 1.2 1.5 1.8 1.6 1.3
BOD kg/day 923 1,085 1,707 1,069 1,213
BOD kg/adt 4.37 0.55 0.66 1.10 0.72 0.79
AOX kg/day 431 368 383 259 274
AOX kg/adt pulp 0.26 0.22 0.25 0.22 0.22
SOLID WASTE TO LANDFILL (TONNES)
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Biron 16,426 17,769 20,031 23,116 18,813
Crofton 16,305 16,991 15,673 21,850 20,486
Port Alberni 1 14,145 13,968 17,797 19,180 25,994
Powell River 27,137 28,557 29,494 26,087 28,645
Rumford 32,032 30,551 49,579 51,998 47,768
WASTEWATER SOLID WASTEENVIRONMENTAL DATA
TOTAL WASTE GENERATION
TONNES GENERATED TONNES LANDFILLED
TONNES INCINERATED FOR
ENERGY GENERATIONTONNES FOR OTHER
BENEFICIAL REUSE
Fly ash 98,678 72,321 26,357
Effluent treatment sludges 96,739 7,236 82,253 7,250
Grate ash & sand 42,023 42,023
Dregs & grits 12,597 12,597
Other 13,071 7,529 5,542
Scrap metal 1,745 1,745
Total 264,853 141,706 82,253 40,895
In total, 46 per cent of the solid waste generated at Catalyst operating facilities in 2016 was either incinerated for energy generation or recycled
for beneficial reuse.
ADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCTND – NON-DETECTABLE (TEST RESULT BELOW TWO PARTS PER QUADRILLION)2378TCDD, 2378TCDF – SPECIFIC DIOXIN AND FURAN CONGENERS IN WASTE WATER
INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS: Estimates made using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator Version 3.2.1 – www.papercalculator.org
1 Increased BOD resulted from periods in January and in October/November when the mill was experiencing poor effluent-treatment performance. See pages 40 and 61.
2 The more intensive primary effluent treatment requirements associated with high-bright paper grade production resulted in higher levels of solids. While solids are settled out at the secondary effluent treatment stage, levels in released effluent also increased.
1 The City of Port Alberni purchased a former mill lagoon and disposed of a large volume of sludge dredged from it. See discussion page 44.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 5352 CATALYST PAPER
BENCH MARK 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
BIRON*
Process water use m3/adt 82 27 26 30 28 25
Fuel energy usage GJ 5,541,153 5,295,434 5,188,244 5,831,543 4,583,887
Fuel energy intensity GJ/adt 16.36 15.77 15.72 18.04 14.35
Electricity usage MWh 753,179 736,672 718,143 736,872 720,826
Electricity intensity MWh/adt 2.22 2.19 2.18 2.28 2.26
Total energy usage excluding self-generated electricity GJ 7,304,476 7,062,602 6,796,263 7,505,136 6,445,771
Total energy intensity excluding self-generated electricity GJ/adt 37.00 21.57 21.03 20.59 23.21 20.18
Renewable energy (%) 11 8 11 7 12 19
CROFTONProcess water use m3/adt 97 76 74 74 62 69
Fuel energy usage GJ 18,216,179 17,526,544 17,725,452 18,505,887 19,025,744
Fuel energy intensity GJ/adt 26.45 25.45 24.77 26.54 28.60
Electricity usage MWh 1,341,168 1,349,254 1,333,768 1,302,701 1,209,171
Electricity intensity MWh/adt 1.95 1.96 1.86 1.87 1.82
Total energy usage excluding self-generated electricity GJ 21,998,426 21,294,113 21,396,372 22,082,152 22,190,437
Total energy intensity excluding self-generated electricity GJ/adt 39.34 31.94 30.92 29.90 31.67 33.40
Renewable energy (%) 11 86 88 88 89 90
PORT ALBERNIProcess water use m3/adt 82 66 76 76 84 94
Fuel energy usage GJ 4,654,171 4,625,290 4,788,549 4,865,825 5,091,160
Fuel energy intensity GJ/adt 14.35 14.80 14.38 15.47 15.51
Electricity usage MWh 837,768 800,198 802,553 771,567 794,825
Electricity intensity MWh/adt 2.58 2.56 2.41 2.45 2.42
Total energy usage excluding self-generated electricity GJ 7,391,672 7,224,886 7,386,680 7,373,999 7,664,537
Total energy intensity excluding self-generated electricity GJ/adt 37.00 22.80 23.11 22.18 23.44 23.35
Renewable energy (%) 11 91 91 92 91 92
BENCH MARK 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
POWELL RIVERProcess water use m3/adt 82 72 73 77 86 91
Fuel energy usage GJ 8,968,754 7,720,566 7,402,408 8,181,005 8,913,468
Fuel energy intensity GJ/adt 20.08 17.41 17.84 24.08 26.06
Electricity usage MWh 1,371,250 1,378,152 1,359,564 1,162,405 1,175,151
Electricity intensity MWh/adt 3.07 3.11 3.28 3.42 3.44
Total energy usage excluding self-generated electricity GJ 13,167,571 12,026,436 11,585,370 11,597,394 12,037,681
Total energy intensity excluding self-generated electricity GJ/adt 37.00 29.48 27.12 27.91 34.13 35.20
Renewable energy (%) 11 86 93 92 93 93
RUMFORDProcess water use m3/adt 89 68 69 75 77 77
Fuel energy usage GJ 17,220,068 17,355,749 17,158,649 16,267,011 17,185,449
Fuel energy intensity GJ/adt 28.16 29.03 30.32 30.29 30.50
Electricity usage MWh 742,394 740,332 732,732 676,414 701,144
Electricity intensity MWh/adt 1.21 1.24 1.29 1.28 1.26
Total energy usage excluding self-generated electricity GJ 17,378,759 17,552,230 14,748,349 16,580,958 17,149,417
Total energy intensity excluding self-generated electricity GJ/adt 37.67 28.42 29.36 26.06 30.88 30.47
Renewable energy (%) 11 68 65 64 62 58
WATER & ENERGY USE
Fuel energy measures include all purchased fuels and self-generated biomass (black liquor); electricity measures include all purchased and self-generated electricity.
Total energy metrics reflect the production of forest products and electricity sold to the grid.
ADT – AIR-DRIED TONNES OF PRODUCTGJ – GIGAJOULESMWh – MEGAWATT-HOURS
ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
* Biron’s gross thermal energy use dropped due to the shutdown of a boiler using high-sulphur coal, and other related conservation initiatives. See discussion page 37.
INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS: Estimates made using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator Version 3.2.1 – www.papercalculator.org
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 5554 CATALYST PAPER
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
BIRONFibre use by type – tonnes
Wood chips 1,879 1,177 183 583 1,127
Pulp logs 195,470 188,204 182,919 186,420 178,454
Purchased virgin pulp 83,067 81,432 83,468 76,008 87,345
Purchased recycled pulp (recovered paper) 22,278 12,491 13,100 3,795 2,523
Chain of custody fibre certification / Audited fibre
FSC certified % 23 23 23 36 25
PEFC/SFI certified (incl. ATF) % 4 8 7 8 8
Master Logger 5 7 6 12 5
Total fibre (t) 303,000 283,000 280,000 267,000 269,000
Fibre from private lands % 85 86 88 92 89
CROFTON PAPERFibre use by type – tonnes
Wood chips 280,000 298,000 286,000 273,000 248,000
Pulp logs 11,000 13,000 19,000 23,000 29,000
Chain of custody fibre certification / Audited fibre
FSC certified % 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0
PEFC/SFI certified % 47 36 43 36 38
Total fibre (t) 291,000 311,000 305,000 296,000 277,000
Fibre from private lands % 15 15 15 15 15
CROFTON PULPFibre use by type – tonnes
Wood chips 770,000 725,000 765,000 791,000 797,000
Pulp logs 91,000 69,000 70,000 56,000 29,000
Chain of custody fibre certification / Audited fibre
FSC certified % 0.79 0.25 0.00 0.00 0
PEFC/SFI certified (incl. ATF) % 49 51 50 47 45
Total fibre (t) 861,000 794,000 835,000 847,000 826,000
Fibre from private lands % 15 15 15 15 15
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
PORT ALBERNIFibre use by type – tonnes
Wood chips 97,000 115,000 127,000 108,000 117,000
Pulp logs 118,000 88,000 85,000 90,000 93,000
Purchased virgin pulp 9,207 13,294 13,216 14,711 10,149
Chain of custody fibre certification / Audited fibre
FSC certified % 5 8 0 5 4
PEFC/SFI certified % 70 59 64 71 63
Total fibre (t) 224,000 216,000 225,000 213,000 220,000
Fibre from private lands % 15 15 15 15 15
POWELL RIVERFibre use by type – tonnes
Wood chips 362,000 364,000 347,000 302,000 302,000
Chain of custody fibre certification / Audited fibre
FSC certified % 2.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
PEFC/SFI certified (incl. ATF) % 79 81 67 66 73
Total fibre (t) 362,000 364,000 347,000 302,000 302,000
Fibre from private lands % 15 15 15 15 15
RUMFORDFibre use by type – tonnes
Wood chips 183,123 209,067 246,286 154,229 125,361
Pulp logs 759,453 724,645 652,245 707,752 776,813
Purchased virgin pulp 344 649 355 6,512 639
Purchased recycled pulp (recovered paper) 4,080 3,618 3,996 3,396 3,757
Chain of custody fibre certification / Audited fibre
FSC certified % 30 28 27 30 28
PEFC/SFI certified (incl. ATF) % 1 1 2 3 3
Master Logger 5 15 18 16 15
Total fibre (t) 947,000 938,000 903,000 872,000 907,000
Fibre from private lands % 100.0 99.8 99.6 99.3 95.7
FIBRE USE BY MILLENVIRONMENTAL DATA
“Fibre from private lands” for Canadian operations are estimates, and improved metrics are being explored.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 5756 CATALYST PAPER
TOTAL KEY MATERIALS USED AS TONNES
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Water 159,570,826 142,826,856 153,194,662 271,367,951 260,513,080
Wood chips and pulp logs 1,673,561 1,663,248 1,701,108 3,156,934 3,149,342
Biofuel (“waste bark”) 748,813 744,787 741,249 938,322 984,032
Fossil fuels 309,339 61,307 64,833 460,374 446,159
Calcium Carbonate (GCC & PCC) 117,457 109,927 110,589 266,436 290,039
Clay 75,289 63,341 61,442 188,327 194,105
Purchased pulps 9,207 13,294 13,759 104,958 121,106
Oxygen 55,919 57,704 57,143 59,491 54,699
Limestone/Quicklime 5,963 4,857 2,544 46,657 41,593
Sodium Hydroxide 30,126 27,784 27,769 39,808 40,669
Sodium Chlorate 17,552 17,843 19,657 37,377 39,529
Sulphuric Acid 1 15,611 13,490 13,791 27,449 28,676
Starch 10,993 8,998 9,152 27,593 26,505
Hydrogen Peroxide 17,927 14,577 15,997 18,383 18,581
Latex 4,306 4,367 3,790 12,452 11,890
Silicate 10,533 6,757 7,349 8,206 8,813
Sulphur Dioxide 8,691 8,464 8,510 7,744 7,298
Urea 6,256 5,972 6,301 5,933 5,347
Legislation in both Canada and the U.S. requires facilities such as Catalyst’s to annually report releases of any of a large number of substances if they exceed defined thresholds, including releases to air, water and land, and volumes sent for disposal or recycling. Reported volumes are based on actual measurement or estimates arrived at using defensible methodologies.
This information is compiled by Environment Canada in the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), and is available via www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri and www.epa.gov/tri.
The table above shows the combined total of all releases reported to the NPRI and TRI for all of Catalyst’s operations.
Since releases are reported in the spring for the previous calendar year, 2016 data were not yet available when this report was prepared.
Speciated PAHs, while reported individually to Environment Canada, are reflected in the table above as part of the “Sum of PAHs.”
2015 data includes the Biron and Rumford facilities.
These figures quantify the operating-platform and production-level changes that impact environmental performance, particularly as measured in terms of absolute emissions.
Water use figures in this table include treated effluent, as well as discharges of cooling and storm water. Consistent with standard industry practice, water use as shown in the key facts and figures (and used to calculate water use intensity) includes only treated effluent.
Fossil fuels are also reported as gigajoules of heating value on page 36.
SALEABLE PRODUCTION BY MILL AS TONNES
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Biron 338,716 335,845 330,108 323,294 319,404
Crofton 688,722 688,774 715,542 697,243 665,169
Port Alberni 324,231 312,594 333,040 314,608 328,285
Powell River 446,732 443,466 415,032 339,771 341,979
Rumford 611,520 597,830 565,868 537,013 562,905
2015 REPORTED NPRI AND TRI EMISSIONS (NOT INCLUDING SPECIATED PAHS AND PART 5 VOCS)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Tonnes
Carbon Monoxide 2,846 3,133 2,399 2,756 3,054
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 1,764 1,875 1,849 1,908 1,960
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) 2,337 2,199 2,986 3,173 1,854
Hydrochloric Acid 894 866 926 906 1,021
Zinc 60 58 41 49 919
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 977 737 732 751 703
Nitrate Ion 375 661 666 623 691
Manganese 217 210 238 309 673
Methanol 536 376 374 387 520
Phosphorus, Total 363 325 360 290 383
Total Particulate Matter 401 475 457 467 373
PM 10 337 409 393 396 317
Ammonia 119 131 121 153 243
PM 2.5 238 293 278 283 222
Total Reduced Sulphur 188 146 192 174 218
Chlorine Dioxide 86 79 89 94 101
Hydrogen Sulphide 76 76 82 79 94
Sulfuric Acid 37 14 14 14 81
Barium Compounds 50
Acetaldehyde 29 17 17 18 29
Phenol 29 29 29 21 28
Copper 21
Selenium 20
Carbonyl Sulphide 10 10 10 11 11
Formaldehyde 4
Formic Acid 2
Chlorine 0.4
Cobalt 0.2
Kilograms
Lead 3,028 2,236 1,764 1,752 8,240
Arsenic 864 2,221 1,486 1,259 1,490
Sum of PAHs / PACs 864 307 242 256 474
Hexavalent Chromium Compounds 501 318 284 277 212
Cadmium 213 149 179 206 185
Mercury 129 13 13 16 42
Grams
HCB 31 512 288 300 407
Dioxins & Furans (TEQ) 40 22 21 15 16
KEY MATERIALS & PRODUCTION EMISSIONSENVIRONMENTAL DATA
1 Reported value for sulphuric acid in 2015 has been corrected.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 5958 CATALYST PAPER
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Environmental management systems are in
place at all our manufacturing facilities. In
late 2016, Biron began the process of
preparing its EMS for registration to the
ISO 14001 standard and expects to achieve
that in early 2018. Catalyst’s three B.C.
manufacturing facilities are all ISO 14001
registered.
Consistent with ISO requirements, surveillance
audits are done annually, and independent
re-registration audits every three years at all
registered operations. Separate independent
audits are conducted every three years
relating to regulatory compliance and
due diligence, and Catalyst continued its
follow-up on priority actions identified
during 2015 audits.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
A total of 33 regulatory events occurred at
Catalyst mills in 2016 – down significantly
from a total of 52 in 2015. None were
classified as being of high significance.
These events involved either exceeding a
permit limit, reporting accidental releases or
disclosing procedural or other administrative
errors with which no known permit issues or
spills are associated. All such incidents are
promptly reported and their causes thoroughly
assessed.
Biron (Three events)
On two occasions, a single, six-minute
opacity spike (visible air emissions) from a
boiler resulted in a permit non-compliance.
Both resulted from a disruption in the mix and
distribution of fuel, following an interruption
in the feeding of biomass fuel (wood waste)
into the boiler.
1 Low significance: Poses no threat to people or environment. Medium significance: Poses a limited threat to people or environment. High significance: Poses material threat to people or environment.
2016 EVENTS
IMPACT SIGNIFICANCE 1
TOTAL WATER AIR LAND LOW MED HIGH
Permit Non-Compliances 20 3 16 1 7 13 0
Reportable Releases 5 2 2 1 4 1 0
Administrative Errors 8 2 3 3 5 3 0
EVENTS BY OPERATION
TOTAL 2 ALBERNI BIRON CROFTON ELK FALLS POWELL RUMFORD SNOWFLAKE
2016 33 1 3 14 na 3 12 na
2015 52 4 4 20 na 8 16 na
2014 30 3 2 10 na 17 26 na
2013 28 6 0 12 na 10 16 na
2012 65 1 4 19 11 26 8 8
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
BOD levels in treated effluent were above
permit once in January, as a result of a spill
of pulping liquor into the mill’s sewer
system. BOD levels exceeded permit again
in October, which in turn led to an additional
non-compliance in November in relation to
an effluent toxicity test. At year end (see
page 40), effluent treatment performance
had returned to permit levels, and a root-
cause analysis relating to the two Q4
non-compliances was underway.
OTHER ISSUES
Reportable Releases: 43 kg of ozone depleting
(R22) refrigerant; an airborne release of an
unknown quantity of organic condensate
and process residues from mill operations
over a 42-minute period (see page 45); and a
release of an unknown quantity of untreated
storm water to the ocean. The stormwater
release resulted from a pumping deficiency,
discovered during efforts to improve surface
runoff capture and treatment in response to
the BOD and toxicity issues described above.
Administrative Errors: Continuous chlorine
dioxide emissions monitoring at the bleach
plant temporarily failed; and on two occasions
emissions stack testing was conducted at
below the required minimum production rates.
Port Alberni (One event)
A small amount of diesel fuel (estimated <25 l)
was released into the ocean when a small
contractor-owned boat – used to manoeuvre
floating logs – sank. Absorbents were
deployed and the vessel re-floated.
ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
An administrative error resulted from late
submission of an Industry Byproducts Annual
Certification form, relating to mill sludge that is
beneficially re-used as an agricultural fertilizer.
Crofton (14 events)
PERMIT NON-COMPLIANCES
There was one permit non-compliance for
each quarter relating to chlorine dioxide
levels in bleach plant emissions. Discussions
with regulators on a potential change in the
permit limit continue, as consistent compliance
has not been possible. Air monitoring near
the mill indicated essentially undetectable
levels of chlorine dioxide.
A single elevated test for particulate emissions
from the lime kiln occurred immediately
before a maintenance shutdown, after
which re-testing found emissions within
permit limits.
Powell River (Three events)
A single reportable release involved leachate
at the mill’s landfill (estimated <2,000 l).
A pipe used to transport collected leachate
to the wastewater treatment plant became
constricted, resulting in the release from an
air vent.
Administrative Errors: Failure to obtain a daily
effluent sample, resulting from mechanical
failure of an automated sampler (the
parameters tested for in the relevant samples
are not subject to any permit limits); and
failure to monitor a clean-water discharge
during a period when the main power boiler
and associated surface condenser were
offline for emergency maintenance.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE EVENTS
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
80
60
40
20
0
WATER AIR LAND
2 Totals include only Catalyst-owned facilities in the year in question (excluding Biron and Rumford prior to 2015).
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 6160 CATALYST PAPER
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Sustainability Highlights INSIDE COVER • • •Facts & Figures INSIDE COVER • • •Catalyst-at-a-Glance 1 • • •About This Report 1 • • •Learning What’s Changed 2 • • •Case Studies 8 • • • • • • •Catalyst in Context 18 • • • • •Measuring What Matters 21 • • • •Customers & Products 22 • • •Workforce Profile 24 • • •Health & Safety 26 • •Our Operating Communities 28 • • • •Fibre & Forest Management 32 • • • • •Energy Use & Carbon Management 36 • • • •Water Use & Quality 40 • •Solid Wastes & Air Emissions 42 • • • •Environmental Data 46 •Regulatory Compliance 60 •Products 64 • • •
We self-declare our disclosure to be in accordance with GR4 core guidelines.
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) INDEX
Rumford (12 events)
PERMIT NON-COMPLIANCES
Sulphur dioxide permit limits were exceeded
following solidification of a large amount of
ash, which required troubleshooting, shut-
down and cleaning of the boiler.
An interruption in turbine operation forced
two boilers offline; this resulted in two
non-compliances consisting of a six-minute
opacity spike (visible emissions) and a 43-
minute venting of non-condensable gas
(the latter due to an interruption in the
supply of steam used to capture the gas).
Separate additional six-minute opacity
incidents (with fuel, equipment and
procedure-related causes) constituted four
further non-compliances later in the year.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE CONTINUED ADVANCING TRANSPARENCY & COMMUNICATING PROGRESSENVIRONMENTAL DATA
Catalyst had a corporate-wide target of total non-compliances and releases (excluding any releases of non-ODS substances) of 37 for 2016, compared to a 2015 baseline of 43. The actual total was 33 – which was substantially better than the targeted improvement. See page 21 for more context on targets.
A shutdown in the softwood bleach
plant, occurring as a result of a failure in
computerized control, resulted in scrubbing
liquids falling below the level required by
permit. A separate additional non-compli-
ance also occurred at the bleach plant,
relating to the allowable range for oxidation
reduction potential on its scrubber, and
occurring when the flow of scrubbing liquid
was obstructed.
Various deficiencies identified during a
compliance inspection, relating to stormwater
management at the mill’s landfill, resulted in
a warning letter from regulators and also
constituted a non-compliance. The deficiencies
were primarily administrative in nature and
were all subsequently addressed.
OTHER ISSUES
Two administrative errors related to missed
sampling of creosote treated wood fuel and
missed temperature monitoring of stored
tire-derived fuel.
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
Catalyst did not incur any significant fines or
non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance
with laws or regulations in 2016, environmental
or otherwise.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 6362 CATALYST PAPER
ENVIRONMENTAL PAPER ASSESSMENT TOOL Developed by GreenBlue, EPAT assesses specific paper products against seven “desired outcomes of environmentally preferred paper.”
ENVIRONMENTAL PAPER COMPANY INDEX Similar to EPAT, the EPCI was developed by the World Wildlife Fund and places particular emphasis on recycled and FSC-certified paper.
CDP (FORMERLY CARBON DISCLOSURE PROJECT) The investor-driven CDP provides a global framework for disclosure of emissions and carbon- related performance. Catalyst also participates in parallel CDP disclosure projects relating to forests and water.
Product Brand End Use
COATED FREESHEET Orion High-end magazines, upscale catalogues, direct mail, commercial print
COATED GROUNDWOOD Vision, Escanaba, Dependoweb, Capri, Consoweb (+HB)
Catalogues, commercial print applications, magazines, retail inserts, direct mail
UNCOATED FREESHEET Rumford OffsetNewsletters, catalogues, pamphlets, brochures, flyers, marketing materials, direct mail
SUPERCALENDERED Electraprime, Electracal Catalogues, magazines, retail inserts and flyers, newspapers
MACHINE FINISHED UNCOATEDElectrastar, Electrabrite, Electrabite Book
Retail inserts, books, workbooks and tablets, brochures, comics, newspapers
DIRECTORY Catalyst Telephone books, catalogues
NEWSPRINT Marathon, Marathon Lite Newspapers, retail inserts and flyers, supplements, directories
PRINTING & WRITING PAPERSCatalyst produces a full range of coated and uncoated printing
and writing papers for a variety of end uses. Our printing papers
offer the broadest product portfolio in North America, including
coated freesheet, coated groundwood, supercalendered, uncoated,
directory and newsprint.
Want to know more about product environmental footprints? Catalyst participates in these third-party disclosure projects:
Product Brand End Use
KRAFT PULP: CROFTON Crofton NBSK
Printing and writing papers, office papers, photocopy papers, converting papers
Tissue, towel, hygienic grades
A wide range of specialty paper and non-paper products
KRAFT PULP: RUMFORD
Rumford NBHK
Specialty papers, magazines and a wide range of publication papers
Office papers, photocopy papers, converting papers
Household and commercial tissue, towel and hygienic grades, other consumer products
Rumford NBSK
Medium and heavy weight coated publication and specialty papers
Printing and writing papers, office papers, photocopy papers, converting papers
Household and commercial tissue, towel and hygienic grades, other consumer products
MARKET PULPCatalyst pulp is a key ingredient in making every day products
such as facial tissue, paper towel and print ing papers. We are an
established producer of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK)
and Northern Bleached Hardwood Kraft (NBHK) pulps for a variety
of end use applications.
PLEASE SEE WWW.CATALYSTPAPER.COM/PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS.
OUR PRODUCTS
Product Brand End Use
LABEL & LINER
Oxford High Bright C1S Oxford Litho C1S
Pressure sensitive face papers, glue-applied labels, box lamination, specialty envelopes, gift wrap
Glide Graphics Release liner base for commercial graphics, traffic signs, large format displays, fleet and vehicle graphics
FOOD
Leap Prime Leap Prime Matte Leap Prime Litho Leap Pinnacle Leap Premier Plus Leap Premier
Spiral cans, stand up pouches, small flat or pinch bottom bags, poly and adhesive laminated products, ice cream treats, sugar packets, wrappers
Bistro Wax Bistro Foil Bistro Bag
Food wrappers, basket liners, sub wrap, deli paper, bakery tissue, sandwich wraps, pinch/flat bottom bags
TISSUE & TOWELBreakwater AfH towel Commercial and industrial settings
SPECIALTY PAPERSOur focus during the year was developing and commercializing new
products for growing specialty markets. We launched Glide™ Graphics
release liner base paper (and promoted our Oxford line), establishing
our brand presence in the Specialty label and liner market. In Q1 2017,
we commercialized Leap™, our family of lightweight flexible packaging
paper, Bistro™ our food service paper and are committed to launch
Breakwater™, our new Away-from-Home (AfH) towel.
Catalyst Paper manufactures diverse specialty and printing papers, newsprint and pulp for converters,
retailers, publishers and commercial printers.
With mills strategically located to serve North American and global markets and ongoing social
and environmental performance and transparency, Catalyst is well regarded as a competitive major
industry player and a customer-focused operator.
64 CATALYST PAPER
PRODUCED BY JOHN CORRY, EDUARDA HODGINS AND GRAHAM KISSACK WITH FORWORDS COMMUNICATION INC.
GRI CONTENT: KEVIN HANSON
STORIES: FORWORDS COMMUNICATION INC.
CREATIVE: ION BRAND DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALBERT NORMANDIN, BRIAN FITZPATRICK, MIKE ROEMER AND ZANE EWTON
Paper Facts Unprinted report (226 g)
Inputs
Raw fibre (g) 303
% certified sources 100
Filler (g) 84
Water (L) 19
Work (person secs) 2.4
Energy (Cal) 1,824
% renewable 58
Emissions
Greenhouse gas (g) 227*
Air particulate (mg) 70
Effluent BOD (mg) 198
Solid waste (cm3) 18
*Offset to zero
PRODUCTION NOTES
Catalyst’s Paper Facts label assures transparency by identifying key
inputs and emissions associated with all of our paper, calculated on
a per report or per tonne basis.
The outside cover is printed on Catalyst’s 80# (216 gsm) Orion Gloss
Sage™ Cover, with its brightness, superior opacity and excellent
printability making it ideal for report, catalogue, high-end insert,
commercial and direct mail print applications. The inside pages of this
report are printed on Catalyst’s 80# (118 gsm) Orion Satin Sage™ Text,
which has acid-free properties that demonstrate outstanding archival
quality, making it well suited for a wide range of print possibilities.
Both papers are produced with pride at our mill in Rumford, Maine.
Catalyst’s coated products are available under our SAGE™ program,
meaning they are either FSC, PEFC, or SFI certified as containing 100
per cent fibre from sustainably, well managed North American forests;
that there were no net carbon emissions during their manufacture;
and that detailed mill-level environmental performance data are
available. We also contribute $1 for every tonne of SAGE™ product
sold to support our partner initiatives.
CONTACTING CATALYST
CATALYST PAPER CORPORATION2nd Floor, 3600 Lysander Lane Richmond, B.C. V7B 1C3 604 247 4400 www.catalystpaper.com
LESLIE T. LEDERERChairman & Interim Chief Executive Officer
EDWARD (NED) DWYERChief Operating Officer
OM BHATIAExecutive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
MATTHEW (MATT) G. STAPLETONInterim Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing
LEN POSYNIAKSenior Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Services
STEW GIBSON Vice President, Sourcing & Technical Services
GRAHAM KISSACKVice President, Corporate Social Responsibility 250 929 0123
MILL LEADERSHIP, COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENTAL LIAISONS
BIRONLucas McLeod, Vice President & General Manager Chris Guldan, Environmental, Health & Safety Manager 715 425 2205
CROFTONHarold Norlund, Vice President & General Manager Brian Houle, Manager, Environment 250 246 6100
PORT ALBERNIWalter Tarnowsky, Vice President & General Manager Larry Cross, Manager, Environment 250 724 7889
POWELL RIVERFred Chinn, Vice President & General Manager Phil Lum, Manager, Environment 604 483 2912
RUMFORDRandy Chicoine, Vice President & General Manager Scott Reed, Manager, Environment 207 369 2203
SAFETY LEADAndreas Kovacs, Manager, Health & Safety 604 483 2773
We welcome reader feedback and invite you to share your thoughts
with us at [email protected].
If you’re excited about what we’re doing and want to explore a career
opportunity with Catalyst, contact us at [email protected].
Contact information is current as of September 2017.