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4 INDUSTRY NEWS


Pulp Paper & Logistics


Activist groups contribute to Resolute’s paper machine closure


C


anada’s Resolute Forest Products is to shut down the PM9 paper machine at its Alma


mill in Quebec, cutting its annual speciality papers production capacity by 75,000 metric tons. Resolute, which owns or


operates 40 pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in North America and South Korea, and power generation assets in Canada, said its decision to reduce speciality paper production capacity was driven by market weakness, exacerbated by fibre cost issues in Quebec. Resolute’s chief executive Richard Garneau said that ‘misinformation campaigns’ by environmental activist groups were a reason for the closure. “Greenpeace’s ill-founded


attacks misrepresent the company’s forest management practices and cast unwarranted doubt on Resolute’s compliance with Quebec’s ‘Loi sur l’aménagement durable du


Production capacity of 75,000 tonnes a year will be lost at Resolute’s Alma mill


territoire forestier’ and our sustainability leadership,” he said. “Quebec’s forest management


regime is among the best in the world, and the government ensures strict compliance. The regime deserves to be respected and upheld, and we are calling upon the Quebec government to continue to defend its standards and to refute these unjustified and unfounded attacks,” stated Richard Garneau, Resolute’s president and chief executive officer. “These misinformation


Richard Garneau, chief executive of Resolute: ‘misinformation campaigns’


March/April 2015


campaigns impact Resolute and people’s lives, as they further destabilize the industry, triggering socio-economic consequences for the communities that depend


on the boreal forest for their livelihood,” added Garneau. The Alma paper mill employs about 340 people and has an annual production capacity of 350,000 metric tons of specialty papers across three machines. The PM9 machine will be permanently closed at the beginning of April, resulting in the loss of about 85 jobs and the permanent reduction of some 75,000 metric tons of production capacity. Resolute said it understood the impact the decision will have on employees, their families and the local community. It said it would work with union representatives and government officials to respond to the needs


of affected employees. Local management will also ensure that each employee receives support, that the relevant conditions in the collective agreements are respected, and that as many employees as possible are transferred to other company facilities. “The decision to rationalize our paper production capacity in Alma was a difficult one to make, as we are mindful of the impact it will have on the affected employees,” Garneau added. “Resolute remains committed to customer service and to the delivery of high-quality products, and will work closely with customers to continue to meet their needs.”


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