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Resolute’s Vanessa Simard Uses Her AI Skills to Boost Operational Efficiency

domtarcom on February 19, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the forest products industry, and Vanessa Simard, supervisor, Production Planning and Optimization, for our Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec) operations is playing a key role in the shift. Through academic research, Vanessa analyzed how this rapidly evolving technology can help manufacturing facilities run more efficiently. Vanessa has been putting her skills to use at Resolute for over ten years, collaborating with her colleagues to continuously improve productivity. The last few years have been pretty busy for Vanessa. Her work was published in multiple academic journals such as the International Journal of Production Research and the Journal of Data and Information Quality. She completed a PhD degree in Industrial Engineering at Université Laval in 2023. Her thesis, investigating technology’s potential to reduce the impact of uncertainty in the forestry supply chain through improved methods of data analysis, earned the 9th David Martell Student Paper Prize from the Canadian Operational Research Society. Last winter, she taught a course in advanced operational research at her alma mater and even presented her research at an event hosted by the Canadian chapter of Women in AI, an organization dedicated to increasing female participation in AI. Incredibly, she achieved these milestones while also starting a family! Her son was born in 2020, and her daughter in 2023 – just two months after she got her PhD. Beginning in 2013 with a research internship for her bachelor’s degree, Vanessa spent time at several Resolute operations in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, acquiring a wealth of knowledge about forest products operations and process planning. She implemented a number of improvements, including a program to save time for mechanics filling out their reports. And while pursuing her master’s degree between 2015 and 2017 and continuing her career with Resolute, Vanessa was instrumental in developing a major AI-based innovative solution that dramatically reduced the time required to plan the lumber drying process. The system was selected as a finalist for an Innovation Award from the Association pour le développement de la recherche et de l’innovation du Québec (ADRIQ). “Getting that ‘oh, wow!’ reaction from a colleague is a good feeling,” Vanessa says. “I observe how a task is done, collect data and analyze it from various angles. Then I come back and shake things up with new tools and processes. When a task that used to take two hours can now be done in two minutes, that’s rewarding.” Vanessa grew up in Quebec’s Magdalen Islands and now lives in Québec City with her family. When she’s not seeking new ways to improve processes at Resolute, she pursues her other favorite activities: knitting, playing piano and video games, drawing, reading and more. With her expertise, curiosity and problem-solving skills, Vanessa is a valuable asset to her colleagues and the company. We’re proud of her many accomplishments and her contributions to our team!

Resolute Progresses Toward Gender Parity With Women in Governance Certification

domtarcom on February 13, 2024

Resolute has earned a bronze-level 2023 Parity Certification™ for our commitment to supporting women’s leadership. The certification program was created by Women in Governance, a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 2010 to support women in their career advancement and to promote increased representation of women across all sectors and leadership roles. Nearly 1 million employees in Canada and the United States work for an organization that has been parity-certified, and there are plans to expand the program across the Atlantic. Organizations are assessed through an independently validated process that focuses on three pillars: strategy, actions and results. The strategy pillar reviews policies, practices, strategic direction and commitment to sustain gender parity over time. The actions pillar focuses on specific programs and initiatives. And the equity pillar evaluates the outcomes of an organization’s strategies and actions. Resolute’s bronze ranking was based on the concrete actions put in place to increase gender equity across the company, including:
  • Implementing leadership and human resources practices to create an inclusive and diverse workplace
  • Adopting an executive leadership level diversity policy that acknowledges diversity as a key factor in the company’s talent management strategy
  • Participating in the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s initiative to promote gender equality in the forest products sector
  • Establishing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Advisory Committee
  • Deploying a company-wide DE&I communications program
  • Training 100% of management staff on workplace respect and civility, with a focus on unconscious biases
  • Funding initiatives that support education and training for underserved populations
  • Celebrating the achievements of outstanding female employees like Lori Kilgour, chief information officer, North America ; Marie-Noëlle Watts, general manager, Dolbeau (Quebec) paper mill; and Claudia Roberge, superintendent, Health and Safety, Lac-Saint-Jean and Mauricie (Quebec) woodlands operations
Being parity-certified confirms Resolute’s continued progress toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. There’s more work to be done, and we look forward to the next steps of our journey.

Resolute’s Leadership Recognized With Awards and Distinctions in 2023

domtarcom on February 8, 2024

The recognition Resolute received in 2023 on a regional, North American and global scale reflects the company’s leadership in corporate social responsibility and sustainable development, as well as our business practices. Read on for a few highlights!

Accolades for Resolute employees

Two well-deserving employees earned accolades for outstanding achievement in their field. Claudia Roberge, superintendent, Health and Safety, at our Lac-Saint-Jean and Mauricie (Quebec) woodlands operations, took bronze in the Female Achiever/Committed Professional of the Year category at the Globee® Awards for Women in Business, while Alexis Bolduc-Gagnon, superintendent, Health and Safety, at our Dolbeau (Quebec) paper mill won the Rising Star Award at the Forest Products Association of Canada’s Awards of Excellence.

Building a diverse and inclusive culture

Last year, Resolute’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Advisory Committee implemented an exhaustive program of activities in line with a new strategy in order to provide education and increase awareness around DE&I challenges; promote inclusive behavior and language; and encourage constructive, respectful conversations across the organization. These efforts were recognized with a Stevie® Award for Great Employers (Employer of the Year – Manufacturing) as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Award at The Norns Awards.

Innovative products drive a circular economy

In April 2023, Resolute inaugurated a plant producing cellulose filaments, an innovative wood-based biomaterial, in Saguenay (Quebec). The new construction and product line received three distinctions: a Sustainable Innovation Award at the SEAL Business Sustainability Awards; a gold Stevie award at the 20th annual International Business Awards® (IBAs) in the Sustainability Product of the Year (Canada and U.S.A.) category; and a Sustainability Product of the Year Award at the Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Sustainability Awards.

Resolute was also named Company of the Year – Manufacturing at the Globee Awards for Leadership for excellence in manufacturing, driving innovation and delivering high-quality products with precision and efficiency.

We appreciate this recognition and are proud of our employees for their contributions.

For the list of Resolute’s 2023 awards and distinctions, visit the Awards and Recognition section of our corporate website.

Connecting Our Wood Products Facilities’ Real-Time Data With People

domtarcom on February 6, 2024

With an annual production capacity of construction-grade lumber and other wood products of 3.2 billion board feet, Resolute’s wood products facilities need to operate optimally.

Each facility is strategically located and supported by an extensive logistics network that enables us to provide reliable, on-time deliveries to customers across the United States and Canada. Our teams collect manufacturing data and regularly report on it every day. Given many of our operations were tied to old, unsophisticated systems, however, getting an instant snapshot was not always easy or feasible.

In 2022, Resolute launched a technology project to replace our wood products facilities’ information systems with a single data management platform. Using a cloud-based solution developed by Ontario-based B3 Systems, our sawmills and other wood products facilities are now monitoring and reporting on key performance indicators in real time using one convenient and intuitive dashboard.

Access to key information in real time

Before the implementation of the new dashboard, operations personnel collected data at the end of each shift and logged the information into a spreadsheet. For a more immediate understanding of what was happening onsite, managers and supervisors relied on a combination of walkarounds, radio monitoring and incident reporting.

The B3 system collects and displays real-time production and machine center data at any given moment. Team members are able to see how well different machines and equipment are running at each operation, while a prominent display keeps a live tally of the facility’s overall board feet production numbers.

Better data means smarter decisions

Downtime is an important operational key performance indicator in our industry. The new data management system not only tells users what equipment is offline, it also helps teams record the reasons why, so that preventive maintenance can be more effective.

Now that the system is online and operating across Resolute’s wood products network, the next step is to link the data generated to action planning. For example, if a debarker is down, a task will be assigned to a specific worker with follow-ups and notifications. 

By integrating live data into our wood products operations, Resolute is not only enhancing operational efficiency, but also empowering our employees to make agile and informed decisions, ensuring the company’s competitiveness as the forest products industry evolves.

Resolute’s New Planer Mill Boosts Local Production

domtarcom on January 31, 2024

Inaugurated on January 30, Resolute’s new planer mill located in Senneterre (Quebec), adjacent to the company’s sawmill, has been ramping up these past weeks and is well on its way to achieving full capacity. Following a two-year construction process, the mill began operating early in November. With an average speed exceeding 40,000 board feet per hour, the facility will be able to process 275 million board feet of lumber annually. Resolute’s C$45 million investment in the Senneterre operations will optimize Resolute’s fiber supply, enhance the overall efficiency of the adjacent sawmill, reduce production costs at our Abitibi regional operations and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps ensure that every tree is used optimally.

The planer mill is a welcome complement to the company’s existing operations in the Abitibi region. Previously, most wood harvested and sawed in the area was trucked to Resolute facilities in other Quebec regions for processing. Now, locally harvested wood can be sawed, dried and planed right in Senneterre, resulting in a significantly streamlined process and a sizable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The adjoining thermal power plant also transforms bark into electricity.

While the new facility greatly increases planing capacity in Senneterre, its efficiency means fewer positions will be needed for planer operation. Employees who worked on the old planing machine will transition into newly created roles in the sawmill, increasing its production and maintaining the total workforce count at 153. The new planer operation’s impact on the local economy has been far-reaching, with a large majority (90%) of the civil engineers, equipment suppliers and labor involved in its construction based in Quebec. Hardy Construction in nearby Amos and Promec in Rouyn-Noranda were major players, as were 16 other firms from the province.

Pierre-Luc Bluteau, director of Engineering, Wood Products, recognized the important roles his colleagues played in bringing the planer mill to fruition. “There are people who really put their hearts into this project,” he said. “The dedicated efforts of the project and operations teams made it all possible.”

petit-groupe

Caption (l. to r.): Michel Cyr, vice president, Operations, Céline Brindamour, prefect, Regional County Municipality of Vallée-de-l’Or, Nathalie-Ann Pelchat, mayor, Senneterre, Hugues Simon, president, Wood Products, André Boucher, general manager, Senneterre sawmill and Pierre Dufour, MPP for Abitibi-Est

Resolute Made Great Strides With 2023 DE&I Strategy

domtarcom on January 23, 2024

Resolute’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Advisory Committee was established at the beginning of 2022 to provide education and increase awareness around DE&I challenges; promote inclusive behavior and language; and encourage constructive, respectful conversations across the organization. The committee is composed of eight dedicated employees representing the company’s various sectors and operating regions. 

The committee’s main goals in 2023 were to recommend DE&I commitments, monitor their progress and plan priorities for the year. Numerous communications were published, including a series of blogposts: Creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture at Resolute, It’s Black History Month, Resolute Celebrates International Women’s Day, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, April is Celebrate Diversity Month, June Kicks off Pride Season!, June is National Indigenous History Month, Honoring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Celebrating Latin American and Hispanic Heritage Month! / Celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Latinoamericana y Hispana! and Observing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities: December 3.

DEI_Members_EN_v5

Committee members also organized several management and employee conferences, employee discussion groups, and training and information sessions, such as training on unconscious bias, reaching 56% of employees in leadership positions, with a goal for all management employees to complete the training by the end of 2024.

Our DE&I Advisory Committee is leading the way in actively shaping a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. This year, the committee is developing new objectives and activities, including recommendations from cross-functional groups addressing challenges faced by women in the organization.

We appreciate the committee’s efforts and insights, and look forward to seeing what they’ll achieve in 2024!

Resolute Tissue Miami Operations Achieves Safety Milestone, Donates to Ronald McDonald House

domtarcom on January 9, 2024

Congratulations to Resolute Tissue Miami Operations employees for achieving a safety milestone of 750,000 safe hours! Employees donated $5,000 from the President & CEO Safety Award funds to the South Florida Chapter of the Ronald McDonald House (along with a donation of paper towels) on December 28th. A Ronald McDonald House provides a place for families to call home so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little to no cost. Pictured L-R: Cindy Carballo (Resolute Tissue HR Manager), Dawn Compres (RMHC S. FL House Manager), Nicole Betancourt (RMHC S. FL Development Manager) and Ramon Castillo (Resolute Tissue Enviro, Health & Safety Manager.)

Resolute Tissue Miami Operations Donates Safety Award to Children’s Hospital Foundation

domtarcom on January 2, 2024

Showing care for the local community is what the Resolute Tissue Miami Operations demonstrates with their $5000 donation to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation on December 15, 2023. Employees in Miami achieved the milestone of 500,000 safe working hours to earn The President & CEO Safety Award and chose to donate to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation. Pictured L – R below are Cindy Carballo (Resolute Tissue HR Manager), Millie Delgado (Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation Director of Engagement), and Ramon Castillo (Resolute Tissue Environmental Health & Safety Manager.) This hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children.

Sanford Tissue Operations Donates Safety Award Money to Meals on Wheels

domtarcom on December 21, 2023

Resolute Tissue Sanford Operations presented a $2500 donation to Seminole County Friends of Abused Children. This charity has a mission to promote and assist in efforts to provide for the needs of abused and neglected children and former neglected children between ages 18 and 21 in Seminole County, FL, as well as promoting their rehabilitation. This charity annually aids over 600 children by offering necessities like clothing, shoes, and even luggage (as many children move from placement to placement with their belongings in trash bags.) Other assistance comes in the form of tutoring, summer camp, and funds for post-secondary education. (From left to right: Pierre Altema – Tissue Machine Backtender; SK Sharma – Tissue Mill Manager; Susan Tallis – Guardian Ad Litem Child Advocate Manager; Todd Fisher – HR & EHS Manager; Faith Shorthouse – Friends of Abused Children Treasurer; Donna Dearman — Friends of Abused Children Board Member; Alberto Caquias – Tissue Mill Assistant Superintendent)

Resolute Sponsors Champion Ski Racer Florence Carrier

domtarcom on December 14, 2023

Several Resolute facilities from the Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec) region are joining together to sponsor para-alpine ski racer Florence Carrier, a two-time gold medalist in the 2023 Canada Winter Games and an aspiring participant in the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. 

Originally from Orford (Quebec), Florence, 16, is already a member of Canada’s para-alpine ski team and has long served as a spokesperson for the War Amps, an organization devoted to improving the lives of Canadian amputees. Resolute’s pledge of $15,000, disbursed over three years, will help fund her Paralympic dreams.  

Florence distinguished herself as an athlete from a young age. Her parents, sports lovers themselves, introduced her to the ski slopes when she was just three years old, and she started racing at age nine. Today, in good weather and bad, she trains five days a week, and, during the summer, also competes in triathlons and plays baseball. 

Florence, who uses a prosthetic device due to the amputation of her right leg when she was a baby, does not view this disability as a barrier to achieving her ambitions. We are inspired by her resilience and determination and wish her continued success in all her endeavors.

Florence-Carrier_Ski

Resolute’s Support for Learning and Education

domtarcom on December 7, 2023

Resolute proudly supports access to education in the communities where we operate. In doing so, we’re fostering innovation in the forest products sector and meaningfully impacting the lives of deserving individuals. Academic contributions are a key component of the company’s philanthropic program. In 2022 alone, Resolute donated US$300,000 toward numerous scholarships, bursaries, research grants and school boards. 

Our latest video capsule provides a snapshot of Resolute’s funding for academic institutions as well as research projects. Watch Resolute’s Support for Learning & Education here. 

Explore our YouTube channel and check out the animations on sustainability playlist to find video capsules highlighting safety, forest management certification, governance, partnerships with Indigenous communities, chain-of-custody certification, operating communities, green energy, stakeholder engagement, action on climate and the circular economy. 

Observing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities: December 3

domtarcom on December 1, 2023

Proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed every year on December 3. It aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity and well-being of persons with disabilities.

This year’s theme is: “United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for, with and by persons with disabilities.” In September 2015, the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 SDGs and seeks to be fully inclusive of people with disabilities. Building on the principle of “leaving no one behind”, the new agenda emphasizes a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all.


Today, more than one billion people, or approximately 15% of the world’s population, live with some form of disability. A disability is a condition or function, visible or invisible, judged to be significantly impaired relative to the usual standard of an individual of their group. 


Accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities are fundamental rights. When barriers to inclusion are removed, persons with disabilities are empowered to participate fully in societal life and their entire community benefits.


We can all support and make a difference by creating a more inclusive work environment. And we can use the hashtag #Envision2030 to join the global conversation and help create a world in 2030 that is fully inclusive of persons with disabilities.

Community Life at Resolute: Q3-2023 Highlights

domtarcom on November 30, 2023


Resolute is focused on building mutually beneficial relationships in the communities in which we live and work. We demonstrate this commitment through transparency, information-sharing and active involvement in community life.

Caring for our operating communities

Each of our operating communities has specific needs, and our employees often lead our local philanthropic initiatives. During the third quarter, our Menominee (Michigan) mill donated to a food bank, and our Grenada (Mississippi) mill supported a community youth mentorship program. In Arkansas, our Glenwood and El Dorado sawmills sponsored the annual Pike County Fair and the Arkansas Forestry Association’s annual meeting, respectively. In Quebec, several Lac-Saint-Jean operations sponsored the Girardville municipality’s beautification project and participated in the Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean, a 32-km (19.9-mile) international swimming competition across a lake. And Clermont contributed to the restoration and maintenance of salmon spawning zones on the Malbaie River.

Providing in-kind support

We ship products around the world, but some items don’t travel far to fill important needs. Our Calhoun (Tennessee) and Sanford (Florida) tissue mills donated cases of bath tissue and paper towels to organizations that fight homelessness and deliver meals to homebound individuals, as well as to food banks and schools. Lumber was donated to an animal shelter and to improve the local blueberry festival’s infrastructure by our Senneterre and Girardville (Quebec) sawmills, respectively.


Getting actively involved


Sport is a powerful source of social connection, and our employees are frequently involved in fundraisers that support vital services in their communities. During the Resolute bike tour and golf tournament held in August in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, 150 suppliers and other business partners helped raise $175,000 for two local hospital foundations. Many employees from across the region participated in the event.

A team from our Clermont mill took part in the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope, while Ontario woodlands employees joined the Honouring Our Children Run in support of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Education is a priority area of funding for Resolute, and members of the Mistassini (Quebec) woodlands team participated in Défi Déméter, a 5-km (3.1-mile) obstacle course event that raises funds for college students through the Cégep de St-Félicien foundation.


Our community involvement frequently benefits youth programs. In Q3, Saint-Félicien (Quebec) pulp mill employees organized a garage sale that raised $5,000 for several youth organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, and our Coosa Pines mill donated close to $2,500 to local youth baseball and football teams.

Promoting our industry to the next generation of workers

At Resolute, we continuously strive to inspire and attract the next generation of workers. The Gatineau (Quebec) mill sponsored the annual Forces AVENIR gala celebrating students from across the province who combine academic achievements and meaningful contributions to their communities.

We are always looking for opportunities to share our knowledge of the forest and the industry. To encourage recruitment, a team from Ontario woodlands provided Whitesand First Nation high school students with a tour of our Thunder Bay sawmill as part of a summer youth employment program. And Ontario woodlands facilitated a three-day forest ecology tour for local college students.

To learn more about Resolute’s commitment to our operating communities, check out The Resolute Blog as well as the Community Involvement section of the corporate website.

Thank you to our employees for recognizing the value of community support and engagement!

Community-Life
  1. Fondation du Centre Maria-Chapdelaine
  2. Fondation du Domaine-du-Roy
  3. Honouring our Children Run
  4. Fondation Henri-Roy
  5. Association québécoise de la maladie de Lyme

Resolute Tissue Sanford Operations Donates Safety Award Money to Children’s Charity

domtarcom on November 27, 2023

To help Meals on Meals, Etc., celebrate its 50th anniversary and provide community support, Resolute Tissue Sanford, FL Operations donated $2500 to the organization to assist seniors of Seminole County visiting their Casselberry Community Meal Center. We are proud of the Sanford team for recognizing this need and donating their safety award money to support the local community via Meals on Wheels, Etc., Inc. of Seminole County. (Pictured left to right) Abraham Prieto – Resolute Tissue IT, SK Sharma – Tissue Mill Mgr., Marie George– Meals on Wheels, Art Fales – Converting & Quality Mgr., Juan Casillas – Marketing & Quality Dir., Bob Visscher – General Mgr., Roger Cadet – Process Technician & Mike Mckee – Meals on Wheels Executive Director. https://lnkd.in/dsK6KAk5

Resolute Recognized for Its Sustainability Leadership Under CN’s EcoConnexions Partnership Program

domtarcom on November 22, 2023

Resolute has once again been recognized for its sustainability leadership under CN’s EcoConnexions Partnership Program. The program annually celebrates CN customers, suppliers and supply chain partners that demonstrate a commitment to reducing their environmental footprint and being part of the climate solution. Resolute was one of 68 companies in Canada and the United States that were recognized for their sustainable business practices.

The EcoConnexions program reflects CN’s commitment to providing cleaner, more sustainable transportation services while minimizing the environmental impact of its operations. CN will recognize this year’s winners by planting 100,000 trees in their honor. Since the program was launched in 2014, CN has planted over 800,000 trees through its partnership with Tree Canada.

View the list of this year’s CN EcoConnexions winners.

Celebrating National Native American Heritage Month

domtarcom on November 14, 2023

The month of November is annually dedicated to celebrating National Native American Heritage in the United States. During this month, Indigenous people and communities are honored and celebrated for their rich and varied cultures, traditions, histories and societal contributions. November has, therefore, become an opportunity to increase our knowledge of the unique challenges faced by this population and to understand how historical and current issues have impacted Indigenous peoples.


Dating back to as early as 1916, when New York became the first state to declare an “American Indian Day,” efforts have been made to acknowledge the many contributions and achievements of Native peoples. Most recently, in 2022, the Department of the Interior committed to revitalizing Indigenous connections and celebrate Indigenous cultures by undertaking a historic renaming effort. Taking the time to recognize the essential and unique contributions made by Native Americans to the United States and the world at large is one way of honoring the past and paying tribute to the journey and developments.

Resolute Raises $175,000 to Support Healthy Communities in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

domtarcom on September 11, 2023

Healthy, active people contribute to strong and vibrant communities. That’s why 150 Resolute employees, suppliers and collaborators recently joined forces to raise $175,000 for three worthy organizations serving Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, where many of our employees and their families live and work. Participants chose between golfing or riding a magnificent local bike trail, the Véloroute des Bleuets. A spirit of camaraderie and community engagement prevailed throughout the events. 

During a ceremony attended by local elected officials, Resolute executives presented $85,000 each to the Fondation du Centre Maria-Chapdelaine and the Fondation du Domaine-du-Roy, which improve patient care at the region’s hospitals, and $5,000 to Liberté à Vélo, which promotes the physical and environment benefits of active transportation. Each of these organizations plays a vital role in the lives of families in the region, and Resolute welcomes the opportunity to support their missions. 

We are proud to contribute to the well-being of those who call our operating communities home, and grateful to everyone who made this year’s campaign such a success. 

Resolute executives present André Perron, president of the Fondation du Centre Maria-Chapdelaine (photo 1), Marc-André Lévesque, president of the Fondation du Domaine-du-Roy (photo 2) and Claude Asselin, president, Liberté à vélo (photo 3), with donations. 

Resolute and the Circular Economy in Action

domtarcom on September 5, 2023

Resolute’s sustainability strategy is supported by public commitments aligned with the circular economy. We optimize wood’s value as a natural, renewable resource to make indispensable products, while pursuing opportunities in product innovation, extending the value of the trees we harvest. Our latest animated capsule demonstrates our progress, including the 33% reduction in waste sent to landfill compared to 2018 levels – an achievement that surpassed our 2026 target well ahead of schedule! Watch it here.


Visit our YouTube channel to view more capsules on safety, forest certification, governance, our partnerships with Indigenous communities, chain-of-
custody certification, action on climate, Resolute’s operating communities, green energy and stakeholder engagement.

Resolute Invests in Innovative Truck Platooning Technology

domtarcom on August 30, 2023

Resolute is helping advance an exciting off-highway automated vehicle (AV) technology known as truck platooning. Truck platooning involves a convoy of trucks that are linked together electronically, all operated by an experienced driver in the lead truck. The rest of the trucks in the convoy respond to the lead driver’s movements through a drive-by-wire and autonomy system. 

The project is spearheaded by FPInnovations, a private not-for-profit R&D organization that specializes in developing solutions to make the Canadian forest products sector more competitive. The project has received funding from Quebec’s Société du Plan Nord as well as from Natural Resources Canada’s Forest Innovation Program. The project can count on the vast expertise of the technological partner, Robotic Research Autonomous Industries (RRAI). In addition to funding, Resolute is providing testing terrain and logistical support. Baseline testing for the technology was completed last month on Resolute land in Quebec’s Matagami region. The test utilized a pickup truck prototype in summer and winter conditions. Upcoming phases will examine performance in more challenging scenarios using loaded freight in cold, icy and low-light conditions with full scale Class 8 Trucks, equipped with RRAI’s “AutoDrive® autonomous platform”. Testing is set to continue until 2026.  

Truck platooning offers many advantages for our industry and beyond. In addition to helping address the ongoing shortage of truck drivers and operators, the technology makes trucking more efficient, reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel costs, improves safety for all road users on remote roads and highways, and generates positive socio-economic impacts for northern communities. These benefits apply to all resource roads and are likely to extend to other sectors, including mining and transportation in remote areas. The technology’s potential for reducing GHG emissions through better driving efficiency supports the global transition to a net-zero economy. Resolute is proud to be a key player in this important project.

Employee Training Connects Resolute to ESG Goals

domtarcom on August 22, 2023

At Resolute, we’re using training to engage and inform not just company leadership, but employees at every level about the risks and opportunities posed by sustainability and stewardship. It is our belief that training helps build a culture of transparency and accountability, and that these initiatives will reflect positively in our robust environment, social and governance (ESG) reporting. 

Over the last 18 months, we provided training for company leaders and employees to acquire essential skills for adhering to ESG best practices and to promote a culture built around sustainability. Most notably, 100% of the executive team, corporate environmental managers and sustainability committee members were trained on the principles and standards of ESG disclosure – a total of 50 individuals.

Training on Environmental

Guided by the company’s Environmental Policy, our environment coordinators and facility managers have on-the-ground responsibility for compliance with local laws and regulations and for facilitating continuous improvement. We trained 184 of our employees, including directors and managers, on environmental management and compliance. Training took place via virtual sessions led by our Legal Services team. 

Training on Social

With safety as the centerpiece of our social commitments, we also trained over 1,000 employees on our proactive approach to safety in the workplace. Sessions focused on our three proactive safety pillars, as outlined in our Health and Safety Policy Statement, along with a comprehensive hierarchy of risk controls.

Worker respect is another area of our social focus. We sensitized all new employees on workplace respect and civility and extended this training to all managers and the entire executive team.

Training on Governance

The structures, policies and rules about how employees conduct themselves form the heart of our ESG work. We trained 100% of our new employees and 98% of our salaried employees on our Code of Business Conduct. This training reinforces our long-established commitment to ensure all employees are familiar with both the code and our Ethics Reporting Policy.

We also require that 100% of our employees are trained on our IT Security Policy, and when it is required, that they complete online training courses specific to their fields, such as finance, health and safety, as well as environmental and risk management.To learn more about Resolute’s ESG commitments, visit the Public Commitments page of our website.

Resolute Receives an International Business Award

domtarcom on August 16, 2023

Resolute has won a Stevie® in the 20th Annual International Business Awards® (IBAs) competition: a gold award in the category of Sustainability Product of the Year (Canada and the U.S.A.), recognizing our novel cellulose filaments produced at the new plant located in our Kénogami paper mill in Saguenay (Quebec). Other contenders in this year’s awards program were Coca-Cola, Telus and Toyota, among others.

Comments from the judges on our corporate social responsibility program included: 

  • “This submission serves well to document the attention, commitment, and investments that have gone into developing an exciting range of solutions that could replace single-use plastics and possibly improve on the performance of existing high-carbon construction materials.”
  • “Very innovative application of biomaterial in making enhancements in quality of concrete outputs and at the same time playing vital role in being ecofriendly and sustainability enhancing pursuit.”  
  • “Great strategy focus on the sustainability, based on a balanced approach to environmental, social and economic aspects. Good job!”

The IBAs are an international, all-encompassing business awards program recognizing outstanding performance in the workplace worldwide. The 2023 IBAs received entries from organizations in 61 nations and territories, and over 200 professionals from around the world determined the winners.

Learn more at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

The 2023 Green Dream team is ready to hit the ground running!

domtarcom on August 2, 2023

The Green Dream Internship Program was created by the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) to showcase the perspectives of young people working in Canada’s vibrant forest products sector. The program also highlights our industry’s sustainable practices as well as the range of dynamic, diverse and rewarding careers available.  

Two of this year’s 15 Green Dream Interns are joining Resolute operations: Marie-Pascale Allard (Kénogami paper mill) and Philippe Gaudreault (Dolbeau paper mill). Three other interns, Jocelyn Ertl, Marlies Ilott and Amanda Pacholczak, were assigned to Resolute’s former Thunder Bay (Ontario) pulp and paper mill, recently acquired by an affiliate of Atlas Holdings.They will join the other Green Dream winners in blogging about their on-the-job experiences, and receive $1,000 at the end of the summer in recognition of their efforts. FPAC received many enthusiastic applications for the program. Winners were chosen for their creativity, responsibility and passion for forestry.

Marie-Pascale Allard, Kénogami paper mill, Quebec

Marie-Pascale is 19 years old and is working as a human resources trainee at Resolute Forest Products Kénogami mill. She is currently studying industrial relations at Laval University. Marie-Pascale is an outgoing person who likes to get moving! She is passionate about downhill skiing, running and the outdoors. She loves spending time with family, whether at the family farm, camping, or just enjoying a good meal!

Marie-Pascale chose to do her internship in the forestry sector to gain experience in an environment focused on work relations and health and safety. She is thrilled to be able to develop professionally in a forestry company with values she can identify with, such as Resolute Forest Products. Marie-Pascale is convinced that this experience will enable her to be a human resources co-advisor who stands out!

“I feel very fortunate to be able to participate in this program! It’s gratifying to know that it recognizes trainees from the forestry sector.”

Philippe Gaudreault, Dolbeau paper mill, Quebec

Philippe is a Mechanical Engineering student. He believes the internship will provide him with the skills required to become a Mechanical Engineer by trade. Problem-solving, design and creation are all directly linked to the training. In this profession, there are several paths that can lead to this training. For his part, he opted for the mechanical engineering technique which has enabled him to acquire knowledge not only as a technician, but also as a future engineer. Philippe is a very resourceful person who likes to learn new things every day. He likes competitive sports, but what gives him the most pleasure is working as part of a team to achieve the desired goals. He loves the forest and recreational activities. Finally, Philippe has several ideas about what he’d like to do after his studies. He has loved mechanics ever since he was young, but what Philippe dreamt about most is the world of aircraft. Aviation mechanics has always been something he found extremely interesting as well as the world of snowmobiling.

“Since the summer of 2021, I’ve been working as a mechanical engineering trainee at Resolute Forest Products. I work at the Dolbeau pulp mill as a planning trainee and mechanical supervisor. My work experience includes personnel management, project management and machine shutdown planning. This has enabled me to acquire knowledge related to my current training, but also to learn more about wood processing. What’s more, this work experience has shown me just how much I like this type of job and has given me the motivation to continue my progress as a mechanical engineering student. As a result, this dream internship program will enable me to express my knowledge of wood products and pass it on to other young people looking for internships in this field.”Look out for posts by the Green Dream team on Facebook and LinkedIn starting next week. Congratulations to all the 2023 Green Dream Interns!

Look out for posts by the Green Dream team on Facebook and LinkedIn starting next week. Congratulations to all the 2023 Green Dream Interns!

Building a Better Fishway for the Vulnerable American Eel

domtarcom on July 19, 2023

As part of a project to improve dam safety members of Resolute’s Hydro-Saguenay team worked with engineers at WSP to design an improved culvert that would enable the American eel and other fish species to recolonize a territory conducive to their growth. Once thought to be among the most abundant fish species in Quebec, the American eel is in decline.

After assessing the impact of hydroelectric dams to the slimy, scaleless, yellow and brown American eel, the team members set to work. They replaced a culvert on the Benouche stream in Saguenay−Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec), with a specially designed fishway.

Sensitive species

Eels are sensitive to changes in their environment, therefore, habitat loss and dams are potential factors in their population’s decline. Unlike salmon that run from the sea to freshwater breeding grounds, American eels do the reverse, migrating from fresh  water to the sea to spawn. The young eels then make their way back to freshwater habitats to grow. 

It’s a challenging journey for the little eels;, they must travel all the way from the Sargasso Sea, near Florida and the Bahamas, to the freshwater lakes of Quebec – some of which are dotted with hydroelectric dams.The Éternité River watershed, which includes the Benouche stream, is a known habitat for the American eel, and experts determined that replacing an old culvert with a more fish-friendly solution can help recolonize the territory and grow its eel population.

Building a more eel-friendly culvert

With this goal in mind, our Hydro-Saguenay hydroelectric generation and transmission division invested in the redevelopment of the Beénouche stream culvert. Making the culvert more eel-friendly was not a simple matter of smoothing out its small waterfall; the team had to redesign the culvert entirely.

The challenge is that most culverts are meant to facilitate the flow of floodwaters, not fish. As a result, water coming from culverts often flows too fast, or the water level is too low for eels and other fish to navigate easily. So, rather than build a round culvert, engineers developed a concrete-formed rectangular shape fitted with curbs and stones that simulate natural hydraulic conditions favorable to the movement of eels.

The Benouche stream culvert project was completed last summer. It’s part of our commitment to actively protect the biodiversity of the habitats where we operate. 

Learn more about our other conservation initiatives in the Conservation and Biodiversity section of Resolute’s website, including our commitment to maintaining biodiversity in the forests we manage.

Resolute Employees Join Local Scouts to Plant 800 Trees

domtarcom on July 18, 2023

On May 30, employees from our Ontario woodlands operations joined local scouts to plant 800 trees in just two hours! The planting event took place at Wishart Conservation Area, a 221-hectare spruce and jack pine forest in the boreal zone managed by the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, which maintains the trails, parking areas, boat launches and other facilities located within the region. 

Members of our forestry team happily answered the scouts’ questions on silviculture and forest dynamics, prompting numerous positive comments from their leaders and parents who attended. 

The spring event took place independently from Resolute’s regular reforestation activities, which are essential to responsible and sustainable forest management. 

Thanks to Scouts Canada, the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority and our employees whose efforts helped make this event happen, including Erin Kielt, silviculture forester; Ethan Brandt and Ashton Overton, forestry students; and Autumn Lachine, woodlands intern.

Resolute Wins Norns Diversity and Inclusion Award

domtarcom on July 11, 2023

In June, Resolute won the 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Award from The Norns Awards, a global competition highlighting excellence and innovation. The company was recognized for our practices supporting justice, equity and inclusion, as well as for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The awards program received over 800 entries, and winners were selected by a team of international judges made up of professionals from various industries. Other companies that won in the same category include BMW, Deloitte and L’Oréal.

The judging panel emphasized our many diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, including the launch of our employee-led DE&I working committee.This recognition reinforces our commitment to making Resolute an employer of choice in our industry and our operating communities. We continue to pursue initiatives that help us attain and sustain a more inclusive and diverse workplace. For more information on our commitments to DE&I, read our blogpost.

New P+PB recycling campaign tells consumers to ‘Go Papertarian’

domtarcom on June 27, 2023

From choosing paper products to practicing proper recycling, the paper industry wants people to know that their everyday choices have an impact on our forests and the environment.

That’s why the Paper & Packaging Board (P+PB) launched a new integrated campaign that calls on consumers to live a papertarian lifestyle. The ads shine a positive light on the industry by telling its sustainability story – getting consumers to think about their choices before they buy packaged products and how they will dispose of the packaging when they’re done with it.

As employees in the forest sector, we are the original papertarians. Our industry creates the paper products consumers rely on and embraces the qualities of what the campaign defines as uniquely papertarian. Specifically, a papertarian commits to using plant-based paper and packaging products to help them learn, be more productive, and protect the things they care about. 

The new ads feature comedian Donna Meagle (NBC’s Good Girls, Parks and Recreation and HGTV’s Ugliest House in America) as Retta, the first official papertarian.

In the informative and humorous ads, Retta is seen at work, home and even the grocery store pointing out the sustainable virtues of paper products and packaging all the while educating those around her about the proper ways to recycle. 

The new campaign shows that the paper industry is committed to sustainable forestry and that it firmly believes in its contributions. 

In the U.S., paper companies work with private forest landowners to grow and maintain forests at a rate nearly double the volume needed to make the paper, packaging and boxes consumers rely on every day. The key message of the campaign is simply that by choosing paper, a consumer is helping to support the growth of our forests. And by recycling, we are all making the most of our natural resources.

If you work in the forest industry, you’ll want to tell everyone you know about being a papertarian. You can watch the ads here. Join the movement. Go Papertarian!

ESG reporting: The facts and figures that drive our sustainability work

domtarcom on June 21, 2023

Who Cares Wins. That was the title of the 2004 United Nations report that first introduced the term ESG – environmental, social and governance – the three components on which a company’s sustainability work can be assessed. Since then, employees, investors, customers and a range of other stakeholders have been paying increased attention to these as indicators of an organization’s health.

An impactful ESG strategy creates positive social and environmental impacts while ensuring business is conducted with integrity. At Resolute, our business and sustainability strategies have been expressly developed to align our efforts in environmental stewardship and social responsibility with our business objectives. Our governance focus is on ensuring all aspects of our operations are conducted with accountability and transparency. 

ESG reporting plays an important role in providing a comprehensive overview of our past achievements and future direction, and we have been reporting on the company’s sustainability performance regularly since 2011. In 2022, we established longer-term ESG targets to complement our annual targets and other ongoing commitments. The following three leaflets are the latest addition to our sustainability reporting program:

  • ESG at Resolute offers a high-level summary of our sustainability strategy as well as ESG commitments, targets and performance, which ensure all aspects of Resolute’s business are conducted with integrity and transparency.
  • ESG by the Numbers is a comprehensive facts and figures summary that uses sustainability accounting standards and ESG rating systems to organize key information.  
  • Public Commitments is a report card of sorts. It offers a detailed overview of our 2022 targets, a score of how we performed on each of these, as well as what goal we have set for each target for 2023 and beyond.

To learn about Resolute’s environmental, social and governance commitments, targets and performance, visit the sustainability section of our website.

Celebrating Indigenous-Led Education

domtarcom on June 15, 2023

Four years after their founding, the Lac des Mille Lacs Education Centres are a resounding success. In fact, the innovative, multicultural, Indigenous-led education centers in Northwestern Ontario are expecting to double their enrollment. About half of the 300 current students come from Indigenous communities. Resolute donated C$25,000 to the organization in 2021, recognizing its potential to create lasting positive effects in the lives of local youth. Last May, Resolute visited the I.R. Churchill location to deliver a presentation on Forestry 101 to students at the junior high school level.

Embracing a holistic, inclusive approach, the organization offers educational programming from early childhood levels up to Grade 12. The curriculum features experiential and land-based activities, as well as Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language instruction. The organization also proudly boasts a robust hockey program. 

For over 25 years, Resolute and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation have enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership. Members of the Treaty 3 Nation participate in forest management, land use planning and local citizen committees, contributing valuable perspectives and expertise. Resolute is committed to supporting and maintaining constructive relationships with First Nations and other Indigenous communities in our operating regions in Canada.

The future is bright for the Lac des Mille Lacs Education Centres, and Resolute is honored to be part of their inspiring vision!