Clean air and water should be returned

Beyond our energy conservation efforts*, we capture 50 million pounds per year of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from our processes and prevent it from being released to the environment. We use it as a raw material in making precipitated calcium carbonate, a brightening agent for our paper. The emissions prevented are equivalent to conserving 2.5 million gallons of gasoline. We also capture sulfur dioxide (precursor to acid rain) to make cooking liquor in our pulping process.

In 1996 we invested more than $10 million to convert to an elemental chlorine-free pulping process. Today we make pulp that is elemental chlorine-free. The pulp we acquire from outside suppliers is also elemental chlorine-free. And the post-consumer fiber we buy is process chlorine-free. The same acre taken to protect the streams that feed the Hudson River in the Adirondacks, is given to the Hudson’s waters as they run next to our mill.

* Finch Paper is one of four international finalists for Pulp & Paper International 2009 “Efficiency Improvements of the Year” award.