How our sustainable business model works:
For nearly a century, RYAM has pioneered sustainable solutions for industry leaders. We were one of the first to realize the full value of the tree and to sustainably harvest raw materials from working forests.
RYAM’s tree-based polymers are the building blocks for countless sustainable consumer products. Our work not only supports thousands of jobs in rural communities, we create environmentally-friendly alternatives to fossil-fuel based products, helping to maintain a market for sustainably-sourced forest materials.
As a result, our operations support millions of acres of responsibly managed forests—furnishing wildlife habitat, cleaning the air, recharging aquifers, and sustaining a rural way of life.
Why is Sustainability important to our business?
At RYAM, we’ve been sustainable from the start. Together, we transform renewable resources into remarkable solutions that promote a more sustainable world.
As a result, few companies are as invested in nature as RYAM. Our business depends on the health of working forests, and many such forests depend on us. Our operations create a market for wood products that keep forests flourishing. That symbiotic relationship is called “interdependence.”
The result is RYAM’s family of sustainable products, like our BioSolutions, which provide environmentally-friendly alternatives to nonrenewable petroleum-based products.
Interdependence is the heart of our company. We are deeply committed to running an environmentally-responsible business that conserves natural resources, promotes sustainable solutions, and strengthens the communities around us.
What are our Sustainability goals?
Further Reduce our Environmental Footprint
Hydro-Power
Hydroelectricity is “water power.” It’s also a renewable resource we purchase that supplies 95% of our energy in Canada.
Sustainable Biomass
In the United States, 80% of our energy use is sustainably generated on-site using renewable resources.
Sustainable Biomass powers 88% of our production capability in Tartas, France.
Produce Sustainable Alternatives to Fossil Fuel-based Plastics
Products like perfume boxes or scratch-and-win lottery tickets may contain our High-Yield Pulp and Sustainable Paperboard products, which are biodegradable and environmentally efficient.
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
We’re taking proactive measures to protect our shared environment. Our goal: 40% reduction in overall Scope 1 and Scope 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030, using 2020 as a baseline year.
Produce Second Generation BioFuels
RYAM is committed to meeting the strong demand in Europe and North America for second-generation BioFuels. BioFuels, used to power cars and other vehicles, are refined from tree residuals and serve as a renewable replacement for conventional fuels that produce greenhouse gas emissions. BioFuels are also a key component of our plan to reduce our environmental footprint.
Our high-purity cellulose refinement process produces sugars as a coproduct, which we’re putting to productive use to refine BioFuels. The strong demand for this innovative, renewable fuel is already promoting a more sustainable world.
RYAM’s BioEthanol Facts:
Plastic Bag
1,000 years to degrade in a landfill
Sustainable Paperboard Products
4-10 weeks to biodegrade and return to nature.