NewPage Paper Mill Earns 2014 Green Masters Award

WISCONSINREPORT.COM (11/28/2014) [MANUFACTURING] – NewPage Corporation (NewPage) has announced that its Stevens Point specialty paper mill achieved recognition as a 2014 Green Masters Award winner, joining an exclusive group of leading Wisconsin companies being recognized by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council for significant and ongoing sustainability practices.

The NewPage Stevens Point mill was judged on a comprehensive range of nine sustainability topics, including energy and waste management, as well as educational and community outreach. The Green Masters Award designation is the highest tier attainable in this competitive process, and is only made available to participants scoring in the top 20 percent of program applicants.

The 2014 Green Masters Award will be presented to NewPage on December 3 at the 7th Annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Stevens Point mill produces specialty papers for food, beverage and consumer goods applications. The mill works within stringent operational standards, constantly striving to improve internal processes, and has invested in continuous improvement methodology that has lead to several successful sustainability projects.

“We are proud to receive the Green Masters designation,” said John Reichert, Stevens Point mill manager.

“The Stevens Point mill challenges itself to be a leader within our industry and community in the areas of environmental practices and sustainability.  This recognition places our facility within the ranks of many well respected Wisconsin organizations, and validates our ongoing efforts toward being a responsible manufacturer of specialty paper,” Reichert added.

Noteworthy Stevens Point mill sustainability innovations include:

– New product development of EcoPoint™ beverage label and UniTherm® thermal transfer label papers resulted in a 7% and 14% reduction in product weight, allowing more product to ship to customers with less trucks, without compromising label performance

– Nearly 84% of location shipments utilize U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay® transportation partners

– Energy conservation projects resulted in a 5.8% year-over-year reduction in energy usage

– Water conservation projects resulted in a 6.3% year-over-year reduction in water usage

– Waste reduction projects resulted in a 7.5% year-over-year waste volume reduction

“At NewPage, sustainability is integral in our approach to everything we do,” said Ed Buehler, vice president of Sales, Marketing and Business Development for specialty papers at NewPage.

“We strive to continuously minimize our environmental impact and maintain a business approach that fosters sustainability. The Green Masters designation is a testament to the extensive sustainability initiatives that we have implemented at NewPage, which we will continue to put into place at our Stevens Point mill.  This award demonstrates our ongoing commitment to doing what’s right for our employees, our customers, our communities and the environment,” Buehler said.

The Green Masters Program is an objective, points-based recognition program that enables Wisconsin institutions of all sizes and from any sector to join a group of like-minded companies that are “on the road to sustainability.”

Developed by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin, the Green Masters Program helps to recognize Wisconsin’s sustainability leaders and encourage continuous improvement.  More than 175 Wisconsin Businesses are participating in the program where only the top twenty percent achieve the highest “Green Master” designation.

NewPage is a leading producer of printing and specialty papers in North America with $3.1 billion in net sales for the year ended December 31, 2013.

NewPage is headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, and owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. These mills have a total annual production capacity of approximately 3.5 million tons of paper.

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