Tembec issues 2011 Sustainability Report

MONTREAL, Dec. 10, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Tembec today released its 2011 Sustainability Report, a detailed update that centers on the Company's sustainable stewardship of resources.

"We are proud of our sustainability achievements and will continue to maintain responsible business practices that are harmonized with social and environmental considerations," said James Lopez, Tembec's President and CEO. "Tembec depends on renewable resources, and we know forward-thinking stewardship of those resources will ensure a sound future for all concerned."

The 2011 Sustainability Report focuses on Tembec's approach and results in five areas: health and safety, forest certification, stakeholder engagement, energy and greenhouse gases, and air and wastewater quality. In each of these areas, recent Tembec achievements underline the Company's commitment to sustainability:

Health & Safety: Tembec has reduced its OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) incident rate by 76% since the inception of a health and safety plan in 2007.

Forest certification: Tembec is one of the few companies with Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®) certification on 100% of the public forestlands under its management. Earlier this month, Tembec increased its FSC-certified forestlands to 10.8 million hectares, an area more than twice the size of Switzerland. Certification follows a third-party audit process that shows that forest management practices comply with stringent FSC forest operations standards governing environmental and social responsibility.

Stakeholder engagement: Tembec took a leadership role in the multi-stakeholder approach announced in June 2012 to develop an action plan designed to protect the woodland caribou, an endangered species, and sustain communities and forestry businesses in Ontario's northeast.

Energy and greenhouse gases: A $190 million investment now underway at Tembec's flagship Temiscaming, Québec, facility will increase annual production of green electricity by up to 40 megawatts, and reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 70%.

Air and wastewater quality: In October 2012, our Matane, Quebec high-yield pulp mill became the third Tembec facility to use an anaerobic wastewater effluent treatment facility that produces methane biogas, which reduces fossil fuel usage.

The 2011 Sustainability Report, Tembec's first, was developed using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) version 3.1 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.

Tembec is a manufacturer of forest products - lumber, pulp, paper and specialty cellulose - and a global leader in sustainable forest management practices. Principal operations are in Canada and France. Tembec has some 4,000 employees and annual sales of approximately $2 billion. Tembec is listed on the TSX (TMB).

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of securities laws. Such statements relate, without limitation, to the Company's or management's objectives, projections, estimates, expectations or predictions of the future and can be identified by words such as "may", "will", "could", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect" and "project", the negative or variations thereof, and expressions of similar nature. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience, information available to it and its perception of future developments. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in foreign exchange rates, product selling prices, raw material and operating costs and other factors identified in the Company's periodic filings with securities regulatory authorities. Many of these risks are beyond the control of the Company and, therefore, may cause actual actions or results to materially differ from those expressed or implied herein. The forward-looking statements contained herein reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE: TEMBEC

Linda Coates
Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]