Bellona and Norske Skog are working for a better environment

Norske Skog and the environmental foundation Bellona have signed a partnership agreement to create a more environmentally-friendly supply chain. During the last 20 years, Norske Skog has made significant investments to rationalise energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For many years, the company has received recognition from the international Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for social responsibility through its reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and targets for emission reductions.

The collaboration aims to reduce the environmental impact of current production, utilising logs in a better way and finding the right commercial environmental solutions for production of bio-energy and bio-waste.

- Paper is environmentally friendly. It is based on a renewable resource, and paper is recycled to a large extent. Bark and other waste products are used for bio-energy. We want a partnership to examine possibilities for creating better commercial environmental solutions than we have today. A concrete example of the cooperation is that we hope to find good and environmentally friendly uses of ash that occurs as a by-product at Norske Skog's mills in Skogn and Halden, says President and CEO in Norske Skog, Sven Ombudstvedt.

Bellona acknowledges that environmental organisations can not drive forward environmental solutions on their own. Therefore, the environmental foundation has had a cooperation programme with industrial companies since 1998. The reason for this is that Bellona would like to team up with the players in the industry who take the environment seriously, so that we can develop tomorrow's environmental solutions together. To realise these environmental ambitions, great emphasis is placed on the long term. This partnership agreement gives the parties room to develop shared visions and strengthen each other's expertise. In addition, the company will contribute an agreed annual amount to Bellona.

- For a long time, we have been working intensively in Norske Skog to drive in an even more environmentally friendly manner, and we have defined and quantified targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve these, we need to use energy more efficiently. For example, we are investing in a new and more energy efficient pulp plant at Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden. Furthermore, we see that we must do even more in the future, and we have great expectations for our cooperation with Bellona, says Ombudstvedt.

- Industry must take responsibility for environmental and climate-related matters. Bellona's vision is that we have a sustainable land-based industry in Norway. Together, Norske Skog and Bellona can find and implement solutions that are in line with our vision and simultaneously provide a viable industry, said Frederic Hauge, technical manager at the Bellona Foundation.

- We need manufacturing jobs, and the industry produces goods we depend on. At the same time, all manufacturing operations lead to increased use of energy and emissions to our environment. The goal must be to reduce these drawbacks as much as possible, and we in Bellona wish to contribute to Norske Skog being a pioneer in this area, says Frederic Hauge. 

Oxenøen/Oslo, 13 December 2012

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.