zero waste imperative

Every year, 1.75 million tonnes of wood waste lands up in Canadian landfills, wasting space and resources, and elevating greenhouse gas emissions – methane emissions are 23 per cent more damaging to the environment than carbon. Canada's forest industry has reduced its landfill wastes by nearly 40 per cent between 1996 and 2001, and is looking for ways to reduce wood waste even more through the CO 2 Neutral Alliance.

Canada's abundant forest resource, combined with its leadership in sustainable forest management and product research, places it in a unique position to become a leader in the 21st Century bio-economy. Canadian researchers are developing technological innovations to use wood fibre – including biomass such as harvesting and sawmill residues – to produce clean, renewable energy and fuel, as well as innovative biochemicals and bio-materials.

Today, Canada's forest products industry is using Wood-waste residue to produce clean renewable energy as a sustainable alternative to traditional energy. The industry already meets 60 per cent of its total energy needs with renewable energy – primarily biomass – and aims to increase this to 100 per cent. It has reduced its use of fossil fuels by 45 per cent and improved its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 61 per cent.. When used for energy, forest biomass is considered clean or carbon neutral because it releases no more carbon into the atmosphere than it absorbed during its lifetime. When it replaces fossil fuels, it can actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions.