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Resolute Forest Products

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Industry Paper, Lumber & Forest Products
Employees 5001-10,000
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FY2016 Annual Report · Resolute Forest Products
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www.resolutefp.com

PRINCIPLED
LEADERSHIP

2016 Annual Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 2016 at a Glance
 Letter from the Chairman and 
the President and Chief Executive Offi cer
Who We Are
Business and Sustainability Strategy
Resolute’s 2017 Business Priorities
Our Approach to Sustainability

ECONOMY

Financial Highlights
Market Pulp
Wood Products
Woodlands
Tissue
Newsprint
Specialty Papers

ENVIRONMENT

Highlights
Environmental Performance
Accomplishments

SOCIETY

Highlights
Social Performance 
Accomplishments

 Board of Directors and Corporate Offi cers

Shareholder Information

Resolute Forest Products is the proud recipient 
of four awards for our 2015 Annual Report. We 
were honored with two awards from the prestigious 
MerComm Annual Report Competition (ARC) – 
gold in the written text category and bronze in 
the fi nancial data category. We also received two 
International Mercury awards for outstanding 
achievement in professional communications – gold 
for overall excellence in the combined fi nancial 
and sustainability report category, and honors for 
excellence in writing in the annual report category. 

resolutefp.com

BUILDING 
THE RESOLUTE 
OF THE FUTURE
2015 Annual Report

The inside pages of this report are printed on 
ResoluteBrite 83 Plus 60 lb (89 g/m2) paper, 
manufactured at Resolute Forest Products’ 
Catawba (South Carolina) mill. 

ResoluteBrite 83 Plus is available with Sustainable 
Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and/or Programme for 
the Endorsement of Forest Certifi cation (PEFC) 
chain of custody certifi cations.

Certifi cations at Catawba include:

•  SFI, PEFC and Forest Stewardship Council® 

(FSC®) chain-of-custody-certifi ed fi ber-tracking 
system

•  SFI fi ber sourcing and FSC controlled 

wood standards

•  ISO 14001-certifi ed environmental 

management system

•  ISO 9001-certifi ed quality management system

Form 10-K

Resolute Forest Products Inc. fi les its 

annual report on Form 10-K with the 

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 

(SEC), a copy of which is included with 

this annual report to stockholders. Free 

copies (without exhibits) are available upon 

request to Resolute’s Investor Relations 

department. The company’s SEC fi lings, 

annual reports, news releases and other 

investor information can be accessed at 

www.resolutefp.com/investors.

Stock Listings

The shares of common stock of Resolute 

Forest Products Inc. trade under the stock 

symbol RFP on both the New York Stock 

Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. 

Resolute Forest Products

111 Duke Street, Suite 5000,

Montréal, Quebec, H3C 2M1, Canada

514 875-2160 or 1 800 361-2888

For a full list of contacts, visit 

www.resolutefp.com/contact.

 SHAREHOLDER 

INFORMATION

Annual General Meeting

Our annual meeting of stockholders will 

be held on Thursday, May 25, 2017, 

at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern) at the Museum 

Investor Information 

and Financial Reporting

Alain Bourdages

Vice President

Center at 5ive Points, 200 Inman Street 

Investor Relations 

East, Cleveland, Tennessee 37311, 

United States.

514 394-2233

ir@resolutefp.com

Media Inquiries

Seth Kursman

Vice President 

Corporate Communications, 

Sustainability and Government Affairs

514 394-2398

seth.kursman@resolutefp.com

Vous trouverez la version française 

de ce rapport au www.pfresolu.com.

Transfer Agent 

for Common Stock

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

P.O. Box 30170, College Station, 

Texas, 77842-3170, United States

866 820-6919 (toll-free within 

the United States and Canada)

781 575-3100 

www.computershare.com/investor

Co-Transfer Agent – Canada

Computershare Investor Services Inc.

100 University Avenue, 9th Floor,

Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2Y1, Canada

800 564-6253 (toll-free within 

the United States and Canada)

www.computershare.com/investor

Independent Registered 

Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

1250 René-Lévesque Boulevard West, 

Suite 2800, Montréal, Quebec, 

H3B 2G4, Canada

Graphic Design / CG3 inc. 

Printed in Canada

 
 
RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

1

PRINCIPLED 
LEADERSHIP

Principled leadership is a defining characteristic of Resolute 
Forest Products, a common thread uniting the 8,000 men and 
women who work across our operating platform. It is reflected 
every day in the way we conduct business, manage the precious 
resources in our care, and engage with our many stakeholders 
and other interested parties. 

At Resolute, we are focused on building a company that is both 
profitable and sustainable, meeting the needs of our customers, 
while creating shared value for our employees, shareholders, 
business and Aboriginal partners, and the communities in which 
we live and work. 

The right to operate goes far beyond the nuts and bolts of  
daily operations. It is about demonstrating values as well as 
creating value. There is no substitute for being open, honest  
and transparent. We are guided by ethical conduct and  
a recognition that we can always do better, and, in turn,  
we raise our expectations of performance.

We defend the interests of those who depend on us for their 
livelihoods and quality of life; they are the source of our legitimacy. 

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

2

2016 

AT A GLANCE

Total sales of 

$3.5 
billion

Adjusted EBITDA1 of 

$279 
million 

$249 
million 

invested in  
fixed assets

100% 

of managed forests 
third-party certified 

1,100

new hires with an additional 
2,000 expected by 2019 

100% 

coal-free operations  
(scope 1)

73% 

74% 

reduction in GHG emissions  
(scope 1 and 2) since 2000

of energy requirements  
sourced from renewable sources 

1.  EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP financial measures, are defined and reconciled on page 13.

Note: All amounts in this report are in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

 
 
  
 
 
 
RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

3

29 

environmental incidents  
recorded

Multiple awards  
include:
Stevie® International Business Award, 
ADRIQ Innovation Award,  
The New Economy Clean Tech Award,  
Corporate LiveWire Innovation  
& Excellence Award,  
PAPTAC Award

OSHA incident rate of 

0.77

 a world-class achievement

Additional

100,000 mt 

of pulp capacity

Slightly over

$270 million 

invested in new state-of-the-art  
tissue facility at Calhoun mill 
(2015-2017)

 Lumber capacity  
expanded by 

140  
million  

board feet

Liquidity of

$468  
million

 
 
 
 
RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

4

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN  
AND THE PRESIDENT AND  
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Resolute Forest Products 
remains focused on 
executing its business 
transformation strategy – 
maximizing value 
generation from paper, 
growing in pulp and wood 
products, and integrating 
our pulp into value-added, 
premium-quality tissue. 
Our approach is marked by 
the interdependence of our 
business and sustainability 
strategies as we carefully 
balance environmental, 
social and economic 
priorities to improve our 
competitive position and 
generate shareholder 
value.

Resolute brings principled leadership  
to every aspect of our operations. It is 
a common thread binding the over 
8,000 employees working at some  
40 facilities in the United States and 
Canada. It is also reflected each and  
every day as we manage our business  
in a sustainable manner, ensure the  
stewardship of the natural resources in  
our care, and collaborate with a range of 
stakeholders and other interested parties. 

Financial  
performance

2016 was a critical year in our ongoing 
business transformation. We deployed 
significant capital to accelerate the devel-
opment of more sustainable and profitable 
business segments, such as the integration 
of Resolute’s pulp capacity into consumer 
tissue products.

We generated adjusted EBITDA of 
$279 million in 2016, compared to 
$276 million in 2015. For the year, 
adjusted EBITDA was $61 million higher 
in wood products and $18 million higher 
in newsprint, but $49 million lower in 
market pulp, $30 million lower in specialty 
papers and $5 million lower in tissue. 

We reported an operating loss of 
$26 million for the year, compared to a 
loss of $219 million in 2015. In 2016, 
we benefited from a weaker Canadian 
dollar, reductions in pension and other 
postretirement benefit (OPEB) costs, 
lower closure costs, impairments and 
related charges, as well as decreases in 
purchased energy expenses, depreciation 
and amortization expense, and fiber costs, 
offset by declines in pricing for market 
pulp, newsprint and specialty papers, 
reduced shipments, and increases in  
maintenance costs. 

During 2016, we acquired a sawmill in 
Senneterre (Quebec) and permanently 
closed a newsprint machine at our 
Augusta (Georgia) mill. We also opened 
an administrative office in Plattsburgh 
(New York) to facilitate recruitment in 
the United States.

Our net pension and OPEB liability 
increased by $102 million to reach 
$1.3 billion at year-end, mostly due to a 
reduction in the applicable discount rate. 
Beginning in January 2017, the company’s 
Quebec pension plans are subject to new 
regulations, which provide for funding 
pension deficits on a going concern 
rather than solvency basis. This change is 
expected to reduce the company’s pension 
contributions over the next four years and 
provide additional financial flexibility.  

Capital expenditures in 2016 were 
$249 million, with a significant focus on 
the Calhoun (Tennessee) tissue project. 
In September, we took advantage of favor-
able market conditions to increase our 
already solid liquidity levels through a 
new senior secured credit agreement with 
an aggregate lender commitment of up to 
$185 million. At year-end, total liquidity 
stood at $468 million, which provides 
enhanced flexibility to support our  
transformation strategy.

Transformation

The acquisition of Atlas Tissue in late 
2015, as well as the construction of a 
state-of-the-art tissue facility in Calhoun, 
marks a pivotal point in Resolute’s  
strategy to use our excess pulp capacity  
to grow in tissue. Calhoun’s first rolls of 
bath tissue came off a converting line in 
August 2016, and the entire converting 
operation was fully operational at year-end. 

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND  
THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

5

Bradley P. Martin 
Chairman of the Board of Directors

Richard Garneau 
President and Chief Executive Officer

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND  
THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

6

Our new Calhoun tissue machine, the 
latest innovation in tissue manufacturing, 
began operating during the first quarter 
of 2017, while initiatives to improve the 
performance at Atlas are beginning to show 
results. Ramp-up of production at Calhoun 
will continue throughout 2017 as we 
concurrently develop a solid customer base 
through the quality of our product offering. 
Given its favorable location, advanta-
geous fiber costs and latest technology, 
our Calhoun tissue operation is expected 
to be one of the most competitive and 
efficient in all of North America.

In market pulp, following corrections to 
peripheral equipment, our continuous 
digester at Calhoun delivered its strongest 
operating performance in the fourth quarter 
of 2016 and is on track to reach its full 
potential in 2017, adding 100,000 metric 
tons of pulp capacity to Resolute’s internal 
pulp network.

In addition to the acquisition of another 
sawmill in Senneterre, our wood products 
segment benefited from the combined 
value generated by our Atikokan and Ignace 
(Ontario) sawmills, where production, sales 
and EBITDA all significantly improved 
from 2015. 

Throughout 2016, structural demand 
declines, combined with weakening global 
currencies, continued to present challenges 
in both the newsprint and specialty paper 
segments. Nevertheless, we successfully 
implemented newsprint price increases in 
our domestic markets. 

World-class safety 
performance

At Resolute, safety is a core value – one 
that all employees actively embrace. In 
2016, we again achieved world-class safety 
performance, recording an Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 
incident rate of 0.77. Our company-wide 
severity rate, which measures the actual 
lost time impact from injuries on the 
health of our employees, increased slightly 
compared to 2015. These results reflect 
successful implementation of rigorous 
procedures as well as employee account-
ability. We remain committed to creating 
a safe work environment and, ultimately, 
an injury-free workplace. 

Balancing 
environmental,  
social and  
economic priorities

Our business and sustainability strategies 
are inextricably linked: Environmental  
progress and socio-economic consider-
ations go hand-in-hand. 

We carefully track and measure perfor-
mance. In 2016, we completed an 
independent survey of a diverse range 
of interested parties in order to identify 
shared priorities that drive the development 
of our sustainability strategy and reporting. 
Resolute’s sustainability performance 
indicators and disclosures are prepared in 
accordance with Global Reporting Initiative 
guidelines – the gold standard of balanced, 
transparent reporting. 

The Canadian forestlands in Resolute’s 
care are subject to stringent laws and 
regulations, enforced by the federal and 
provincial governments. According to a 
prominent survey of customers across the 
globe, Canada’s forest products industry is 
top-ranked in terms of environmental and 
forest management practices as well as 
for the quality, abundance and availability 
of products. Resolute further advances 
this leadership position with 100% forest 
management certification for our owned 
and managed woodlands to internation-
ally recognized standards. In 2016, we 
received no regulatory infractions in our 
woodlands operations. 

We have also instituted third-party-
certified fiber-tracking systems at all but 
one of our facilities to ensure that our 
wood fiber supply comes from acceptable 
sources such as certified forests and legal 
harvesting operations. 

In keeping with our commitment to reduce 
our carbon footprint, we have surpassed 
our goal of reducing absolute greenhouse 
gas (GHG) emissions by 65% by 2015, 
compared to 2000 levels. At the end of 
2016, we had lowered GHG emissions 
by 73%. 

A further example of Resolute’s leadership 
in the area of climate change is an agree-
ment with Quebec-based CO2 Solutions 
to deploy leading enzyme-enabled carbon 
capture technology at our Saint-Félicien 
(Quebec) pulp mill. The majority of CO2 
captured at the mill will be used by 
Toundra Greenhouse in order to accelerate 
plant growth. This recently inaugurated 
world-class complex, in which Resolute 
owns a 49% interest, will meet 25% of its 
heating requirements through an exchange 

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND  
THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

7

of hot water from the adjacent pulp mill 
once all equipment is fully operational. 
Toundra Greenhouse already covers about 
1 million square feet and has a current 
annual production capacity of over 
45 million cucumbers. 

We maintained our focus on proactive  
environmental management, recording 
29 environmental incidents in 2016 – 
a slight increase compared to 2015. 
Our goal remains zero incidents. 

In 2016, Resolute hired over 1,100 new 
permanent and contract employees. We 
know that our long-term competitiveness 
is linked to attracting, developing and 
retaining top talent. Recognizing that 
our people provide us with a competitive 
advantage, we continue to actively imple-
ment our integrated leadership system. 
Rollout of a project to streamline our  
business platforms – including the  
integration of our human resources,  
payroll and maintenance systems –  
is ongoing across the company.

Resolute believes it has an ethical and 
moral obligation to counter misinformation 
campaigns orchestrated by environmental 
activist groups. We have taken action in 
both the Canadian and U.S. courts not 
only to protect our business interests and 
meet our fiduciary responsibilities, but also 
to support our business partners and to 
protect the very viability of rural commu-
nities. We are grateful for the enormous 
outpouring of support from our employees, 
retirees, union leadership, customers,  
First Nations and government officials, 
as well as from many highly regarded and 
influential sources such as The Wall Street 
Journal Editorial Board, Investor’s Business  
Daily, National Review and Canada’s 
Financial Post.  

We also are gratified with the awards  
and recognition we have received on a 
regional, North American and global basis 
for our overall sustainability leadership. 

A look ahead

Our 2017 priorities include the start-up  
of the tissue operation at Calhoun, 
ongoing optimization of the Atlas Tissue 
assets and a sustained focus on operating 
performance to maximize profitability in 
demand-challenged paper markets. It is 
our plan to reduce capital expenditures in 
2017 and identify opportunities to reduce 
net debt with the goal of decreasing our 
overall leverage. As we move through the 
Canada-U.S. trade disputes for supercalen-
dered paper and softwood lumber, we will 
continue our concerted efforts to mitigate 
punitive trade actions. 

Meeting the challenges of today and 
tomorrow requires steadfast determina-
tion, strong and principled leadership, and 
the confidence and ongoing support of a 
diverse set of partners. We are confident 
that together, as we embrace our common 
interests and a shared sense of purpose, 
we will build a sustainable and profitable 
Resolute for the future. 

Bradley P. Martin 
Chairman of the Board of Directors

Richard Garneau 
President and Chief Executive Officer

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

8

WHO WE ARE

OUR VISION

Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products 
industry with a diverse range of products, including market pulp, 
tissue, wood products, newsprint and specialty papers, which are 
marketed in over 70 countries. The company owns or operates 
some 40 manufacturing facilities, as well as power generation 
assets, in the United States and Canada. We have third-party 
certified 100% of our managed woodlands to internationally 
recognized sustainable forest management standards. 

At Resolute Forest Products,  
we are one team with one vision  
where profitability and sustainability  
drive our future.

OUR VALUES

WORK SAFELY

ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY

BE ACCOUNTABLE

SUCCEED TOGETHER

We always put the safety of our 
people first. Creating an injury-
free workplace is everyone’s 
business. We maintain world-
class standards and continu-
ously measure and improve our 
safety efforts and results. 

We make decisions with 
tomorrow in mind. We know 
that our long-term profitability 
depends on preserving the 
natural resources in our care 
and being a responsible partner 
in the communities where we 
live and work. 

We are accountable for our 
performance. The future of 
our company is in our hands. 
By empowering people, acting 
with integrity, setting goals and 
measuring progress, we deliver 
first-class products and services 
to customers and create value 
for shareholders. 

We win together. Teamwork 
starts with a winning attitude 
and a true desire to support 
each other. We welcome ideas, 
communicate frequently and 
share best practices.

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

9

BUSINESS AND  
SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

At Resolute, we report  
our business and 
sustainability results 
together. Our sustainability 
strategy has been 
purposely developed 
to align our efforts in 
environmental stewardship 
and social responsibility 
with our business strategy 
and objectives. This 
approach underpins  
our vision that profitability 
and sustainability drive  
our future.

Business strategy

GROWING IN PULP AND  
WOOD PRODUCTS

Since 2011, our corporate strategy has 
been focused on transforming Resolute into 
a more sustainable organization, one that 
can generate consistent value for share-
holders through a competitive portfolio of 
manufacturing assets and a solid presence 
in long-term growth markets. This includes, 
on the one hand, a gradual retreat from 
certain paper grades and, on the other, 
using our strong financial position to act  
on opportunities to diversify and grow. 

We take an opportunistic approach to stra-
tegic initiatives, pursuing only those that 
reduce our cost position, improve product 
diversification, generate synergies or allow 
us to expand into future growth markets. 
Our market pulp and wood products 
segments are critical to our transformation 
strategy. Since 2011, we have completed 
multiple projects in pulp and wood prod-
ucts, reducing our exposure to structurally 
challenged paper markets. 

Our corporate strategy relies on three core 
themes: maximizing value generation from 
paper, growing in pulp and wood products,  
and integrating our pulp into value-added, 
premium-quality tissue. In order to 
successfully execute this strategic plan, 
we also need to maintain a disciplined 
approach to capital allocation, as well  
as a level of financial leverage and flex-
ibility that supports the evolution of our 
transformation.

MAXIMIZING VALUE GENERATION  
FROM PAPER

We compete today as a leading, lower  
cost North American paper producer 
through continuous improvement and mill 
optimization. Maintaining this competitive 
advantage is a key focus.

INTEGRATING OUR PULP  
INTO VALUE-ADDED,  
PREMIUM-QUALITY TISSUE

We recently entered the tissue market 
with the construction of a state-of-the-art 
tissue operation at Calhoun (Tennessee) 
and the acquisition of Atlas Paper 
Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries  
(Atlas Tissue). Our objective is to add  
value by integrating our market pulp  
into our premium tissue production, 
particularly as paper utilization continues 
its steady decline, effectively mitigating 
risks associated with volatile market  
pulp pricing. 

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

10

RESOLUTE’S 2017  
BUSINESS PRIORITIES

•  Drive efficiencies, set manufacturing  

cost targets and benchmark performance  
at all operations

•  Manage production and inventory levels, 
taking into account market conditions

•  Pursue sales strategy to produce  

only what customers order

•  Identify and support disciplined capital 

investments at most competitive facilities

•  Pursue opportunistic growth to complement 
product mix or improve competitiveness  
of existing assets

•  Identify opportunities to develop  
and market value-added products

•  Take advantage of Atlas acquisition  
to accelerate sale and distribution  
of Calhoun tissue production

Sustainability  
strategy

Our sustainability strategy, based on  
a balanced approach to environmental, 
social and economic performance, is  
designed to enhance our competitive  
position. And like our business strategy,  
it has three primary areas of focus.

REINFORCING OUR  
ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS

We are taking appropriate steps to  
responsibly manage our environmental 
footprint.

POSITIONING THE COMPANY  
AS A COMPETITIVE EMPLOYER

We are focused on attracting and  
retaining the best employees by  
providing them with opportunities to learn 
and grow within a dynamic organization. 

BUILDING SOLID RELATIONS  
IN OUR OPERATING COMMUNITIES

In addition to engaging in dialogue, 
we strive to have a positive and  
meaningful impact in the local and  
regional communities where we operate, 
and we support many registered  
charitable organizations each year.

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

11

OUR APPROACH  
TO SUSTAINABILITY

Leadership for 
a profitable and 
sustainable future 

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) frame-
work, which requires specific disclosures 
based on the shared priority issues  
identified by stakeholders. 

Sustainability 
commitments and 
performance 

In 2011, we established a set of ambi-
tious commitments reflecting our approach 
to balancing the company’s sustainability 
priorities. Since then, we have been 
tracking and reporting our progress annu-
ally and updating our targets, as necessary, 
in order to ensure continuous improvement. 

By steadily improving our year-over-year 
performance, we are pleased to report 
that we have substantially achieved or 
surpassed most of our stated goals and 
targets for 2016. 

This report summarizes Resolute’s sustain-
ability performance for all the operations 
the company owned or operated as at 
December 31, 2016. For the most current 
information, including other sustainability 
performance indicators and disclosures 
prepared in accordance with the GRI 
standard, visit 
sustainability.

 www.resolutefp.com/

At Resolute Forest Products, sustain-
ability and profitability drive our future. 
We carefully balance the three pillars of 
sustainability: environmental, social and 
economic. We build on our accomplish-
ments of today by aspiring to be a more 
efficient and competitive company, a  
better employer, a stronger business 
partner, and even more deeply engaged  
in the communities in which we live  
and work. 

Stakeholder 
engagement and  
shared priorities 

We are committed to building solid rela-
tionships with a broad range of community 
and business partners through ongoing 
dialogue and outreach. We value input 
from our customers and other interested 
parties, including employees and retirees, 
governments, First Nations and local 
communities, environmental and other 
non-governmental organizations, business 
partners, investors, and members of the 
general public. 

The issues highlighted in the following 
pages have been identified by our stake-
holders as shared priority issues – that 
is, of high concern to both internal and 
external stakeholders, and with the poten-
tial to impact our business performance. 
In addition to driving the objectives of 
our sustainability strategy and our public 
commitments, these issues play an impor-
tant role in determining the focus of our 
public sustainability reporting through the 

In 2016, Resolute reached out to key part-
ners and stakeholders to assess whether 
our sustainability strategy, public commit-
ments and reporting practices continue 
to reflect their most relevant interests and 
needs. We worked with an independent 
third party to survey external stakeholders 
and other interested parties at the commu-
nity, regional and national levels in order 
to gain insight into their priorities. We then 
shared the results of these surveys with  
our corporate sustainability committee,  
a cross-functional group of senior 
managers, to determine the business 
impact of these concerns. 

Overall, there have not been significant 
changes in stakeholder priorities since  
our last assessment in 2013. Additionally, 
we noted a strong alignment between 
internal and external stakeholder assess-
ments of our company priorities – an 
indicator that Resolute is in tune with the 
expectations of both stakeholder groups. 

New issues with the potential to impact 
our business in the future were identi-
fied during this process and include local 
hiring and employment, investments to 
prevent safety and environmental inci-
dents, and customer satisfaction. We will 
integrate disclosures on these topics into 
our GRI-compliant online sustainability 
reporting over the next two years. In addi-
tion, three issues were ranked higher than 
in past years and will be of greater focus 
for us going forward: environmentally 
responsible procurement, public policy  
and product regulatory compliance.

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

12

ECONOMIC 
INDICATORS OF 
SUSTAINABILITY

DEDICATED  
TO OUR CUSTOMERS  
AND OUR PRODUCTS

Financial Highlights

13 
15  Market Pulp
16  Wood Products
19  Woodlands
22 
Tissue 
24  Newsprint
27  Specialty Papers

ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

13

FINANCIAL 
HIGHLIGHTS

Years ended December 31, 
(in millions, except per share amounts)

Sales
Operating income (loss) per segment
  Market pulp
  Tissue
  Wood products
  Newsprint
  Specialty papers
  Segment total
  Corporate and other
  Operating loss

Net loss attributable to Resolute Forest Products Inc.
Net loss per share attributable to Resolute Forest Products Inc. 

common shareholders
  Basic
  Diluted
Adjusted EBITDA2

Net loss including noncontrolling interests

Interest expense
Income tax provision (benefit)
  Depreciation and amortization
EBITDA
  Foreign exchange translation loss
  Closure costs, impairment and other related charges

Inventory write-downs related to closures

  Start-up costs
  Net gain on disposition of assets
  Non-operating pension and OPEB costs (credits)
  Write-down of equity method investment
  Acquisition-related costs
  Other income, net
Adjusted EBITDA2

As of December 31, 
(in millions)

Cash and cash equivalents
Total assets

2016

2015

2014

$ 3,545

$ 3,645

$ 4,258

43
(10)
69
(15)
25
112
(138)
(26)
(81)

$  (0.90)
  (0.90)
$  279

$ 

(76)
38
19
  206
$  187
7
62
7
8
(2)
24
—
—
(14)
$  279

76
(1)
2
(23)
29
83
(302)
(219)
(257)

$  (2.78)
  (2.78)
$  276

$ 

$  (255)
41
(1)
  237
22
4
181
2
5
—
66
—
4
(8)
$  276

63
—
69
20
(19)
133
(307)
(174)
(277)

$  (2.93)
(2.93)
$  356

$ 

$  (274)
47
(30)
243
(14)
32
278
17
4
(2)
(10)
61
—
(10)
$  356

2016

2015

2014

$ 

35
4,277

$ 

58
4,220

$  337
4,914

2.  Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, or “EBITDA” and adjusted EBITDA are not financial measures recognized 

under generally accepted accounting principles, or “GAAP.” EBITDA is calculated as net income (loss) including noncontrolling interests from the Consolidated 
Statements of Operations, adjusted for interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA means EBITDA, excluding special 
items, such as foreign exchange translation gains and losses, severance costs, closure costs, impairment and other related charges, inventory write-downs related 
to closures, start-up costs, gains and losses on disposition of assets, non-operating pension and OPEB costs and credits, write-down of equity method investment, 
acquisition-related costs, and other charges or credits. We believe that using non-GAAP measures such as EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA is useful because 
they are consistent with the indicators management uses internally to measure the company’s performance, and it allows the reader to more easily compare our 
operations and financial performance from period to period. EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are internal measures and, therefore, may not be comparable to those 
of other companies. These non-GAAP measures should not be viewed as substitutes to financial measures determined under GAAP.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

14

100,000 

 METRIC TONS OF CAPACITY  
 AT CALHOUN’S  
NEW PULP DIGESTER 

ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

15

MARKET 
PULP

Our pulp is used to make a range of products we use every day. 
You’ll find this renewable and biodegradable material in everything 
from facial tissue and paper towels to coffee filters, disposable 
diapers and other absorbent products, as well as in printing and 
writing papers.

Pulp for a variety  
of needs 

Resolute Forest Products is one of the few 
producers capable of supplying a wide 
variety of grades of market pulp. 

Our seven North American facilities have a 
total capacity of 1.7 million metric tons – 
or approximately 10% of North American 
capacity – making us the third largest pulp 
producer in North America. Approximately 
80% of our virgin pulp capacity is 
softwood-based.

Resolute is also the world’s largest 
producer of recycled pulp and a competi-
tive producer of northern bleached 
hardwood kraft pulp and southern bleached 
hardwood kraft pulp. Pulp not converted 
into paper is sold as market pulp, which 
is used to make a range of consumer 
products, including tissue, packaging and 
specialty papers, as well as diapers and 
other absorbent products. 

In 2016, we continued to ramp up 
the new $100 million continuous pulp 
digester at our Calhoun (Tennessee) mill. 
This world-class equipment will grow 
our annual market pulp capacity by 
100,000 metric tons, significantly lower 
the mill’s overall costs and improve the 
quality of our products. 

6

4

2

7

5

1

3

MARKET PULP OPERATIONS

1  Calhoun (Tennessee)
2  Catawba (South Carolina)
3  Coosa Pines (Alabama)
4  Fairmont (West Virginia)
5  Menominee (Michigan)
6  Saint-Félicien (Quebec)
7  Thunder Bay (Ontario)

#1 

producer of recycled pulp  
in the world

1.7 million 

metric tons of capacity 

MARKET PULP PORTFOLIO

Northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK)
Northern bleached hardwood kraft (NBHK)
Southern bleached softwood kraft (SBSK)
Southern bleached hardwood kraft (SBHK)
Recycled pulp 
Fluff pulp

2016 WORLD CHEMICAL PULP  
DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, BY GRADE
(millions of metric tons)

● Eucalyptus
● NBSK
● Other
● SBSK
● NBHK
● SBHK
Total world demand

23.2
14.8
9.3
6.8
4.4
0.9

39%
25%
16%
12%
7%
1%
59.4 100%

Source: Pulp and Paper Products Council

ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

16

WOOD 
PRODUCTS

#1 

Canadian producer of wood products 
east of the Canadian Rockies

2.6  
billion 

board feet of construction-grade 
lumber capacity3

21 
facilities

Wood is a logical choice for today’s environmentally conscious 
homeowner. Not only is it a sustainable building material,  
it provides perfect protection for your home. From the flooring 
right up to your rooftop, Resolute’s wood products are always  
on the job.

Major producer  
of sustainable  
wood products 

Resolute Forest Products is a leading 
producer of lumber and other wood 
products for the residential construction 
and home renovation markets, as well as 
for specialized structural and industrial 
applications.

We operate 16 sawmills in Canada, two 
remanufactured wood products facilities, 
two joint-venture engineered wood products 
facilities and a wood pellet plant. 

Our sawmills produce construction-grade 
stud and dimension spruce-pine-fir lumber 
and are a major source of wood chips 
for our pulp and paper mills in Canada. 
They also generate wood residue, which is 
primarily used to fuel our power cogenera-
tion assets and other operations, as well 
as to produce wood pellets. In 2016, we 
shipped 1.7 billion board feet of construc-
tion-grade lumber within North America. 

Our remanufactured wood products facili-
ties produce bed frame components, finger 
joints and furring strips, while our engi-
neered wood products facilities produce 
I-joists for the construction industry.

2 facilities

13 facilities

2 facilities

3 facilities

2

1

3

4

5

WOOD PRODUCTS OPERATIONS

1  SAWMILLS (ONTARIO)
  Atikokan, Ignace, Thunder Bay

2  WOOD PELLET PLANT (ONTARIO)
  Thunder Bay

3   SAWMILLS (QUEBEC)

 Comtois (Lebel-sur-Quévillon), Girardville,  
La Doré, Maniwaki, Mistassini, Opitciwan 
(Obedjiwan),4 Outardes (Pointe-aux-Outardes),  
Produits Forestiers Mauricie (La Tuque),  
Saint-Félicien, Saint-Hilarion, Saint-Thomas, 
Senneterre, Senneterre−Lac-Clair

4   REMANUFACTURED WOOD PRODUCTS 

FACILITIES (QUEBEC)
  Château-Richer, La Doré

5   ENGINEERED WOOD PRODUCTS  

FACILITIES (QUEBEC)

  Resolute-LP Engineered Wood, Larouche,5 
  Resolute-LP Engineered Wood II, Saint-Prime5

3.  Our current fiber supply limits our operating capacity to about 2.1 billion board feet per year.

4.  Société en Commandite Scierie Opitciwan is an unconsolidated entity in which we have a 45% interest. 

5.  Resolute-LP Engineered Wood Inc. and Resolute-LP Engineered Wood II Inc. are unconsolidated entities in which we have a 50% interest in each entity.

 
ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

17

Growing our  
production capacity 

In October 2016, Resolute acquired the 
assets of a second sawmill in Senneterre 
(Quebec). This acquisition will generate 
operating efficiencies and has already 
increased our annual production capacity 
by approximately 140 million board feet 
of lumber.

NEW PRIVATELY OWNED  
HOUSING UNITS STARTED
(millions of units)

1.2

1.1

1.0

2014 2015 2016

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

18

100% 

OF RESOLUTE-MANAGED 
FORESTS ARE  
THIRD-PARTY CERTIFIED

ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

19

WOODLANDS

From our woodlands to our sawmills and on to our pulp and 
paper mills, you can be sure that Resolute’s fiber supply has been 
responsibly sourced, and that 100% of the forestlands we own 
or manage are certified to internationally recognized standards.

1

2

3

3

WOODLANDS OPERATIONS

1  ONTARIO
  Northwestern Ontario 

2   QUEBEC

 Abitibi and Nord-du-Québec  
Charlevoix  
Côte-Nord  
Lac-Saint-Jean  
Mauricie  
Outaouais

3  UNITED STATES
  Southeastern and Northwestern U.S. 

Responsible 
fiber sourcing

Resolute has instituted fiber-tracking 
systems at our North American facilities6 
to ensure that our wood fiber supply comes 
from acceptable sources such as certified 
forests and legal harvesting operations. 
These fiber-tracking systems are third-
party certified according to one or more of 
three internationally recognized chain of 
custody standards: SFI, Programme for the 
Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) 
and FSC. Resolute uses pulp produced 
through our internal network, providing 
us with control of our fiber sources and 
ensuring the quality of our paper and tissue 
products. The vertical integration of the 
production process also assures customers 
of the integrity of our supply chain and the 
long-term sustainability of our fiber supply.

We strive to improve our forest manage-
ment and wood fiber procurement prac-
tices, and we encourage our wood and fiber 
suppliers to also demonstrate continuous 
improvement in forest resource manage-
ment, wood and fiber procurement, and 
third-party certification.

Environmentally responsible procurement 
is top of mind for Resolute Forest Products’ 
customers and increasingly influences their 
purchasing decisions. According to the 
2015 Leger Customer Market Acceptance 
Research on Canada’s forest products, 
international buyers of wood, pulp and 
paper place Canadian forest products 
suppliers at the top of the list in terms 
of environmental and forest management 
practices, as well as for the quality, abun-
dance and availability of their products.

Regenerating, managing 
and certifying the 
forests in our care

The regeneration of harvested woodlands 
is an essential component of sustainable 
forest management. Resolute relies on a 
range of forest management techniques 
and best practices, including regenera-
tion surveys, site preparation, the planting 
of seedlings, and aerial and terrestrial 
seeding – all in combination with natural 
regeneration. 

We strongly believe that it is possible to 
carefully harvest trees while maintaining 
biodiversity, and protecting the forest and 
values important to a range of stakeholders. 
This is why Resolute maintains certifica-
tion for 100% of the forests we manage 
or on which we hold significant harvesting 
rights to at least one of two internationally 
recognized forest management standards: 
Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and 
Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).  
We continue to be one of the largest 
holders of SFI and FSC forest manage-
ment certificates in North America. We also 
maintain ISO 14001-certified environ-
mental management systems at our wood-
lands operations, which helps promote the 
conservation and sustainable use of forests 
and other natural resources.

6.  Excluding Atlas Tissue operation in Hialeah (Florida), which sources 100% of its recycled fiber from our U.S. pulp network.

 
RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

20

OUR 
PAPERS

CUSTOMERS  
IN OVER

50 

COUNTRIES

16 

FACILITIES

ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

22

Whether mopping up spills in the kitchen or tending to personal 
hygiene, consumers can rely on Resolute’s tissue products to 
get them through the day. As one of the few integrated tissue 
manufacturers in North America, we are committed to exceeding 
our customers’ expectations for flexibility, quality and service.

Expanding  
our presence in  
the tissue market

Resolute Forest Products is building one of 
the most integrated and competitive tissue 
businesses in North America.

We have completed construction of a 
slightly over $270 million state-of-the-art 
facility in Calhoun (Tennessee) with the 
capacity to manufacture 66,000 short 
tons (60,000 metric tons) annually of 
premium private-label tissue, including bath 
and towel, aimed at the growing at-home 
market. With its world-class tissue machine 
and three converting lines, this will be one 
of the most efficient tissue operations in 
North America once start-up is complete, 
during the first quarter of 2017, positioning 
Resolute as a key player in the market. 

In 2016, we continued to consolidate 
Atlas Tissue into our business. A manufac-
turer of branded and private-label tissue 
products for retail and away-from-home 
markets, Atlas Tissue has two manufac-
turing facilities in Florida with a production 

capacity of 62,000 short tons  
(56,000 metric tons) across three tissue 
machines and 11 converting lines.  
We offer Green Seal™-certified 100% 
recycled products and virgin paper grades.  
Branded products include Windsor Place®, 
Green Heritage®, Harmony®, Bunny Soft® 
and Eversoft®. 

Fully integrated 
manufacturer of  
quality products

Resolute’s tissue operations benefit from 
vertical integration. Our tissue products 
are manufactured from 100% recycled 
pulp or from virgin fiber (less than 3% 
sourced externally) from the company’s 
internal market pulp network. This allows 
us to control the production process – from 
material input to final product – ensuring 
precise control, cost-competitiveness and 
consistent quality, while offering the flex-
ibility and customization our customers 
demand. 

TISSUE

1

3

2

TISSUE OPERATIONS

1  Calhoun (Tennessee) 
2  Hialeah/Miami (Florida)
3  Sanford (Florida)

Newest  
product offering 
includes: 

Green Heritage® premium  
100% recycled bath tissue

Ultra Harmony® premium  
virgin bath tissue and towel

The first tissue parent roll was produced at Calhoun on February 28, 2017.

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

23

128,000 

SHORT TONS OF TISSUE CAPACITY 
(including 66,000 short tons  
of future capacity at Calhoun)

ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

24

NEWSPRINT

Our newsprint makes the front pages of the world’s  
top newspapers every day. But there’s more to the story.  
Whether it’s advertising brochures, circulars, inserts or directories – 
we provide companies and consumers with a way to connect.

NORTH AMERICAN NEWSPRINT DEMAND
(millions of metric tons)

4.1

3.7

3.4

2014 2015

2016

2016 WORLD NEWSPRINT DEMAND 
DISTRIBUTION, BY REGION
(millions of metric tons)

● Asia
● Western Europe
● North America
● Eastern Europe
● Latin America
● Other
Total world demand

10.6
5.4
3.4
1.1
1.0
0.8

47%
24%
15%
5%
5%
4%
22.3 100%

Source: Pulp and Paper Products Council

8

3

1

5

6

9

4

2

0

1

7

NEWSPRINT OPERATIONS

1  Amos (Quebec)
2  Augusta (Georgia)
3  Baie-Comeau (Quebec)

4  Calhoun (Tennessee)
5  Clermont (Quebec)
6  Gatineau (Quebec)
7  Grenada (Mississippi)

8  Ponderay, Usk (Washington)7 
9  Thorold (Ontario)8
10  Thunder Bay (Ontario)

2.1  
million 

metric tons of capacity

10 
facilities

World’s top  
newsprint producer

Resolute Forest Products is the largest 
global producer of newsprint by capacity. 
With 10 mills9 strategically located to serve 
major markets throughout North America 
and abroad, we supply customers in over 
50 countries. 

Our total capacity is approximately 
2.1 million metric tons, representing 
about 9% of worldwide capacity and  
42% of North American capacity. 

7.  Ponderay Newsprint Company (Washington) is an unconsolidated partnership in which we have a 40% interest.

8.  On March 10, 2017, Resolute announced the indefinite idling of its Thorold (Ontario) newsprint mill.

9.  On February 21, 2017, Resolute announced the permanent closure of its Bowater Korea Ltd. subsidiary’s Mokpo newsprint mill, located in South Korea,  

effective March 9, 2017.

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

25

#1 

PRODUCER OF NEWSPRINT  
IN THE WORLD 
BY CAPACITY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

26

1 MILLION

 SHORT TONS OF UNCOATED  
MECHANICAL PAPER 
CAPACITY

542,000

SHORT TONS OF COATED  
MECHANICAL PAPER 
CAPACITY

ECONOMY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

27

SPECIALTY 
PAPERS

From the bestseller you just can’t put down to the magazines  
on your coffee table and the flyers in your mailbox,  
our specialty papers make a great impression.

NORTH AMERICAN UNCOATED  
MECHANICAL PAPER DEMAND
(millions of short tons)

4.2

3.7

3.5

2014

2015 2016

NORTH AMERICAN COATED  
MECHANICAL PAPER DEMAND
(millions of short tons)

3.5

3.2

3.0

2014 2015

2016

Source: Pulp and Paper Products Council

4

1

5

2

3

SPECIALTY PAPER OPERATIONS

1  Alma (Quebec)
2  Calhoun (Tennessee)
3  Catawba (South Carolina)
4  Dolbeau (Quebec)
5  Kénogami, Saguenay (Quebec)

#1 

producer of uncoated  
mechanical papers in  
North America

3rd

largest producer of  
coated mechanical papers  
in North America

A North American 
market leader 

Resolute Forest Products sells a wide 
spectrum of coated and uncoated mechan-
ical papers to major commercial printers, 
direct mailers, publishers, catalogers and 
retailers – mostly in North America. 

We produce specialty papers at five 
facilities in Canada and the United States. 
With total capacity of approximately 
1 million short tons (0.9 million metric 
tons), representing 27% of North American 
capacity, we are the largest producer of 
uncoated mechanical papers in North 
America and the third largest in the world. 
We are also North America’s third largest 
producer of coated mechanical papers, 
with 542,000 short tons (492,000 metric 
tons) of capacity, or approximately 19% of 
North American capacity. 

Superior products, 
value and service 

We focus on meeting the evolving needs 
and expectations of our customers by 
offering quality, cost-effective solutions 
for every application, backed by excellent 
customer service. 

Our latest innovative product offering, 
ResoluteBlonde Gloss, is a coated mechan-
ical paper in a cream-white shade that 
is characterized by superior runnability, 
brightness and gloss. ResoluteBlonde Gloss 
is ideal for magazine publishing and  
catalogs where color reproduction is a  
key consideration.

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

28

ENVIRONMENTAL 
INDICATORS OF 
SUSTAINABILITY

PROACTIVE  
FOR THE PLANET

29  Highlights
30  Performance
33  Accomplishments

ENVIRONMENT

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

29

HIGHLIGHTS 
Performance by the numbers

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS10 

2016 PERFORMANCE – ABSOLUTE

2016 PERFORMANCE – INTENSITY

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – scope 111 
GHG emissions – scope 212
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions
Particulate emissions

Total energy consumed (fuel and electricity)
Electricity used13 
Renewable energy used (fuel and electricity)

Fuel used – oil/diesel

Water used 
Water discharged14 
Discharges to water – total suspended solids
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) of discharges
Total waste
Waste recycled15
Waste sent to landfills

Power generated
Forest management certification16 
Number of significant spills17 
Number of significant environmental fines18 
ISO 14001-certified sites19
Total number of sites20

1,346 thousands of mt CO2e
1,894 thousands of mt CO2e
6.5 thousands of mt 

261.8 kg CO2e/mt
368.4 kg CO2e/mt
1.27 kg/mt

4.7 thousands of mt 

2.2 thousands of mt 

39,202 thousands of MWh

11,700 thousands of MWh

29,018 thousands of MWh
21.9 thousands of m3
295,247 thousands of m3
289,375 thousands of m3
7.5 thousands of mt

6.4 thousands of mt

685 thousands of mt

441 thousands of mt

239 thousands of mt

2,850 thousands of MWh

100%

0

0

41

51

0.92 kg/mt

0.43 kg/mt

7.62 MWh/mt

2.28 MWh/mt

5.64 MWh/mt
0.00426 m3/mt
57.42 m3/mt
56.28 m3/mt
1.45 kg/mt

1.25 kg/mt

133.31 kg/mt

85.75 kg/mt

46.34 kg/mt

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

10.  Environmental data is for pulp and paper mills, except for environmental incidents and ISO 14001 certification, both of which also include sawmills and 

woodlands operations. Data includes Ponderay Newsprint Company (Washington), an unconsolidated partnership in which we have a 40% interest. Some of this 
information is preliminary and subject to change; data will be confirmed on our website.

11.  Scope 1 includes “direct emissions,” which come from sources owned or controlled by the company, such as the combustion of fuel at the mill to generate heat 

to dry paper or to create electricity.

12.  Scope 2 encompasses “indirect emissions” (the result of company activities occurring at sources owned or controlled by another company) associated with the 

production of purchased electricity or steam. Scope 2 emissions physically occur at the facility where electricity or steam is generated. Resolute’s electricity 
suppliers provide us with their grid emission factors, which the company then includes in its scope 2 emission data.

13.  Represents purchased electricity, minus actual external sales of electricity produced by cogeneration facilities.

14.  Resolute returns more than 95% of the water it withdraws. The balance remains within products or evaporates during the manufacturing process.

15.  Includes waste used beneficially and for on-site energy recovery.

16.  100% of the timberlands managed by Resolute are third-party certified to one of two internationally recognized forest management standards: Sustainable 

Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).

17.  In our financial statements, the company is required to record accidental releases of hazardous substances significant enough to risk damage to human and 

environmental health, or that have potential liability and reputational consequences. Between 2012 and 2016, we recorded no such incidents. 

18.  Material environmental contingencies are disclosed in the footnotes to the company’s consolidated financial statements in its Annual Report on Form 10-K  

for the year ended December 31, 2016. Certain additional proceedings are also disclosed under the heading “Item 3 – Legal Proceedings” in the Form 10-K. 

19.  Includes 17 ISO 14001-certified pulp, paper and tissue mills, 16 wood products facilities, 1 hydroelectric generation and transmission network, and  

7 woodlands operations.

20.  Includes 20 pulp, paper and tissue mills, 22 wood products facilities, 1 hydroelectric generation and transmission network, and 8 woodlands operations.

 
ENVIRONMENT

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

30

ENVIRONMENTAL 
PERFORMANCE

100% 

of managed forests  
third-party certified 

New and ongoing 
commitments

42% 

of total fiber inputs  
sourced from wood chips  
from sawmills 

A- 

from CDP for  
forests disclosure 

Being proactive for the environment means 
steadily reducing Resolute Forest Products’ 
environmental footprint and responsibly 
managing the natural resources in our care.

That is why we closely measure, track 
and report on the company’s performance 
and progress toward our ongoing and new 
commitments. We understand that in order 
to reinforce our environmental credentials, 
we must be able to demonstrate that, over 
time, we have reduced our carbon emis-
sions, made measurable performance 
improvements and ensured careful steward-
ship of the forests we manage.

As an industry leader and supplier of 
choice, Resolute has moved beyond 
minimal regulatory compliance and envi-
ronmental incident management to proac-
tively differentiate ourselves in a number 
of key performance areas.

We remain committed to maintaining 
our 100% forest management (FM) and 
chain of custody (CoC) certifications to 
internationally recognized standards such 
as Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), 
Programme for the Endorsement of 
Forest Certification (PEFC) and Forest 
Stewardship Council® (FSC®). This ensures 
all the fiber we process comes from 
responsible sources. In 2016, 93% of the 
wood supply for our sawmills and 52% of 
virgin wood fiber inputs for our pulp and 
paper mills were certified to internationally 
recognized standards.

Furthermore, our operations are covered 
by environmental management systems 
(EMS) – the majority certified to the ISO 
14001 standard. We are committed to 
continuous improvement of our environ-
mental performance and aim to certify 
100% of our facilities, transitioning over 

the next few years to the 2015 version of 
the ISO 14001 standard, and working to 
comply with the increasingly stringent and 
far-reaching requirements of the standard.

As part of our commitment to continuous 
improvement and regulatory compli-
ance, we take a proactive and preventive 
approach to environmental incident and 
regulatory infraction management with 
a comprehensive tracking, investigation, 
implementation and reporting cycle to 
prevent reoccurrence.

In 2016, we completed the first full 
three-year cycle of environmental risk 
audits at all of our pulp and paper mills. 
We recorded 29 environmental incidents 
across the company, and we continue 
to work toward our long-term goal of 
zero incidents.

Resolute’s forest management prac-
tices were recognized throughout 2016. 
The company received an “A-” score for 
our forests disclosure to CDP (formerly the 
Carbon Disclosure Project), in recognition 
of our actions to manage deforestation risk 
as well as the implementation of excellent 
monitoring and measurement programs. 
We also received a Corporate LiveWire 
Innovation & Excellence in Sustainable 
Forestry Award for our efforts to diversify, 
innovate and grow our business, including 
our joint venture to develop commercial 
applications for cellulose filaments, a 
new source of biomaterial made of wood 
fiber. We also won another Clean Tech 
Award from The New Economy magazine 
for Best Forestry and Paper Solutions for 
our adherence to certification standards, 
our commitment to reducing greenhouse 
gas emissions, and our partnerships with 
Canada’s First Nations and Aboriginal 
communities. 

ENVIRONMENT

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

31

Environmental  
performance update

Our commitments and performance for 
all the operations the company owned or 
operated as at December 31, 2016, are 
presented in the following table.

This performance data should be consid-
ered preliminary and is subject to change. 

For the most current information, including 
other sustainability performance indicators 
and disclosures prepared in accordance 
with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 
standard, visit 
sustainability.

 www.resolutefp.com/

2016 COMMITMENTS

2016 PERFORMANCE

Set new GHG reduction target using 
accepted best practices

Evaluated potential impact of GHG reduction and 
transformation projects, as well as gained better 
understanding of reduction objectives in  
the jurisdictions where we operate

Provide disclosure on regulatory 
infractions in woodlands operations, 
and set a maximum of 3 regulatory 
infractions in each province, with 
a long-term goal of 0 incidents

Report 41 or fewer environmental 
incidents, with a long-term goal of 
0 incidents 

Implement ISO 14001-certified EMS 
at all pulp and paper mills, wood 
products facilities and Canadian 
woodlands operations

Reported 0 regulatory infractions for Ontario 

Reported 0 regulatory infractions for Quebec

Recorded 29 environmental incidents

Maintained ISO 14001 EMS certification at already-
certified pulp and paper mills, wood products facilities 
and Canadian woodlands with the exception of our 
Produits Forestiers Mauricie (Quebec) sawmill, which 
was temporarily closed during its recertification audit 

Obtained ISO 14001 certification for Atikokan  
and Ignace sawmills in Ontario

EMS at Thunder Bay (Ontario) pulp and paper mill 
among the first in Canada to be successfully recertified 
under recently released ISO 14001:2015 standard

2016 
RATING

2017 TARGETS

>

Set new GHG reduction target 
– a longer term objective 
through 2030 to align with 
FPAC’s “30 by 30” Climate 
Change Challenge, as well as 
GHG reduction targets in the 
jurisdictions where we operate

++

Report no more than 
3 infractions in each province, 
with a long-term goal of 
0 infractions

++ Record 38 incidents or less, 

with a long-term goal of 
0 incidents

>

Conduct gap analysis for 
eventual ISO 14001 EMS 
certification of 3 U.S. chip 
production facilities and  
newly acquired Atlas Tissue 
(Florida) operations

Complete ISO 14001 
certification of Menominee 
(Michigan) pulp mill

++ Surpassed commitment  + Achieved commitment  = Maintained achievement  > Ongoing progress  x Commitment unattained

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

32

45  
MILLION 

CUCUMBERS  
PRODUCED EACH YEAR 

ENVIRONMENT

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

33

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

TOUNDRA  
GREENHOUSE
25% 

of heating requirements to be met 
through exchange of hot water  
from Saint-Félicien pulp mill 

11,000 MT

of GHG emissions  
avoided annually – equivalent  
to removing 2,300 cars  
from the road

90%

of greenhouse water requirements 
fulfilled by recovering rain water  
and snow

Whether you prefer English or Lebanese cucumbers in your salad, 
Quebec’s newest and largest vegetable greenhouse has got the 
right mix for you. The world-class Toundra Greenhouse is set to 
grow 45 million cucumbers a year, with a little help from Resolute 
and the people of Saint-Félicien.

Toundra Greenhouse

Located on land adjacent to our  
Saint-Félicien (Quebec) pulp mill,  
Toundra Greenhouse is a state-of-the-art 
complex in which Resolute owns a 49% 
equity interest. 

The $100 million complex, slated for 
completion by 2020, already covers about 
1 million square feet (8.5 hectares), 
produces 45 million cucumbers annually 
and employs over 100 workers. Once all 
four construction phases are completed, 
the greenhouse will cover about 4 million 
square feet (34 hectares) and create  
400 jobs in the Lac-Saint-Jean region.

Toundra Greenhouse was formed in 2014 
as a partnership between Resolute, the 
City of Saint-Félicien and local investors. 
Over 50 Saguenay−Lac-Saint-Jean busi-
nesses were involved in making the project 
a success. 

To achieve carbon emission reductions, 
Resolute has entered into an agreement 
with CO2 Solutions to deploy leading 
enzyme-enabled carbon capture tech-
nology, capturing up to 30 metric tons of 
CO2 per day from our Saint-Félicien pulp 
mill. The majority of the CO2 will then be 
transported to the neighboring Toundra 
Greenhouse. This C$7.4 million project not 
only improves the greenhouse’s perfor-
mance while reducing our mill’s carbon 
emissions, it also actively supports the 
scale-up of an innovative, low-cost carbon 
capture technology with the potential for 
broader deployment.

What else is unique about  
this technologically advanced  
greenhouse complex?

•  Hundreds of high pressure sodium lights 
are used to maintain lighting 20 hours 
a day, 365 days a year. The roof, made 
of diffuse glass panels, allows for natural 
light optimization by filtering in the most 
favorable wavelengths of light for plant 
and cucumber growth. 

•  The ultimate goal is to reduce cucumber 
imports from outside the province of 
Quebec, as well as greenhouse gas emis-
sions linked to transportation.

ENVIRONMENT

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

34

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

100% 

coal-free operations  
(scope 1)

Reducing our  
carbon footprint

73% 

reduction  
in GHG emissions  
(scope 1 and 2)  
since 2000 

Inaugural  
Canadian member  
of the CPLC

Forests are among Earth’s largest natural 
storehouses of carbon, which helps miti-
gate climate change. Therefore, according 
to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
Change, the best long-term strategy to 
reduce carbon emissions is to increase 
forest carbon stocks – that is, plant more 
trees and “grow” more forests – while 
responsibly harvesting those stocks to 
expand the use of wood products and 
displace more fossil fuel intensive  
products. A recently published Yale study 
concludes, for example, that simply 
using wood in place of other materials in 
construction could eliminate up to 31% 
of global CO2 emissions and up to 19% 
of global fossil fuel consumption. 

Partnering with  
industry associations 

Resolute welcomes the opportunity to 
work with others to support global carbon 
emission reduction efforts. As a member of 
the Forest Products Association of Canada 
(FPAC), we have signed on to its “30 by 
30” Climate Change Challenge, which 
commits the Canadian forest products 
industry to removing 30 megatons of CO2 
per year by 2030 – more than 13% of 
the Canadian government’s total emission 
reduction target. In the United States, we 
are working with the American Forest and 
Paper Association (AF&PA) to support its 
goal of achieving at least a 20% reduction 
of member GHG emissions (intensity)  
from 2005 levels by 2020. 

Joining the  
Carbon Pricing 
Leadership Coalition

In July 2016, Resolute became an inau-
gural Canadian member of the Carbon 
Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC), 
a voluntary global partnership that brings 
together leaders to help address climate 
change by putting a price on carbon. 
Resolute supports carbon pricing as a 
market mechanism that drives competi-
tiveness, creates jobs, encourages innova-
tion and delivers meaningful emission 
reductions. A market price for carbon is 
included in decision-making at our facili-
ties currently or shortly subject to cap-and-
trade regulations. We advocate, however, 
for an equivalent carbon price across 
North American jurisdictions to avoid 
carbon leakage and competitive issues.

Prioritizing  
energy efficiency

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) 
recognized Resolute’s leadership in the 
area of environmental performance by 
honoring our Grenada (Mississippi) news-
print mill in 2016 as its top performer for 
most kilowatt-hours (kWh) saved among 
its large customers. A three-year initia-
tive to improve energy efficiency at the 
mill – known as the thermomechanical 
pulp inter-stage screening project – 
resulted in savings of 32 million kWh in 
2015 alone, and 85.1 million kWh since 
its inception. The project’s success has 
reduced Grenada’s refining energy use by 
15%, qualified the mill for TVA incen-
tives totaling $8 million, and contributed 
to Resolute’s absolute scope 1 and 2 
emission reductions of 73% over a year 
2000 baseline.

ENVIRONMENT

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

35

74%  

of total energy needs  
met using  
renewable sources 

80%  

of fuel energy derived  
from biomass sources

Average  

36%  

of pulp and paper mill  
residues redirected toward  
beneficial uses

Producing  
renewable energy

Reducing waste  
to landfill at our mills

Resolute’s hydroelectric generation and 
transmission network, Hydro-Saguenay, has 
an installed capacity of 170 MW and helps 
power our Alma and Kénogami (Quebec) 
paper mills. In 2016, we produced  
1,110 GWh of electricity.

The company’s seven cogeneration  
facilities are located at our pulp and  
paper mills:

• Calhoun (Tennessee)
• Catawba (South Carolina)
• Coosa Pines (Alabama)
• Dolbeau (Quebec)
• Gatineau (Quebec) 
• Saint-Félicien (Quebec)
• Thunder Bay (Ontario)

The growth of Resolute’s clean power 
cogeneration business and our diversifica-
tion into renewable energy products, like 
wood pellets, have benefited our market 
position and our bottom line.

Producing renewable energy is a major 
component of our long-term strategy to 
proactively manage our carbon footprint 
by continuously improving the energy effi-
ciency of our operations and increasing our 
use of lower carbon fuels. This approach 
places Resolute ahead of potential regula-
tions, and positions the company as a 
leader in GHG reductions and in the devel-
opment of new, sustainable products that 
have a lower carbon footprint.

It is the nature of the forest products busi-
ness that manufacturing mills generate 
solid residues. Throughout 2016, our pulp 
and paper mills identified beneficial uses 
for this waste to reduce our environmental 
footprint and improve our bottom line, by 
avoiding costly disposal to landfills. 

A significant amount of the waste we 
produce is used as fuel at our operations, 
helping to reduce our reliance on fossil 
fuels and supporting our production of 
green energy. Individual operations have 
also sought out innovative partnerships in 
the communities where we operate to find 
uses for the by-products of our processes.

Our Kénogami (Quebec) paper mill, for 
example, has partnered with local farmers 
to find beneficial uses for the solid residues 
produced on-site. As part of the paper-
making process, a sludge by-product is 
produced that is rich in nitrogen and  
phosphorus, two important nutrients for 
growing plants. Dehydrating and pressing 
more than 90% of this waste product  
turns it into useful fertilizer, diverting 
20,000 metric tons from landfills every 
year. Thirty farmers in the region are now 
receiving deliveries of fertilizer made from 
the paper mill’s by-products year-round  
to help grow their crops.

Other projects include a mine site reha-
bilitation project at our Fairmont (West 
Virginia) recycled pulp mill and a partner-
ship with local composting facilities at our 
Ponderay (Washington) newsprint mill.

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

36

SOCIAL 
INDICATORS OF 
SUSTAINABILITY

COMMITTED  
TO OUR PEOPLE AND  
OUR COMMUNITIES

37  Highlights
37  Performance
39  Accomplishments

SOCIETY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

37

HIGHLIGHTS 
Performance by the numbers

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS21

2016 PERFORMANCE

Lost time incident rate22, 23 
Total OSHA recordable incident rate24
Severity rate25
Fatalities – employees

Fatalities – contractors

Fatalities – total

Community spending (charitable contributions)
Total employees26
Voluntary employee turnover, including retirement
Involuntary employee turnover27 
Employees unionized

Women in workforce

Women in management roles

0.31

0.77

26

0

0

0

$1,018,138

8,456

10.8%

2.9%

64.4%

10.0%

1.0%

21.  Social performance data is for all Resolute operations. Data includes Ponderay Newsprint Company (Washington), an unconsolidated partnership in which we 

have a 40% interest. Some of this information is preliminary and subject to change; data will be confirmed on our website.

22.  The lost time incident rate is calculated by multiplying the number of incidents that were lost time cases by 200,000, divided by total number of hours worked.

23.  Safety data excludes Senneterre−Lac-Clair (Quebec) sawmill, acquired on October 31, 2016, as well as Opitciwan (Quebec) sawmill.

24.  The total incident rate is calculated by multiplying the number of recordable incident cases by 200,000, divided by total number of hours worked.

25.  The severity rate is calculated by adding the number of workdays lost to the number of restricted workdays due to injury, multiplied by 200,000 hours worked, 

divided by total number of hours worked.

26.  Employee data includes Senneterre−Lac-Clair and Opitciwan sawmills.

27.  Employees who leave the organization due to dismissal or death in service.

SOCIAL  
PERFORMANCE

New and ongoing 
commitments

Resolute Forest Products’ role in our 
operating communities extends well beyond 
the jobs we create, the taxes we pay and 
the charitable support we provide. We work 
to build reciprocal business relationships, 
grassroots support and positive govern-
ment relations through transparency and 
information-sharing, as well as through 
active involvement in local organizations 
and community projects. 

We regularly engage with First Nations, 
customers and key stakeholders such as 
employees/unions, retirees, investors, 
governments, environmental non-govern-
mental organizations, local communities 
and suppliers/partners in order to ensure 
our sustainability strategy, public commit-
ments and reporting continue to reflect  
the interests and needs of our stakeholders 
and other interested parties. 

To maintain effective sustainability 
oversight and management practices, 
we continue to monitor our sustainability 
performance and recommend areas 
for improvement through our corporate 

sustainability committee. In 2016, 
we created an internal product steward-
ship committee – with representatives from 
the environment, operations, legal and 
sales departments – which has a mandate 
to support compliance with product  
stewardship regulations and to expand  
the possible end uses of our products.

A tracking initiative was launched in 
January 2017 to report more detailed 
quantitative information on outreach in our 
operating communities, including volunteer 
activities, charitable contributions, stake-
holder engagement and other activities.

 
SOCIETY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

38

Social performance 
update

Our commitments and performance for 
all the operations the company owned 
or operated as at December 31, 2016, 
are presented in the following table. 
This performance data should be consid-
ered preliminary and is subject to change. 

For the most current information, including 
other sustainability performance indicators 
and disclosures prepared in accordance 
with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 
standard, visit 
sustainability.

 www.resolutefp.com/

2016 COMMITMENTS

2016 PERFORMANCE

2016 
RATING

2017 TARGETS

Maintain annual sustainability 
reporting and transparency

Published fifth combined annual report with 
substantial sustainability content

Maintained reporting online in accordance with 
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework

Reported to CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure 
Project), earning scores of “B” (Management)  
for our climate and water disclosures and  
“A-” (Leadership) for our disclosure to the  
forests program

Roll out communications  
on supplier guidelines and  
measure dissemination

Communicated supplier guidelines to 
2,293 suppliers, representing 80% of total  
annual procurement-relevant purchasing volumes

Launch a quality culture and 
customer satisfaction initiative in 
an effort to share best practices 
and continue to maintain a 
high level of satisfaction with 
company products and services

Launched initiative within pulp and paper business 
segments whereby a “champion team” at each 
operation has set specific key performance 
indicators (KPIs) that are tracked, reported and 
used to develop action plans for continuous 
improvement

Discussed product quality, service, customer 
feedback and best practices during monthly 
conference calls, supporting organization-wide 
accountability

Achieved an OSHA incident rate of 0.77 and a 
severity rate of 26

Achieve an Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration 
(OSHA) incident rate of 0.92 
or less, with a long-term goal of 
zero injuries; achieve a severity 
rate of 25 or less

By year-end 2018, transition to the 
recently released GRI Standards for 
sustainability reporting developed by the 
Global Sustainability Standards Board

Continue reporting to the CDP Climate, 
Water and Forests programs

By year-end 2017, review Resolute’s 
environmentally responsible procurement 
and supplier engagement practices in 
order to track and report on supply chain 
sustainability in key procurement sectors

In 2017, develop additional customer 
satisfaction KPIs, institute a root cause 
problem elimination process, and share 
best practices across the company 

Set targets for 2018 based on tracked 
KPIs to improve on-time delivery and 
order fulfillment, as well as work towards 
improved customer satisfaction

Set 2017 targets to achieve an OSHA 
incident rate of 0.90 or less and a 
severity rate less than or equal to 24

+

>

>

>

Ensure employees submit 2 to 
3 near-miss incident reports 
annually

Attained an overall near-miss incident ratio  
of 4.0 per employee (29,739 near misses 
reported)

++ Set 2017 target for 100% of hourly 

employees to submit 3 proactive  
near-miss incident reports annually

++ Surpassed commitment  + Achieved commitment  = Maintained achievement  > Ongoing progress  x Commitment unattained

SOCIETY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

39

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Safety a core value  
at Resolute

Ensuring our employees’ safety is a core 
company value. We are committed to 
fostering a “total safety organization,” 
with a long-term goal of zero incidents 
and zero injuries across our operations. 
Implementing exceptional health and 
safety standards is inextricably linked to 
operational excellence in all aspects of 
our business.

We take a proactive approach to risk 
control by combining safety leadership with 
individual accountability, supported by a 
stringent safety management system that 
includes employee training and awareness, 
audits and monitoring, as well as employee 
participation through each operation’s joint 
health and safety committee.

Overall near-miss  
incident ratio of 

4.0 

per employee 

ADRIQ Innovation Award  
in the health and safety  
product category

At Resolute, safety and community 
relations go hand in hand. Through our 
Board of Directors Safety Award program, 
Resolute operations can earn $5,000 to 
add to their annual community contribu-
tions for every 250,000 hours worked 
without a recordable injury. In 2016, 
we donated nearly $190,000 to charitable 
and community organizations chosen by 
our employees, who contributed to the 
company’s outstanding safety perfor-
mance. The following significant safety 
milestones were reached during the year 
at our operations:

•  Our Thorold (Ontario) newsprint mill 

achieved 1.25 million consecutive oper-
ating hours without a single recordable 
injury, while our Grenada (Mississippi) 
newsprint mill celebrated 1 million 
incident-free hours.

•  Nearly 20 of our other operations 
reached important milestones of 
250,000, 500,000 or 750,000 hours 
without a recordable injury.

Our employees were also instrumental in 
Resolute winning two major safety awards 
in 2016. Resolute and our Kénogami 
(Quebec) and Calhoun (Tennessee) mill 
employees received the Innovation Award 
from the Association pour le développe-
ment de la recherche et de l’innovation 
du Québec (ADRIQ) for developing a 
safer, more comfortable and eco-friendly 
chemical protective suit, which has been 
adopted by others in the industry. 

Additionally, our Resolute-LP Larouche 
and Saint-Prime (Quebec) joint-venture 
engineered wood facilities were honored 
by APA–The Engineered Wood Association 
with a Safest Company Award, having been 
injury-free for over six and eight years, 
respectively.

Resolute sponsors  
world champion  
speed skater

Our commitment to community health and 
safety led to our 2016–2019 partnership 
with Marianne St-Gelais, world champion 
and winner of three Olympic medals in 
short track speed skating.

A native of Saint-Félicien (Quebec), 
Marianne grew up in a family of foresters. 
It was only natural for Resolute to sponsor 
Marianne’s journey to the 2018 Winter 
Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. 

In such a fast and intense sport, Marianne 
must carefully plan her races to protect 
against crashes and injury. Her dedication 
to safety and preventive measures makes 
her an ideal Resolute Safety Ambassador. 

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

40

PARTNERSHIP WITH  
CAMBRIAN COLLEGE FOR 
MILLWRIGHT TRAINING  
PROGRAM FOR  
ABORIGINAL STUDENTS

SOCIETY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

41

Signature of a memorandum of 
agreement with Confederation College 
to promote training for  
Aboriginal students

Building partnerships 
with First Nations

Resolute respects the importance of 
Canada’s land, water and forests to its 
Aboriginal peoples, and we understand  
how integral these natural resources are  
to the prosperity of Aboriginal commu-
nities. We are committed to nurturing 
constructive relationships, and respecting 
treaties, traditions and rights. 

As outlined in our Aboriginal Peoples 
Policy, we pursue mutually beneficial 
commercial relationships, consult on deci-
sions that impact Aboriginal communities, 
and support meaningful employment and 
economic sustainability.

Resolute has many other existing  
partnerships and mutually beneficial  
business ventures with First Nations.  
Some examples include:

•  Memorandums of agreement signed 
in 2016 with Confederation College 
in Thunder Bay (Ontario) and with  
the Anishinabek Employment & Training 
Service (AETS), an Aboriginal employ-
ment and training organization that 
supports Aboriginal peoples who are 
transitioning into the workforce. 

•  A partnership with Cambrian College 
in Sudbury (Ontario) that encourages 
First Nations students to pursue trade 
careers. In January 2016, six students 
entered the industrial millwright 
program. 

•  Encouraging students from First 

Nations in northern Ontario studying at 
Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School 
to consider a career in the trades and 
supporting the region’s efforts to open  
a First Nations trades facility.

Collaborating on forest 
management planning

Public consultation is an essential  
step in the sustainable forest management 
planning process. In Canada, the legal 
responsibility to consult with First Nations 
and harmonize forest management  
practices with their traditional land  
uses lies with government. Within this 
framework, Resolute actively engages  
First Nations in the review of our harvesting 
plans. We maintain close ties with nearly 
40 First Nations communities across the 
areas where we operate, collaborating on 
the development of mutually acceptable 
management plans.

•  Memorandums of agreement that 
have resulted in C$100 million in 
economic opportunities for seven of 
our First Nations partners in Ontario.28 
These groundbreaking agreements 
include significant contracts for 
construction and transportation.

•  Our Thunder Bay (Ontario) sawmill, 

located on Fort William First Nation land 
and leased to Resolute on a long-term 
basis, that employs some 200 workers, 
many from this First Nation community. 
The Thunder Bay facility is the first 
in Canada to work under regulations 
created by the First Nations Commercial 
and Industrial Development Act, which 
facilitates industrial development with 
First Nations on their land. 

•  Our Opitciwan joint-venture sawmill 

located in Obedjiwan (Quebec), in opera-
tion since 1999. The Atikamekw Council 
of Obedjiwan has a 55% interest in the 
joint venture, while Resolute owns 45%.

•  Forest management and harvesting activ-
ities we carry out, and stumpage fees we 
pay in exchange for volumes allocated to 
the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation 
(Quebec) by the provincial government. 

•  More than 1.5 million seedlings 

purchased annually from a tree nursery 
established by the Wabigoon Lake 
Ojibway Nation in Ontario in the late 
1990s, with the company’s support.

28.  Nigigoonsiminikaaning, Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, Lac des Mille Lacs, Seine River, Couchiching, Mitaanjigamiing and Lac La Croix First Nations.

SOCIETY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

42

1,109 

new employees hired

Supporting workforce 
renewal and retention

Engaging with our 
operating communities

Over 

$1 million

in donations and  
sponsorships 

More than 

5,400 
employees

covered by collective  
agreements 

Resolute’s long-term competitiveness is 
tied to our ability to attract results-driven 
and action-oriented employees, and to 
allow natural leaders to learn and grow 
within our organization. To achieve this 
goal, we closely manage and track our 
performance in a number of key areas, 
including health and safety, employee 
demonstrated effectiveness, and labor 
relations. 

In 2016, we hired 1,109 new permanent 
and temporary employees and raised our 
employer profile through targeted recruit-
ment practices, such as our engineering 
graduate program. Since the creation 
of this program in 2013, Resolute has 
hired 63 engineering graduates to work in 
our network of facilities. Each graduate 
works on a six-month rotation in various 
areas of an operation and is assigned a 
mentor, who provides guidance and support 
throughout the training process. 

In the past year, we renewed or entered 
into a number of agreements with unions, 
covering approximately 1,300 employees, 
primarily in our sawmills and woodlands in 
Canada. The collective agreements covering 
approximately 250 employees in Canada 
either expired in 2016 or are scheduled 
to expire in 2017, mainly affecting one 
sawmill and two woodlands operations. 

We continue to train our employees on 
Resolute’s Code of Business Conduct. 
All new and existing employees receive 
communications about the company’s 
diversity, equal employment, anti-discrimi-
nation and harassment policies.

Resolute strives to have a positive and 
meaningful impact on the communities in 
which we operate, targeting philanthropic 
contributions to two key pillars of sustain-
able development: social (community 
health and education) and environmental 
(community projects and education). 
Our contributions can take many forms, 
including financial and material support, 
and countless volunteer hours by our 
employees.

In 2016, Resolute committed to further 
integrate our community engagement 
programs to reinforce collaboration with 
a range of business and community 
partners. We launched a program to track 
employee volunteer hours and community 
outreach events at all of our operations 
in order to share best practices among 
facilities and to better understand how 
we contribute to the communities where 
we operate. 

In 2016, our donations and sponsorships 
– at both the local and corporate levels – 
totaled over $1 million. The following 
examples provide a snapshot of the range 
of organizations we supported across our 
operating communities:

•  Resolute donated C$400,000 to the 

Domaine-du-Roy and Maria-Chapdelaine 
(Quebec) regional county municipalities 
under a five-year agreement to support 
economic development projects in the 
Lac-Saint-Jean region. The annual 
Resolute golf tournament also raised 
funds for the area, contributing 
C$105,000 for equipment purchases 
for the Leucan Cancer Foundation, 
the CSSS Domaine-du-Roy Foundation 
and the Maria-Chapdelaine Center 
Foundation. 

SOCIETY

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

43

Launch of an integrated program  
to track donations, sponsorships
and volunteerism  
across our operations

UQAC, will support research into the 
boreal forest and the impact of changes 
in the landscape on black spruce growth 
in the context of climate change, with a 
particular focus on the spruce budworm 
infestation. 

•  At the University of South Carolina, 

we provide entrance award scholarships 
totaling up to $3,000 each year to 
students who are interested in the paper 
manufacturing field, with a preference 
for employees or dependents of our 
Catawba operation.

•  Resolute is a long-time supporter of the 
First Nations Natural Resources Youth 
Employment Program, a partnership 
with Outland Camps Inc. and others 
in Northwestern Ontario. In 2016, in 
addition to providing work experience 
in the field of forestry, Resolute toured 
the 48 program participants through our 
Thunder Bay sawmill and wood pellet 
plant, and discussed career opportuni-
ties at the facility with an emphasis on 
trades training.

•  Our Coosa Pines (Alabama) pulp mill 

hosted its 22nd annual Log A Load for 
Kids golf tournament, raising $32,000 
in support of the Children’s Hospital of 
Alabama CHIPS (Children’s Hospital 
Intervention and Prevention Services) 
program to assist with treatment of 
children who have been abused or 
neglected. To date, the Coosa Pines 
facility has raised over $400,000 for 
the program.

•  Resolute sponsored a fundraising 

breakfast that raised a record $16,000 
for local youth in need in Dolbeau-
Mistassini (Quebec). Over 1,000 people 
were served by staff and students at 
Jean-Dolbeau High School, with all 
profits going to purchase clothing and 
food for disadvantaged students, as well 
as to address medical needs. 

Supporting education 
and academic research

Over the years, Resolute has provided 
substantial financial support to universi-
ties and colleges to help spark innova-
tion in the forest products sector and to 
provide ongoing scholarships to students 
studying biology, natural product chem-
istry, geography, renewable resources and 
environmental science. In 2016, Resolute 
donated funds for scholarships, research 
grants, buildings and other needs totaling 
over $280,000. Here are some examples 
of our support for education:

•  In early 2017, the company announced 
a donation of C$1 million over five years 
toward the creation of a prestigious 
industrial research chair sponsored by 
the Natural Sciences and Engineering 
Research Council of Canada at the 
University of Quebec at Chicoutimi 
(UQAC). Our contribution, along with 
that of the Government of Quebec and 

RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS — 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 

44

BOARD OF  
DIRECTORS

CORPORATE  
OFFICERS

Bradley P. Martin 2, 3 
Chairman of the Board of Directors;  
Vice President for Strategic Investments  
Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited

Richard Garneau  
President and Chief Executive Officer

Michel P. Desbiens 2, 3 
Corporate Director

Jennifer C. Dolan 1, 4 
Corporate Director

Richard D. Falconer 1, 2, 3 
Corporate Director; 
Senior Partner, Lazard Canada

Jeffrey A. Hearn 2, 4 
Corporate Director

Alain Rhéaume 1, 3 
Lead Director; 
Managing Partner, Trio Capital Inc.

Michael S. Rousseau 1, 3, 4 
Executive Vice President and  
Chief Financial Officer, Air Canada

Ambassador David H. Wilkins 2, 4 
Partner, Nelson Mullins  
Riley & Scarborough LLP;  
Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada

Richard Garneau 
President and Chief Executive Officer 

Steve Boniferro 
Senior Vice President  
Human Resources 

Yves Laflamme 
Senior Vice President  
Wood Products, Procurement and 
Information Technology 

Jo-Ann Longworth 
Senior Vice President and  
Chief Financial Officer 

André Piché 
Senior Vice President 
Tissue Group, and Calhoun, 
Catawba and Mokpo Operations 

Richard Tremblay 
Senior Vice President 
Pulp and Paper Group 

Jacques P. Vachon 
Senior Vice President  
Corporate Affairs and  
Chief Legal Officer

Board Committees
1  Audit Committee
2  Environmental, Health and Safety Committee
3  Finance Committee
4  Human Resources, Compensation and 
Nominating and Governance Committee

Note: As at December 31, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Resolute Forest Products is the proud recipient 

of four awards for our 2015 Annual Report. We 

were honored with two awards from the prestigious 

MerComm Annual Report Competition (ARC) – 

gold in the written text category and bronze in 

the fi nancial data category. We also received two 

International Mercury awards for outstanding 

achievement in professional communications – gold 

for overall excellence in the combined fi nancial 

and sustainability report category, and honors for 

excellence in writing in the annual report category. 

 2016 at a Glance

 Letter from the Chairman and 

the President and Chief Executive Offi cer

Who We Are

Business and Sustainability Strategy

Resolute’s 2017 Business Priorities

Our Approach to Sustainability

  2 

  4 

  8 

  9 

 10 

 11 

 12 

 13 

 15 

 16 

 19 

 22 

 24 

 27 

 28 

 29 

 30 

 33 

 36 

 37 

 37 

 39 

 44 

ECONOMY

Financial Highlights

Market Pulp

Wood Products

Woodlands

Tissue

Newsprint

Specialty Papers

ENVIRONMENT

Highlights

Environmental Performance

Accomplishments

SOCIETY

Highlights

Social Performance 

Accomplishments

 Board of Directors and Corporate Offi cers

Shareholder Information

resolutefp.com

BUILDING 

THE RESOLUTE 

OF THE FUTURE

2015 Annual Report

The inside pages of this report are printed on 

ResoluteBrite 83 Plus 60 lb (89 g/m2) paper, 

manufactured at Resolute Forest Products’ 

Catawba (South Carolina) mill. 

ResoluteBrite 83 Plus is available with Sustainable 

Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and/or Programme for 

the Endorsement of Forest Certifi cation (PEFC) 

chain of custody certifi cations.

Certifi cations at Catawba include:

•  SFI, PEFC and Forest Stewardship Council® 

(FSC®) chain-of-custody-certifi ed fi ber-tracking 

•  SFI fi ber sourcing and FSC controlled 

system

wood standards

•  ISO 14001-certifi ed environmental 

management system

•  ISO 9001-certifi ed quality management system

Investor Information 
and Financial Reporting

Alain Bourdages
Vice President
Investor Relations 
514 394-2233
ir@resolutefp.com

Media Inquiries

Seth Kursman
Vice President 
Corporate Communications, 
Sustainability and Government Affairs
514 394-2398
seth.kursman@resolutefp.com

Vous trouverez la version française 
de ce rapport au www.pfresolu.com.

Form 10-K

Resolute Forest Products Inc. fi les its 
annual report on Form 10-K with the 
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 
(SEC), a copy of which is included with 
this annual report to stockholders. Free 
copies (without exhibits) are available upon 
request to Resolute’s Investor Relations 
department. The company’s SEC fi lings, 
annual reports, news releases and other 
investor information can be accessed at 
www.resolutefp.com/investors.

Stock Listings

The shares of common stock of Resolute 
Forest Products Inc. trade under the stock 
symbol RFP on both the New York Stock 
Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. 

Resolute Forest Products
111 Duke Street, Suite 5000,
Montréal, Quebec, H3C 2M1, Canada
514 875-2160 or 1 800 361-2888

For a full list of contacts, visit 
www.resolutefp.com/contact.

 SHAREHOLDER 
INFORMATION

Annual General Meeting

Our annual meeting of stockholders will 
be held on Thursday, May 25, 2017, 
at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern) at the Museum 
Center at 5ive Points, 200 Inman Street 
East, Cleveland, Tennessee 37311, 
United States.

Transfer Agent 
for Common Stock

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
P.O. Box 30170, College Station, 
Texas, 77842-3170, United States
866 820-6919 (toll-free within 
the United States and Canada)
781 575-3100 
www.computershare.com/investor

Co-Transfer Agent – Canada

Computershare Investor Services Inc.
100 University Avenue, 9th Floor,
Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2Y1, Canada
800 564-6253 (toll-free within 
the United States and Canada)
www.computershare.com/investor

Independent Registered 
Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
1250 René-Lévesque Boulevard West, 
Suite 2800, Montréal, Quebec, 
H3B 2G4, Canada

Graphic Design / CG3 inc. 

Printed in Canada

 
 
www.resolutefp.com

PRINCIPLED

LEADERSHIP

2016 Annual Report