Our Involvement
Ostrom Climate worked closely with Hemlock to calculate the carbon emissions throughout every stage of their product’s life cycle (from forest to paper mill, transportation, printing processes, and paper disposal/recycling). In doing so, we calculated what would be required to make their print jobs carbon neutral.
Our client engagement department also helped train Hemlock’s sustainability and sales teams to better understand the climate impacts of their carbon emissions, and the importance of reducing GHGs through operational changes and offsets.
In 2018, Hemlock adopted a social purpose with the support of the United Way Social Purpose Institute to be a positive force in society by the very act of doing business. Their social purpose is “to create connections, build community and inspire actions that safeguard the health of the world’s forests”. We assisted Hemlock in selecting offset projects that aligned with their social purpose. Hemlock’s offset projects are now dedicated to the conservation of Ancient & Endangered Forests around the world.
Outcome
Over the years, Hemlock has expanded the program to include papers that are automatically offset – in addition to the opt-in program. Since 2009, their clients have printed over 45 million pieces with ZERO, offsetting over 22,500 tonnes of CO2e, equivalent to removing over 4,800 gas-powered cars off the road for one year.
Recognized for their leadership and innovation, Hemlock has consistently been recognized as Canada’s Most Environmentally Progressive Printing Company and placed in the top tier of Canopy’s Blueline Report for Sustainability, Transparency, Paper Sourcing, and Forest Conservation.
