Domtar mill recognized by NRC

Paper packaging company Domtar Corp.'s recycled containerboard mill in Kingsport, Tennessee, has been awarded The Fred Schmitt Award for Outstanding Corporate Leadership by the Colorado-based National Recycling Coalition (NRC).

The award recognizes a company for showing leadership, innovation and success as a model in recycling and diversion.

The Kingsport mill was nominated by the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce and selected by the NRC for its "transformative conversion into Tennessee’s largest recycled manufacturer.”

Domtar says the mill, which reopened in early 2023, is home to the second-largest recycled containerboard machine in North America.

“This recognition from the National Recycling Coalition is a tremendous honor and a testament to our employees’ dedication to sustainability,” says Tony Clary, interim mill manager in Kingsport. “Through innovation and hard work, our team has redefined what’s possible in circular manufacturing—not just for Domtar, but for our entire industry.”

The Kingsport mill’s two-year conversion project transformed an uncoated freesheet paper machine into Domtar’s first 100 percent-recycled-containerboard facility.

The mill now produces approximately 600,000 tons of recycled linerboard and corrugated medium each year while consuming nearly 700,000 tons of old corrugated containers (OCC) and other recovered paper grades.

Domtar says during the mill construction project, it repurposed 31,500 tons of concrete and brick from the demolition of the previous mill as foundation fill for its new facility.

“This action eliminated roughly 1,000 dump-truck trips and kept those materials out of landfills,” the company says.

“Domtar has been an incredible corporate partner to our city and region, and this national recognition reinforces what we already know here in Kingsport: that this company is helping lead the way in sustainability and innovation,” says Miles Burdine, president and CEO of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce.

“The mill’s transformation is not only a remarkable industrial achievement but also a powerful example of how business growth and environmental responsibility can work hand in hand to strengthen our community."

The NRC award was presented during the organization’s Annual Conference Awards Reception in early October at Wichita State University in Kansas. Last year, the mill was honored by the Tennessee Recycling Coalition.

“Domtar's Kingsport Mill sets a new benchmark for circularity and sustainable manufacturing in the forest products industry,” says Jan Martin, director of communications and public affairs for Domtar. “The Fred Schmitt Award underscores how innovation and collaboration can deliver lasting environmental and community benefits.”

Headquartered in Montreal and in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Domtar employs about 14,000 people at more than 60 locations in North America, producing up to 9.1 million metric tons of pulp, paper, packaging and tissue annually.