For companies like Domtar, success is often measured, in part, by the strength of their partnerships. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of sustainability. Domtar’s long-standing and fruitful relationships with partners like the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy of Canada, among many, are both a reflection and a byproduct of its commitment to environmental stewardship and as a forest products manufacturer rooted in sustainability
As Domtar’s vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement for Sustainability, Paige Goff has had a front-row seat to how partnerships help further our vision for a better tomorrow.
“Without our focus on partnerships and engagement, I don’t think Domtar would have the reputation it has today,” says Goff, who joined Domtar in 2004 and has 26 years of experience in the forest products industry. “Face-to-face interaction helps us build trust with our customers and with environmental organizations. We may not always agree, but there’s always a compromise to be had or something that we can work toward that can help us all grow.”
Goff helps Domtar communicate its key sustainability and business initiatives to all internal and external stakeholder communities — from our customers to our suppliers on the business side, to community groups, employees and rightsholders, like First Nations and other Indigenous groups in collaboration with Domtar’s Indigenous Relations team. She also develops and leads partnerships with environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) and oversees sustainability communications for Domtar customers. And as head of the company’s Strategic Partnerships and Engagement team, she manages a wide range of activities, including stakeholder relations, partnerships, engagement, education and monitoring.
We spoke with Goff about her work and why partnerships matter to Domtar.
Your career has largely focused on sustainability. Why did you choose this path?
I’ve always had a heart for sustainability. I grew up with parents who made sure we composted and recycled. It was actually a big taboo if we did something that could hurt the environment when we could have prevented it. So, I’ve enjoyed taking time over the course of my career to dig more into sustainability to understand the historical processes that led us to where we are today. It’s great to see how young people now expect that companies are committed to sustainability, and that some will actually take a cut in pay to make sure they work for a company they feel is doing the right thing.
When I first came to Domtar, I worked in communications. Sustainability was a part of that, of course, but it wasn’t my whole focus. In 2010, I made the shift to sustainability, and I’m proud to say that, over time, Domtar has become stronger than ever when it comes to our focus on sustainability. Our leadership is dedicated to understanding all of the sensitivities around environmental responsibility and making sure we not only lower our negative impact on the environment but also raise the bar so that we can meet and, more importantly, exceed requirements.
We’re more transparent today than we have ever been. In fact, our transparency increased when we became a private company. We didn’t go backward whatsoever. We moved forward, and we will continue to do so. That’s very exciting to me.
You were involved in creating Domtar’s new Sustainability Strategy. What did you find most interesting about the process?
It’s important to know that we didn’t start from zero. All three legacy companies were already doing the right things, so there was a significant platform to build on with the integrated strategy and sustainability report. The reason it took almost two years was that we looked at best practices throughout the three companies to identify what we could carry forward together. And then we looked at what our competitors were doing, what our customers expected from us and what would be expected of our industry in the future.
Our partnerships with industry organizations and environmental groups were another key consideration in our process. We’re all working toward the same things, and what we do as an industry should be collaborative.
There will always be some tension when it comes to forest products and sustainability. But I’ve found that having these conversations makes it less ‘us vs. them’ and more like we’re all in this together. We are actively working to understand the unique needs of different groups and make sure we’re acknowledging them as we progress.
Can you share a recent project that is making a difference in this area
I’ve been really excited to work with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Because we are committed to conserving ecologically significant landscapes across Canada, we’ve partnered with NCC in its ongoing effort to protect biodiversity, restore habitats and engage local communities. We understand that what’s good for the forests is actually good for our industry and for the planet.
That’s why, in 2022, we supported the protection of nearly 150,000 hectares of forest in Ontario’s Boreal Wildlands through a discounted land sale to NCC. This has enabled NCC to conduct habitat restoration and species monitoring, and to partner with a local Indigenous education center to launch a water monitoring program. NCC is also building a hiking trail and restoring areas by decommissioning logging roads and restoring natural forest cover.
In 2023, we donated our share of a 200-hectare marsh and shoreline property in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, to Conservation de la nature – Quebec (CNQ). The area now supports an aquatic bird habitat and community recreation. NCC has since worked with CNQ to protect and manage the land as well as share knowledge of climate migration and adaptation, including coastal erosion.
And in October, we agreed to donate some additional land to NCC, which plans to conserve four large parcels of forested lands and waters along the Southwest Gander River and Gander Lake near the communities of Glenwood and Appleton in Newfoundland and Labrador. This will enable better wildlife movement through connected conservation lands.
Our work with NCC is just one partnership of many in the United States and Canada. But together, our partnerships help us continue to care for our natural resources in a way that ensures they — and we — will be here for many years to come.
Explore Domtar’s recent sustainability report and learn more about our commitment to sustainability.
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