AUBURN – Cascades Auburn Fiber, a manufacturer and distributor of de-inked pulp, is the first plant in the nation to receive processed-chlorine-free certification, as well as recognition for its other efforts toward sustainability of natural resources.

Cascades is a leading de-inked pulp provider in the Northeast. From the pulp, its customers manufacture tissue paper, towels, napkins and also printing and writing papers made from recycled fiber.

By passing the PCF requirements, the company can now offer pulp that allows its customers to produce PCF papers, company officials said.

“Thanks to Cascades Auburn Fiber, this de-inked pulp in now available to paper mill customers in the Northeast U.S. that are looking to support a wide range of sustainability issues. Mills that purchase pulp from Cascades Auburn Fiber are now offered a product which provides third-party accountability,” said Archie J. Beaton, executive director of Chlorine Free Products Association, the not-for-profit trade association that conducted the certification.

Cascades also completed a Sustainable Manufacturing & Marketing Initiative Certification third-party auditing screen, reflecting a company goal of enhanced sustainability.

“Reduce, recycle, reuse, recover – an integral part of sustainability. These are the major avenues that we intend to continue promoting through innovation and commitment to all of our customers, Paul Derache, mill manager, said in a release announcing the certifications.

“The CFPA accreditation is another step toward our goal of responsible citizenship, improving our quality of life and preserving the resources that will enable us to support the needs of society both today and tomorrow,” he said.

With the certifications, company officials said, consumers of the finished products will no longer have to guess about recycled content, post-consumer fibers, chlorine content, forestry, water and energy use, social responsibility and other issues.