Domtar adds external advisory committee to strengthen sustainability governance

By AI, Created 9:47 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Domtar has formed an External Advisory Committee and a new internal sustainability committee to tighten oversight across its merged operations in Canada and improve ESG reporting. The company says the move supports its 2030 targets, including certified wood sourcing, emissions cuts and stronger Indigenous partnerships.

Why it matters: - Domtar is trying to turn a multi-company integration into a more unified sustainability and governance model. - Stronger oversight could improve ESG reporting, operational transparency and decision-making across Paper Excellence Canada, Domtar and Resolute Forest Products. - The governance shift matters for customers, investors, communities and other stakeholders watching the company’s climate, social and resource-management performance.

What happened: - Domtar created an External Advisory Committee to support its global sustainability strategy. - The committee includes Tensie Whelan, Jean Paul (JP) Gladu and Helene Gagnon. - Sabrina de Branco, Domtar Group global chief sustainability officer, said the effort is meant to reinforce transparency and qualified dialogue with society. - Domtar also formed an internal sustainability committee with representatives from business units across the group and members of the Executive Committee. - The company says the committees are meant to support strategy execution, monitor progress and identify risks, opportunities and priorities.

The details: - The advisory committee brings in outside perspectives on sustainability strategy execution and stakeholder dialogue. - Tensie Whelan is professor emerita of practice for business and society at New York University and founder of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. - Jean Paul Gladu is founder and principal of Mokwateh, which focuses on opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous business communities and broader perspectives. - Helene Gagnon is chief sustainability officer and senior vice president of stakeholder engagement at CAE. - Domtar says the governance model is designed to consolidate information from the three companies acquired in recent years. - The company says that consolidation should improve transparency and the precision and credibility of ESG reporting. - Domtar is also aligning sustainability policies on environment, Indigenous relations, health and safety, human rights and other stakeholder issues. - The company says the strategy covers three pillars: Responsible Business, Environmental Stewardship, and Our People and Communities. - Domtar has set 12 sustainability objectives for 2030. - Stated goals include certifying 100% of wood sources, reducing emissions and expanding partnerships with Indigenous peoples and communities. - The governance and sustainability strategy was developed over the last two years. - Domtar says the process drew on best practices from the three integrated companies and input from more than 500 stakeholders, including Indigenous communities, NGOs, customers, suppliers, certifiers and experts. - The company provides quarterly updates to customers, NGOs and other interested parties. - Domtar launched its first integrated sustainability report in October 2025. - The company also published its first integrated CDP report covering climate, water and forests. - Domtar said the combined CDP results outperformed previous years for any of the individual companies, despite the challenge of combining data from three organizations. - In 2025, Corporate Knights named Domtar one of the 25 most sustainable private companies in the world. - Domtar also appeared in a documentary from the SDG Leaders project about its 2030 sustainability strategy. - The company directs readers to its quarterly updates at Turning Strategy into Action: Q1 2026 Sustainability Strategy Update and its CDP disclosure at Domtar Improves CDP Scores in First Integrated Disclosure. - Domtar’s sustainability page is available at More information.

Between the lines: - The new structure suggests Domtar wants external validation alongside internal control as it integrates reporting across multiple legacy businesses. - The emphasis on stakeholder input and quarterly disclosure signals a push to reduce skepticism around ESG claims and show measurable progress. - The timing suggests Domtar is using governance changes to support competitiveness as sustainability expectations rise in the global forest-products sector.

What’s next: - Domtar is expected to keep issuing quarterly implementation updates. - The company will likely use the advisory committee and internal committee to track progress toward 2030 targets and refine priorities. - Future reporting will be a key test of whether the integrated governance model delivers clearer ESG performance data and stronger execution.