Lots of people talk about helping the environment but don't actually do anything about it, we do! Here are just some of the initiatives we've under taken to make things better.

Reducing fossil fuels In 2000, Norbord entered into an agreement with the UK government to reduce fossil fuel usage by 10% by 2012. By the summer of 2007, the majority of Norbord's mills in Europe were firing up on biomass - burning excess timber waste produced on site - and helping to reduce the company's dependence on energy generated using fossil fuels.

Norbord has achieved a 45% reduction in fossil fuel combustion in the past five years and, when the programme is complete, 80% of our heat requirements used in the wood fibre drying process will come from biomass sources. A figure we're proud of and one we'll continue to better.

Relying on renewables At Norbord, 75% of the energy used to produce our wood panel products is derived from renewables residues left over in the manufacturing process. As a whole, Norbord uses 1.5 million metric tons of biomass every year for energy -the equivalent of about two million barrels of oil. Which would you say is better for our environment?

Boosting local economies By sourcing and manufacturing locally, we create jobs and invest in local economies. 900 of our 2,500 employees worldwide are in Europe, mainly here in the UK.

Norbord's commitment to protecting our employees, our environment and the communities in which we operate is integral to how we run our business. That's got to be better for everyone.

WESP emission scrubbing Another way that Norbord protects the environment is by fitting the latest wet electrostatic precipitator technology (WESP) to its chimneys, to 'scrub' polluting emissions from the plant. Norbord's robust environmental policy means we take our emissions responsibilities seriously. So all Norbord's European mills have been fitted with WESP units: upgrading a factory with WESP technology typically costs at least £3 million.

Reducing greenhouse gases At our plant in Inverness, we've reduced the amount of energy derived from fossil fuels by a huge 50%, making a considerable contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases. We've done this by harnessing existing technology, managing energy processes more effectively and introducing low cost schemes to reduce energy consumption. Working smarter to do things better.

We also work with customers and suppliers to find environmental solutions. For instance, at our Inverness mill customers can return to our plant off-cuts of our product. So instead of them having to pay to dump residues into landfill, they are recycled as biomass to power our plant. That way everyone's better off, and the environment benefits too.

Wastewater wonderland Ducks, geese and even the odd otter have found a home in the man-made 'natural' environment created by the water lagoons around the South Molton mill in Devon. The two lagoons play an important part in recycling water used in the mill process. The first collects wastewater, which is then filtered as it passes to the second lagoon. The treated water is then passed through natural reed beds and then into settlement tanks before being pumped back to the storage tank on site, or fed off to the watercourse. The lagoons are a cost effective solution with the added bonus of having created a haven for wildlife.