When done right, paper manufacturing has a variety of benefits. Paper mills are a powerful economic engine for the communities in which they are located, supplying jobs and critical tax revenue for towns and cities. Plus, wood sourced from responsibly managed forests promotes biodiversity and a more vibrant ecosystem.
Sustainability in the modern paper manufacturing world goes beyond simply replanting trees that are harvested — for Sylvamo, it means making a positive and lasting impact at every stage of the process, from the pulp to the people.
In recognition of Earth Month, we discussed eco-friendly paper production and the right approach to sustainability in print with Sylvamo’s Chief Sustainability Officer James McDonald and Global Sustainability Manager Nathaniel Elser.
Elser: It’s hugely important, and it extends beyond the actual data points. Yes, we always highlight the performance of particular KPI’s that are associated with our goals, but transparency is really about consistently disclosing meaningful, relevant information about the things we’re doing.
Some years we don’t necessarily see as much progress toward our goals as we’d like. But we report on our performance nonetheless and over time we can demonstrate that we’re moving in the right direction. I think that’s important in terms of inspiring our employees and customers. It builds trust, faith and confidence.
McDonald: Sylvamo’s strategy is to ensure that we are a sustainable company, by generating profits for our shareowners, protecting the environment and improving the lives of the people we interact with. Our ability to report how we are doing in relation to our goals and targets is very important to our key stakeholders.
Elser: Sure. We often say we’re committed to the success of the entire ecosystem. In ecology, an ecosystem is a system of organisms and their interactions with the physical environment. Understanding how ecosystems function is vital to sustainable forest management. We’ve adapted this concept to inform our view of Sylvamo, the role we play in a larger system and how we interact with various stakeholders through our operations.
This is what we mean when we say we’re committed to the success of the entire ecosystem. We want to positively impact not just the forests and watersheds from which we source, but also the landowners and broader communities where we operate — this includes our employees and the people who ultimately use our product.
The idea is that we want to understand every area we interact with and the impact we’re having. That said, our commitment to forest management is a large part of what we do, given our goal to enhance, conserve and restore about 250,000 acres of forest by 2030.
McDonald: There are a couple of projects that I’m very excited about right now, particularly those around water conservation. Paper mills do use a lot of water to produce the paper; however, we generally use water up to 10 times prior to returning more than 93% of that water to the environment. The rest is lost as steam or goes out in our products. We are constantly looking for ways to reduce the amount of water we use in our overall production.
Elser: I’m always most excited about our fiber sourcing and forest conservation work. We do a lot with the various programs and certifications that promote sustainable forest management and responsible fiber sourcing practices. This includes the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
I am a big advocate for the forest products industry. The industry, at least here in the U.S., really does help create and maintain healthy forests.
Elser: I definitely think we’re seeing this, yes. We’re seeing more and more applications of paper-based materials being used as an alternative to plastics, especially in packaging. I think more businesses and consumers are realizing that most plastics are effectively not recyclable. At the same time, I think people have a better understanding now of the sustainability attributes of forest products, that when properly sourced, these are renewable resources.
This interview is part of the upcoming issue of Did You Know?, our quarterly print magazine for designers, printers, marketers and anyone in the print industry to stay in-the-know about the latest trends, conversations and innovations in the print world.
This upcoming issue looks at sustainability in the paper industry through interviews, project spotlights and a feature story. You can get this issue — and each subsequent issue — sent directly to you by subscribing to the DYK.