| Few industries rely on resources
such as trees and water more than the paper and related
industries. They respect the importance of these resources
and take extreme measures to protect and replenish them
for future generations.
Environmental Stewardship -
The paper industry is serious about its role
as an environmental steward, and it complies with some
of the most stringent environmental standards in the
world. To protect the environment, the industry follows
a comprehensive code of management principles that encompass
everything from planting and growing trees to recycling
paper products. Protecting all forms of wildlife is
also a priority; in the past 10 years, the industry
has spent $100 million to protect wildlife on its lands
and to conduct wildlife research.
Pulp and paper mills are actually giant recycling
machines. Scrap wood and recovered paper, which would
otherwise be wasted, are used and reused to make pulp.
Water is recycled up to 25 times before it is treated
and discharged from the mill. Overall, the industry
uses 70 percent less water to produce its products now
than it did 25 years ago. Nearly all the chemicals used
in the pulping process are recovered and reused.
When it comes to energy, the industry pays a great
deal of attention to the use of renewable, non-fossil
fuels. Over half of the paper industry’s energy
is self-generated from chipped wood waste, bark and
materials derived from the pulping process. This step
alone amounts to an annual fuel savings of more than
200 million barrels of oil! Strict guidelines are followed
to protect air quality, too. Through processes developed
by industry engineers, sulfur emissions have been reduced
by more than 90 percent, and pulp and paper mills now
remove more than 97 percent of particles from air emissions.
Recycling - The United States is the world’s
largest paper recycler, with more than 400 mills now
utilizing recycled paper and more than 100 additional
mills planned or under construction. In fact, the US
industry now recycles more fiber than is sent for disposal,
and recovered paper now provides one-third of all the
papermaking fiber used at American mills. This is a
great record, but the job isn’t done yet. Industry
engineers are working every day to find processes that
are even more efficient and environmentally friendly.
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