Server: Microsoft-IIS/2.0 Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 21:48:40 GMT Content-Type: text/html Accept-Ranges: bytes Last-Modified: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 23:35:02 GMT Content-Length: 27181 Weyerhaeuser

 

Minimum impact, ecological balance and public expectations

Remarks by Executive Vice President, Richard C. Gozon
To: Third Global Conference on Paper and the Environment
London, England
March 28, 1995

Introduction:

As the pulp and paper industry speeds toward the future, it's useful to examine our progress and consider where our next steps will take us.

Let me start with my company's position today. Weyerhaeuser is the world's largest producer of market pulp and softwood lumber. We own or manage over 9 million hectares of forestland in the United States and Canada. We're also one of the United States' largest recycling companies.

That perspective gives Weyerhaeuser a clear view of the challenge ahead: reducing our environmental impact and maintaining healthy, diverse forests.

We accept that challenge. Last year at this conference, Weyerhaeuser President Jack Creighton described how our company is meeting it by defining a clear vision for the future and identifying measurable steps to reach our objectives. That approach has not changed, but we can see the path ahead more clearly than before. So I want to talk about two things today:

  • Making our vision as realistic as possible by taking a holistic approach to manufacturing, and then
  • Staying on course toward our goals by listening to and involving the public.

Our vision of the future

At Weyerhaeuser, we see a future in which we manage sustainable forests while protecting forest values such as wildlife habitat and water quality. We expect to operate efficient, increasingly closed-cycle manufacturing facilities that produce valued forest products without negatively impacting the environment. And our plans include a financially successful company that satisfies worldwide customers while providing incomes for our employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate.

Those expectations for our future may sound complex, and justly so. When viewed from afar, anything looks simple. As we approach our goals, however, they take three-dimensional shape. That's why we're working to perceive- and then create-a future that's multi-faceted, that not only exists in words but functions in reality. The more clearly and realistically we can see that future, the more practical steps we can take to get there.

Furthermore, we're finding that progress toward our future requires not isolated leaps but a series of interconnected steps. Our industry has lots of experience thinking about manufacturing not as isolated processes, but as interdependent systems. We're applying a similar approach to our forests-managing the spectrum of forest resources, not just the trees. Part of today's challenge is to carry that multi-dimensional "systems approach" a step farther- to our industry's place in human society. That requires a holistic perspective that considers not only environmental performance and ecological balance, but also social and economic balances.

That's a broad perspective. But as we work toward our future, it becomes increasingly clear that only a holistic view will allow us to take sensible steps today while making sure we continue to move toward our ultimate goals.

Let me give you an example. Weyerhaeuser's vision includes manufacturing facilities in harmony with their environments. The kraft pulping process has potential to be one of the most efficient industrial processes in existence. By closing process cycles, we can substantially reduce water use and nearly eliminate waste (and environmental impacts). Process chemicals can be generated from air and water. Surplus energy can help fill the needs of our communities.

We're getting closer to that goal, but we aren't there yet. Our priority is to maintain uncompromised product performance and purity while we reduce environmental impacts. Recycling bleach-plant effluents in a closed-loop process represents a significant step. It's not the only step, though, and for many mills it may not be the most important one to take first.

Decision-making for the future

How do we decide which improvements represent the most profound progress for a given situation? We believe that sound decision-making requires two elements.

First is a holistic approach that incorporates:

  • Meeting customer needs for product performance and purity.
  • Sustainable forestry.
  • Clean manufacturing through waste reduction.
  • Sustainable economics.
  • Public involvement and open communication.

To integrate these perspectives into wise decisions, we need a second element: a discipline for decision-making. Life-cycle inventories are one emerging tool for identifying and measuring the cumulative environmental impacts of a product or process. Such a structured approach is then integrated with strategic economic planning. Jointly, they ensure that our environmental improvement proceeds effectively and in a fiscally responsible manner.

That's important because our industry's long-term economic success impacts our ability to make further environmental improvements. True sustainability includes not only sustainable forests or sustainable manufacturing, but also sustainable economics. At the same time, we at Weyerhaeuser believe that financial rewards flow inevitably from satisfied customers. Achieving that satisfaction requires quality products manufactured with minimum waste. That includes waste that impacts our environment. Our overall task, then, is to minimize negative environmental impacts while maximizing our positive economic and social impacts.

To achieve that, Weyerhaeuser is developing and implementing a set of Environmental Management Systems . They're based on a proactive, diagnostic approach to environmental decision-making. We expect these systems to help us recognize and act on improvement opportunities. They will also help us integrate multiple efforts to better manage our environmental performance from a comprehensive viewpoint.

We're also monitoring the emergence of other tools being developed worldwide. Weyerhaeuser hopes inter-national cooperation will yield credible, workable environmental management principles and standards. We expect Weyerhaeuser's Environmental Management Systems to dovetail with such efforts, and we intend to continue participating in their debate, development and application.

Meanwhile, Weyerhaeuser increasingly depends on another resource that's helping guide our progress. That resource is the public.

Listening to the public

At Weyerhaeuser, we accept responsibility for the environmental stewardship of the forests and communities in which we operate. To meet that responsibility, however, we need to understand a variety of perspectives-not just our own. Everyone has a stake in a healthy environment and sustainable forests. The broader viewpoints of our customers, shareholders, employees and neighbors can help keep us on track as we progress toward the future. Conversely, if we don't align ourselves with public values, our neighbors can erect market or regulatory barriers that make it difficult for us to do business.

That realization has prompted Weyerhaeuser to actively listen to the public . For instance, since 1994 our company president and an executive vice president have held five public meetings in Washington and Oregon. Over 1,200 citizens participated, many offering impassioned opinions on environmental issues, jobs and product development. Even participants who were dissatisfied with our past performance said they appreciated our willingness to listen. So we're evaluating more ways to get feedback from our neighbors. For example, our operations in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Longview, Washington, include community advisory panels. Our goal is to form two more ongoing panels in the United States by year-end.

We've also made listening mistakes. In the past, when people complained about the appearance of harvested areas, we tried to explain the benefits of our practices without hearing the message that we might need to change them. Today Weyerhaeuser foresters are responding to public concern about harvest aesthetics by better understanding public values, learning about landscape architecture, and trying new harvest-planning techniques. The results include smaller, more irregular harvested areas that blend better with the landscape. We'll continue such changes to address evolving public views.

In addition, we're working to incorporate more customer input into our daily business. Our technical and marketing experts, particularly here in Europe, increasingly serve as a channel for customers and the public to communicate with the company. They've also forged effective communication links with governmental agencies and environmental organizations.

These listening efforts are proving essential for anticipating public issues and understanding market expectations. To take advantage of those valuable inputs, however, we must also respond.

Responding to meet expectations

At Weyerhaeuser, one way we're responding is by incorporating public opinion into our management plans. For example, our six regional Forest Councils in the United States gathered public input on forest protection issues most important to the citizens of each region. We discovered consistency in people's biggest concerns: water and soil quality, wildlife habitat and aesthetics, as well as affordable wood products. So in October we announced a new set of Weyerhaeuser Forestry Resource Goals that outline the broad steps our company will take to protect these important resources on all our U.S. forestlands. Now each Forest Council will use what we've heard locally to develop progress measurements and implement specific forest-management practices that respond to local needs in achieving those overall resource goals. As we proceed, we will share our performance results with the public.

One of the tools we use to communicate that kind of performance information is our environmental annual report. It describes our objectives, communicates progress, and solicits feedback toward continuous improvement in our 14-mill system. For instance, our 1994 report shows a decade of substantial reductions in:

  • Chlorine use.
  • Chlorinated organics.
  • Total suspended solids.
  • Biological oxygen demand.
  • Total reduced sulfur.
  • Total treated effluent.

When current projects are complete, we expect to achieve even greater reductions. But we're still not satisfied, and we'll continue working toward our minimum-impact goals.

Finally, we respond to customer input about changing market needs. Customers have asked for products made with more recycled fiber and less chlorine-without sacrificing product quality or cost-efficiency. In response, we've doubled our use of recycled fiber in the past five years. We're currently converting one of our mills to use 100 percent recycled fiber. We're also participating in a joint venture that's building another. This year, Weyerhaeuser will recover nearly 3 million tons of wastepaper, and we plan to reach 6 million tons by 1998.

We're also responding to customer concerns about product quality and the environment by completing over $1 billion in mill modernizations in 1995. Modernizations currently planned and under way will not only increase product performance but also improve air and water quality, reduce energy and chemical requirements, and enable us to dramatically reduce or eliminate all chlorinated organics from our pulp mill effluents as we progress toward minimum-impact manufacturing.

So we're listening to market needs and public expectations, and we're responding . To further speed progress toward our vision, Weyerhaeuser is taking one more step: directly involving our neighbors.

Involvement

For example, Weyerhaeuser has found public collaboration very effective with our pioneering efforts in watershed analysis. In this innovative forest-management approach, we work with other landowners and interest groups to assess the water quality, soil stability and fish habitat of a particular forested river basin. Then we jointly develop management prescriptions to protect and enhance those resources for the future. Government officials, Native American tribes, university scientists and environmental groups participate throughout the process. We first tested this proactive, nonregulatory approach when we voluntarily initiated Washington state's first full-scale watershed analysis in 1993. That effort addressed 26,000 hectares of forestland around the Tolt River, which supplies a third of the drinking water for the city of Seattle. Since then, Weyerhaeuser has completed 11 other watershed analyses and plans 5 to 10 more in 1995. Each is a valuable opportunity to involve others in protecting forest resources on a large scale.

The International Model Forest program offers another way to involve the public in environmental improvement. Weyerhaeuser participates in the Prince Albert Model Forest in Saskatchewan, Canada. We're working with other forestland users there to balance diverse demands on forest resources while protecting the ecosystem.

It's a delicate balance. To achieve it-in Saskatchewan and on all of the forestland Weyerhaeuser manages-we'll continue listening to public input and responding to customer needs. We're learning as we go. In addition, we believe that open communication and public involvement are crucial to maintaining consumer confidence in us and in our products.

Constructive dialogue with the public also helps warn us of tempting shortcuts that might lead us astray from our ultimate goals. For example, the feedback Weyerhaeuser has received reveals that people's concern about clear-cutting reflects a more fundamental worry about overall forest conservation and sustainability, including water quality, wildlife and biodiversity. Such information helps focus finite resources as we proceed with the improvements that contribute the most toward mutual environmental goals. Similarly, our steps toward eliminating bleach-plant effluent must be taken with regard for impacts on product purity, air quality, solid waste and economic feasibility. Such a disciplined approach will lead to very different conclusions for different mill sites, because we have not just today's stage of the journey to consider, but tomorrow's as well.

The path forward: continuous improvement

It will take a long, coordinated effort to reach our vision of the future. Weyerhaeuser has made mistakes, but we're learning. In addition, we feel we've taken a significant step away from adversarial relationships and toward cooperation, which yields better results for everyone. That's important because everyone must participate in environmental improvement. Our unique responsibilities as pulp and paper manufacturers include:

  • Creating a holistic vision of our future.
  • Setting our course and establishing checkpoints.
  • Communicating openly and involving the public.

We've made progress toward our vision in 1994. We expect to proceed even farther in 1995, and beyond. Through unprecedented technological innovation and increasing alignment with public values, the pulp and paper business holds the potential to become the environmental benchmark for industry. Already our industry features many advantages:

  • Renewable raw materials.
  • Safe, affordable and indispensable products that contain recycled fiber and can be recycled again.
  • Energy efficiency, with much of our needs generated from natural waste materials.
  • Recovery and reuse of process chemicals.

To those industry advantages, we can add healthy, sustainable forests; holistic, minimum-impact manufacturing; and community involvement and communication. But only if we stay on course, make wise and disciplined choices, and listen. We at Weyerhaeuser are prepared and eager for that challenge.

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