Safety

American Forest & Paper Association Sets Advocacy Agenda for 2024

SManger — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:40:50 +0000

American Forest & Paper Association Sets Advocacy Agenda for 2024

SManger Tue, 03/12/2024 - 08:40

Priorities Focus on Preserving American Manufacturing Through Reasonable and Sustainable Policies

WASHINGTON — The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Board of Directors announced key advocacy priorities for 2024.

“The paper and wood products industry continues to strengthen its leadership in sustainability, safety and environmental stewardship, as evidenced by more than a decade of Better Practices, Better Planet sustainability achievements and our forward-looking 2030 commitments,” said Howard Coker, AF&PA Board Chair and Sonoco President and CEO.

"It is critical that both state and federal policies not jeopardize access to essential paper products or hinder countless modernization projects for our industry."

This year, several regulatory and policy challenges face both the paper and wood products industry and the U.S. manufacturing sector.

“The growing regulatory burden, including recent EPA air regulations, are threatening U.S. manufacturing jobs and the economy. Meanwhile extended producer responsibility policies and the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation stand to impede our focus on a circular value chain,” said Heidi Brock, AF&PA President and CEO.

Brock continued, “As a condition of membership, AF&PA members are committed to sustainable forest management and sourcing wood fiber from responsibly managed forests. Our industry champions sustainable practices, like the use of renewable biomass energy."

"We believe all Americans benefit when policies are both achievable and sustainable, with the ultimate goal of preserving access to the paper-based products people need and use every day around the world.”

Learn More About AF&PA’s Policy Priorities

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Safety Helps Promote Healthy Forests

SManger — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 14:15:14 +0000

Safety Helps Promote Healthy Forests

SManger Thu, 07/28/2022 - 10:15

You've heard about taking a walk on the wild side. But what about taking a walk on the safe side?

Buck Vandersteen, executive director of the Louisiana Forestry Association (LFA), understands how a safe walk in the forest can be better than a walk on the wild side.

As a Society of American Foresters Fellow, Vandersteen is an ambassador for the advancement of forestry. By using lessons learned, he teaches others why safety in forestry is essential.

He also shares what the industry can do to protect its greatest resource: people.

"People like forestry related jobs because they like working in the outdoors. Outdoor work can be dangerous," Vandersteen noted. "People are our greatest asset, and a productive workforce is a safe workforce."

Vandersteen also takes pride in helping families when disaster strikes.

The Forest Recovery Taskforce was created by the Louisiana Forestry Association, Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry, and the U.S. Forest Service. Additionally, the USDA Farm Service Agency, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, forest industry, loggers and professional foresters participated in forming the task force.

The task force was designed to help share information after natural disasters, such as hurricanes.

"Cleaning up after a natural disaster, like a hurricane, is dangerous. Safety measures need careful planning and slower, careful operations," Vandersteen said.

Vandersteen and his team help share information when families are in danger after a natural disaster. This varies from best practices when dealing with downed trees or how to clear branches from a roof.

"Distressed trees are dangerous trees," Vandersteen said.

Along with helping others during disasters, Vandersteen promotes sustainable forests.

"Sustainable forest management is dependent on people who are dedicated to practicing forestry safely in the woods," Vandersteen stated. "Today's forest workers are more technically knowledgeable and focused on using technology to sustain forests."

According to the LSU Agricultural Center, Louisiana currently employs nearly 50,000 in the forestry and forest products industry. We must keep the industry a safe workforce since many families and communities rely on these jobs.

So how are foresters practicing safety?

"They're walking the talk," Vandersteen said. "They're committed to a safe work environment. Sustainable forests are people-dominated forests. People are ensuring a healthy workforce."

Creating a Safe Paper and Wood Products Industry For All

CCozort — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 19:26:17 +0000

Creating a Safe Paper and Wood Products Industry For All

CCozort Thu, 07/14/2022 - 15:26

Creating a safe and caring environment is important to our industry.

It’s our job to make sure employees are safe. There are plenty of opportunities to showcase and demonstrate best safety practices throughout our mills.

We spoke to Pete Petersen, Risk, Environmental, Safety, and Health (RESH) Manager for Essity’s Central Region about how Essity is creating a safe environment at their mills.

“Safety to me, means people,” Petersen said. “Our people are the most important part of our business and the key to no one of us getting injured.” Essity’s RESH team helps ensure that teams share best safety practices, along with providing support for staff learnings.

Additionally, each Essity site has its own “Because I Care (BIC)” observation program. The program helps employees work safely by completing structured observations and providing positive or corrective feedback to a team member based on how the observation went.

“Safety is not a number or policy—it is in each of our heart and souls. I Care is our cultural journey towards a safe and healthy workplace,” Petersen noted.

Safety doesn’t stop when Essity employees leave the doors of the mills.

“We also participate in local community meetings to provide input on ways to improve safety for our roadways or emergency response preparation,” Petersen said.

And that’s not all they do for the communities they serve.

“Our business and employees support our community when a tragedy occurs or there are other needs,” Petersen stated. “An example is the gracious outpouring of toys and materials delivered to individuals in Western Kentucky that were recovering from a tornado that destroyed their town.”

As an AF&PA member, Essity knows that sharing safety goals and best practices can help the industry.

“As an industry we support each other to help keep all of our associates safe. There are no competitive barriers when it comes to sharing best practices regarding safety,” Petersen said.

Update in Brief

Safety

Industry Voices

Safety Top of Mind for Resolute

SManger — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 13:14:55 +0000

Safety Top of Mind for Resolute

SManger Wed, 06/22/2022 - 09:14

People are at the heart of our industry. To keep them safe, AF&PA’s members know safety is not just a goal, it’s a mindset.

AF&PA member Resolute Forest Products knows this all too well. David Marshall, Resolute’s Director of Sustainability & Public Affairs, spoke to us about what safety means to him and his company.

Marshall joined Resolute in 2017 and has a background in political science and urban planning. Throughout his career, he's acquired certifications that have helped him see the value in sharing safe practices and to appreciate how vital they are to our industry.

With safety on his mind, he knows his colleagues at Resolute have it on theirs too.

Resolute has some 7,000 employees and 40 facilities across North America, which means there are a lot of people to account for when it comes to safety.

“Safety means everything to a forest products company like Resolute,” Marshall noted. “Our employees work in woodlands, sawmills and in manufacturing settings like pulp, paper and tissue mills. They are on the frontlines every day, and they are exposed to risks through physically demanding work.”

For Resolute, creating an injury-free workplace is at the heart of everything they do.

This is one of the reasons why they created their Board of Directors Safety Award program in 2008.

“The award was established to provide an additional incentive for Resolute employees to improve their safety performance – by directing donations to community organizations chosen by employees when major safety milestones are achieved,” Marshall said.

More than $2.5 million have been donated to local organizations in Resolute operating communities since they started tracking these contributions in 2010.

Resolute’s Menominee (Michigan) recycled pulp mill demonstrates the benefits of the Board of Directors Safety Award Program.

The mill reached 1.75 million hours without a single recordable incident, a milestone that represents a stretch of 8.5 years without incident.

“Our Board of Directors Safety Award program granted the staff $15,000 to be donated to a local charity. The employees chose to sponsor St. Vincent De Paul’s backpack program, an initiative that provides backpacks to The First Responders Children’s Foundation, which helps support children in need within the community,” Marshall said.

Along with their safety program, Resolute has created safety pillars to help drive focus on health and safety across their operations. The pillars include:

One-on-one safety commitment discussions to reinforce expectations that employees work safely.
Hazard recognition, which is performed prior to undertaking any task, allowing employees to evaluate, control or halt a hazardous task, while greatly reducing the potential for injury.
Near-miss reporting that engages employees in the company’s health and safety processes, while providing site management teams with risk recognition data that is used to maintain the daily proactive mindset that prevents injuries.

With these pillars and incentives, Resolute is protecting their greatest asset: their people.

Learn more about AF&PA’s safety goal as part of Better Practices, Better Planet 2030

Update in Brief

Safety

Industry Voices

AF&PA to Lead on Sustainability, Recycling, Energy and the Environment, Among Other Top Policy Issues in 2022

TEbner — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:59:32 +0000

AF&PA to Lead on Sustainability, Recycling, Energy and the Environment, Among Other Top Policy Issues in 2022

TEbner Wed, 02/09/2022 - 08:59

CONTACT: Tim Ebner
comm@afandpa.org

WASHINGTON — The American Forest & Paper Association’s (AF&PA) Board of Directors today announced advocacy priorities the association will pursue to help ensure the paper and wood products industry’s sustainability success and economic impact in 2022.

“The paper and wood products industry clearly demonstrates what it means to be a leader in U.S. manufacturing – from resilience and resolve during a global pandemic to an exceptional focus on safety and sustainability,” said AF&PA President & CEO Heidi Brock. “We will not waver in our commitment to important issues including the continued success of paper recycling and environmental stewardship. This is an industry that continues to prove it can advance policy issues and work to achieve greater success for all.”

“Essential to our advocacy success will be our sustainability goals, known as Better Practices, Better Planet 2030: Sustainable Products for a Sustainable Future,” said Christian Fischer, President and CEO of Georgia-Pacific LLC and AF&PA’s Board Chair. “These commitments, along with our industry’s drive for innovation, make us a leader in stewardship in the U.S. economy.”

The paper and wood products industry has an impressive track record of leadership across several issues, including:

Sustainability: Sustainable practices are the foundation of the paper and wood products industry. Our Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 goals build on our sustainability successes and will help advance the industry in the decade ahead.

AF&PA announced its members surpassed most goals set for 2020 and raised the bar with five new goals for 2030, including further reducing greenhouse gas (GHG emissions), increasing production of renewable and recyclable products, striving toward zero workplace injuries, expanding our water stewardship efforts and advancing more resilient forests.

Paper Recycling: Paper is one of the most widely recycled materials in the United States and an environmental success with a positive impact on the broader circular economy. In 2020, paper recovered for recycling in the U.S. would fill nearly 4,000 Washington Monuments. And, every year since 2009, the recycling rate has met or exceeded 63 percent.

Marketplace Sustainability and Product Stewardship: Policies should recognize our industry’s actions and success in paper recycling. Packaging materials can vary considerably and policies must consider the disparate recycling systems and needs of different materials.

AF&PA members believe in producer responsibility and take an ownership stake in the recycling system. Our industry has completed or announced around $5 billion in manufacturing infrastructure investments from 2019-2023 to continue the best use of recycled fiber in our products. These investments will help aim to increase the amount of recovered paper used by U.S. paper and paperboard mills by approximately 8 million tons – a 25 percent increase over 2020 levels.

Energy and the Environment: The forest and paper industry is a crucial part of the climate solution and can help the United States achieve its carbon reduction goals. We’re working with the Administration and policymakers, including the EPA and USDA, to achieve ambitious goals for the future of the United States and our planet.

Our use of renewable, carbon-beneficial bioenergy to power paper mills reduces greenhouse gas emissions, preventing about 181 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere each year. That’s roughly equal to removing 35 million cars from the road.

With a track record of success in reducing GHG emissions already by 24.1 percent since 2005, our industry seeks solutions that address social and environmental justice issues, as well as economic growth.

Business Impact: AF&PA supports policies that promote efficiency, safety and shippers’ concerns within rail, maritime and highway freight transportation, along with policies related to international trade, tax and sustainable regulation to allow our industry to compete in a global marketplace.

For our industry to stay globally competitive today, we need our nation's roads, railroads, ports and mail systems to function properly to get paper and wood products where they need to go.

Safety: AF&PA remains engaged during the pandemic to address critical issues as they develop and will take proactive measures to ensure workplace safety.

AF&PA members are committed to the safety of the industry’s essential workforce and end-users. The forest products industry includes nearly 950,000 hardworking individuals who are working safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Included in our 2030 goals is a commitment to strive for zero workplace injuries overall and emphasizing continual progress on reducing serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs).

To stay engaged and learn more about AF&PA’s 2022 policy priorities, visit: afandpa.org/priorities

AF&PA Members Surpass Safety Goal for 2020

SManger — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 16:31:20 +0000

AF&PA Members Surpass Safety Goal for 2020

SManger Thu, 02/03/2022 - 11:31

Safety excellence is a top priority for AF&PA and our member companies. “Goal Zero” is more than a target – it's a mindset. In 2020, AF&PA member companies’ recordable incidence rate was 30% lower than the 2006 baseline.

This surpasses our goal to reduce the incidence rate by 25% from 2006 to 2020. AF&PA also established a voluntary program in 2019 for member companies that focuses on identifying and preventing serious injuries and fatalities.

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AF&PA Announces Award-Winning Sustainability Projects

CCozort — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 13:04:25 +0000

AF&PA Announces Award-Winning Sustainability Projects

CCozort Thu, 10/28/2021 - 09:04

CONTACT: Tim Ebner
(202) 463-2436, comm@afandpa.org

WASHINGTON – The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced its 2021 Sustainability Award winners today. These awards recognize exemplary sustainability programs and initiatives in the paper and wood products manufacturing industry.

“This year was a record-setting year. We received more submissions than ever before,” said AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “This trend underscores the value of sustainability to our industry. Our members strive to reach new limits of possibility, and these awards give us an opportunity to shine a spotlight on industry innovation.”

Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 is one of the longest standing sustainability initiatives for a U.S. manufacturing industry, established more than a decade ago. The Sustainability Award winners demonstrate the industry’s long-held commitment to improving practices that result in a brighter future and better planet.

AF&PA congratulates the following winners:

Leadership in Sustainability – Energy Efficiency/Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Georgia-Pacific: Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong: Designed with Environment in Mind

Georgia-Pacific's Quilted Northern brand saves 30 percent more water and uses 30 percent less energy by using efficient manufacturing technology to squeeze more water from tissue paper before drying – a sustainable product designed with the environment in mind.

Leadership in Sustainability – Safety

WestRock: Hazard Hunter Program

WestRock’s Hazard Hunter Program engages teammates to identify and address hazards that could result in safety incidents. New and improved safety procedures are documented in traditional standard operating procedures but then, also filmed for a video library to support multi-dimensional learning. The innovative team approach has resulted in identification of hundreds of potential hazards and advances WestRock’s goal toward a 100% safe workplace.

Leadership in Sustainability – Sustainable Forest Management

Green Bay Packaging: Sustainable Forestry – Growing Success Together

Green Bay Packaging partnered with the Sustainable Forest Initiative® (SFI), American Forest Foundation and the American Tree Farm System to advance and pioneer the SFI Small Lands Group Module Certification, as the ‘first in the paper industry’. Since starting the program in 2020, Green Bay has qualified 100+ landowners representing more than 40,000 acres and this success continues to grow! This partnership adds value for family landowners to increase certified sustainable forests in the U.S., while at the same time reduces barriers, such as the cost of certification.

Leadership in Sustainability – Water

Essity: Midwest Region: Water Use Reductions & Effluent Quality Improvements

Through great initiative, creative thinking and teamwork—and without major capital investments—Essity’s Midwest team improved effluent water quality and increased water conservation. Notably, at its Menasha, Wisconsin paper mill, Essity decreased direct discharges of Phosphorus by 55 percent and Total Suspended Solids by 35 percent, and reduced its freshwater use by 20 percent. And at its nearby converting facility in Neenah, the team reduced municipal water use by 20 percent.

Leadership in Sustainability – Paper Recovery for Recycling

New-Indy Ontario: Stock Preparation Efficiency Project

New-Indy improved repulping systems at its Ontario, California mill by adding additional screening and de-trashing capacity. The additional equipment delivered higher fiber recovery yield and provided the ability to consume mixed paper in all products without sacrificing quality. In addition to raw material cost savings, New-Indy's waste stream was also reduced. The improved fiber recovery efficiency resulted in 5,500 tons less waste leaving the mill. Additionally, 10,000 tons of mixed paper with no outlet were processed by the mill and diverted from the landfill.

Leadership in Sustainability – Paper Recovery for Recycling

WestRock: Scan. Learn. Recycle. Pizza Box Recycling Program

WestRock teamed up with Domino’s Pizza and other industry partners to clear up misconceptions about pizza box recycling. The project took a three-prong approach: Study the impact on grease and cheese on recycling, assess consumer access to pizza box recycling, and launch a public educational portal to spread the word that pizza boxes are recyclable. Since an estimated 3 billion pizzas are consumed in the U.S. each year, that’s about 600,000 tons of potential fiber recovery.

Innovation in Sustainability

Georgia-Pacific: Innovations Across the Recycling Supply Chain

Georgia-Pacific introduced three innovations in 2020 to address the recyclability of products. Partnering with a major online retailer, Georgia-Pacific developed a paper-based mailer that is 100 percent curbside recyclable. The company also introduced Dixie® ecosmart® 100% Recycled Fiber Hot Cups – America’s first hot cup made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled fiber. Georgia-Pacific is also working to increase paper cup recycling by investing in recycling infrastructure and working with municipalities to increase acceptance of paper cups to curbside recycling programs.

Innovation in Sustainability

Sonoco: EnviroSense™ PaperBlister™ Packaging

Sonoco Alloyd introduced EnviroSense PaperBlister packaging, a recyclable alternative to the traditional blister packaging, that works with existing sealing equipment lines. EnviroSense PaperBlister packages are made entirely from renewable resources and are curbside recyclable. The all-paper packaging offers a more sustainable option that is highly efficient in the delivery stream, allowing more packages per truckload and reduced shipping costs.

The 2021 AF&PA Sustainability Award winners were selected by a judging panel of sustainability experts from the Department of Energy, GreenBlue, Quad Packaging and the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology.

Visit our Sustainability Awards page for videos of these award-winning projects.

PCA Future Boxmakers of America

JTiralla — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 18:32:25 +0000

PCA Future Boxmakers of America

JTiralla Fri, 08/13/2021 - 14:32

Packaging Corporation of America

PCA engages with local schools including a recent visit with first graders in Iowa. The "Future Boxmakers of America" toured PCA's Conrad facility to learn about how boxes are made and the importance of worker safety.

https://www.packagingcorp.com/sustainability/

Industry Priorities

Sustainability

Safety

Essity's Tork VR Clean Hands Training & Education

JTiralla — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 18:30:48 +0000

Essity's Tork VR Clean Hands Training & Education

JTiralla Fri, 08/13/2021 - 14:30

Essity

Essity’s Tork brand launched Tork VR Clean Hands Training and Education, a solution specifically designed to make hand hygiene training more engaging and inspiring for healthcare professionals.

https://www.essity.com/media/press-release/essity-launches-virtual-reality-app-…

Industry Priorities

Sustainability

Safety

2030 Goal Strive for Zero Injuries

superuser — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:10:29 +0000

2030 Goal Strive for Zero Injuries

superuser Wed, 08/04/2021 - 16:10

A Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 goal is to strive for zero injuries, emphasizing continual progress on reducing serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs).

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