Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Repeat Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Repeat Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Repeat Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Repeat Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Repeat Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Repeat Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Repeat Rethink Reduce Recycle Recover Reuse Re: Georgia-Pacific creates long-term value by using resources efficiently to provide innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of customers and society, while operating in a manner that is environmentally and socially responsible and economically sound. Re: Rethink, Reduce, Recycle, Recover, Reuse… and Repeat it Every Day. Throughout our history, Georgia-Pacific has worked to create products that improve people’s lives, use resources wisely, actively engage in our communities, and contribute to society by being a prosperous business. In a word, GP has been sustainable. At Georgia-Pacific, we define sustainability as “meeting the needs of society today without jeopardizing our ability to do so in the future.” Sustainability has three dimensions – social, environmental and economic. To remain sustainable, our decisions must balance all the dimensions of sustainability. We need to focus on creating long-term value while understanding the impact of our business decisions in each of these dimensions. In recent years, sustainability has taken on a new level of importance for our customers, our communities and society as a whole. There is increasing interest in where our raw materials come from, how our products are manufactured, and the impact we have on the places where we live and work. This brochure reviews just a few of the many ways GP employees are working to “meet the needs of society” with the needs of future generations in mind. We’re committed to finding ways to add value through sustainability – for our customers, for our communities, for society and for Georgia-Pacific. Read more. Rethink Beyond Product Safety into Product Responsibility All Georgia-Pacific products must We’re taking a closer look… at products, at processes, at the entire supply chain… and we’re delivering innovative solutions that extend environmental benefits into the marketplace to our customers and consumers. meet the requirements of a Product Safety Criteria (PSC) tailored to the characteristics and applications of each product category. This PSC is an element of a more complete system devised by and implemented for Georgia-Pacific packaging and consumer products that may come in contact with food, and must meet additional standards of safety. GP Innovation Improving Air Quality An investment to upgrade a corrugator at GP’s Milford packaging plant triggered a need for updated pollution control equipment— specifically, a way to collect the paper dust that comes from recovering corrugated waste for recycling. After reviewing various technologies, the plant team selected an innovative system from the dry cleaning industry that uses water rather than bags to remove dust from the air. Not only did the new system perform well, but it also cost significantly less than the typical bag house. An added bonus—it helps save energy during the winter since warm air from the system is vented back into the plant. developed the Product Hazard Analysis and Control management system, known as PHAC, to meet and exceed U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards for food contact materials. This is in addition to chemical, environmental, handling Packaging that Stacks Up Packaging Systems Optimization (PSO) Helps Customers Reduce Material Use and Costs, and Meet Sustainability Goals Georgia-Pacific works with customers to improve the total supply chain, delivering environmental benefits in the process. GP has always worked to reduce waste and minimize costs across all of its operations—from raw material procurement and safety and other customer and transportation to mill processes and shipping of finished goods. The Packaging company regulations and require- Systems Optimization (PSO) Program, developed by GP’s Innovation Institute®, ments. The PHAC system also addresses environmental protection requirements and provides for stringent monitoring, tracking, incident reporting and corrective action and verification. applies the same scrutiny to a customer’s supply chain, helping them improve their environmental performance. PSO is helping customers reduce costs, fiber consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy use. By analyzing the production line and packaging system for a large wine manufacturer, GP was able to increase the strength of its display cartons to minimize damage and reduce supply chain costs. Through adding a Z-divider, it saved fiber, increased warehouse space utilization and reduced material handling. These results contributed to a $350,000 cost savings. Proposed packaging system changes for another customer have enabled them to pack more product per box, pallet and truckload. The same amount of product can be delivered in fewer trucks—reducing transportation costs, fossil fuels burned and the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. 2 Resists Moisture, Fully Recyclable The corrugated box is a tremendous recycling success story, boasting the highest recovery rates of any paper or paperboard product. But, until recently, many types of produce, poultry and seafood had to be shipped in non-recyclable, wax-coated packaging. With the introduction of Greenshield packaging, GP tackled one obstacle to corrugated recycling. Greenshield, an alternative to waxed corrugated used in moderate moisture applications, is completely recyclable. It provides the moisture resistance needed for long-term refrigerated storage of produce, poultry and seafood, and reduces the amount of corrugated packaging going into the waste stream. Georgia-Pacific Business is an EPA Champion Strong & (Resource) Smart Georgia-Pacific Professional, which supplies towels, tissues, soaps, air fresheners, wipers, dispensing systems and other products for public spaces such as office buildings, hospitals, hotels, airports and sports arenas, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Champion in the agency’s Design for the Environment Program’s Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI). new Dixie® Ultra plate, it became a regular guest The SDSI program recognizes organizations that voluntarily commit to the use of safer surfactants that break down quickly to non-polluting compounds and help protect aquatic life in both fresh and salt water. Consumers like a strong paper plate. So when Georgia-Pacific’s Dixie business introduced its at picnics, tailgate parties and Tuesday night dinners at home. Forty percent stronger than before, Dixie Ultra is the strongest paper plate on the market. What’s behind all that added strength? Innovation and sustainability. Renewable wood fiber has given Dixie® plates their strength for more than 50 years. But making them 40 percent stronger didn’t take any more wood fiber. By changing the angle of the plate’s rim, Dixie The Champion designation covers Georgia-Pacific Professional’s tissue manufacturing process and hand soap products. The company was the first to meet the EPA’s recommendations on both a tissue manufacturing process and end product. engineers were able Champion is the highest level of recognition offered under SDSI. raw materials. to increase the plate’s strength without having to use more Plywood and OSB for Energy-Efficient Homes A layer of highly reflective aluminum foil applied to Plytanium® plywood and Blue Ribbon™ oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing adds an energy-efficient dimension to these construction mainstays. Thermostat® Radiant Barrier Sheathing reflects up to 97 percent of radiant heat in the attic and may reduce the amount of energy used for air conditioning by up to 17 percent in warm climates. 3 Reduce Georgia-Pacific continuously explores ways to minimize our impact on the environment—reducing raw material needs, water usage, air emissions and waste at the source. Using 100% of the Tree GP manufacturing processes are planned to help ensure that no part of the tree is wasted. Chips and wood waste from sawmills and plywood plants supply pulp and paper mills as well as plants that make particleboard and oriented strand board. Source Reduction, One Piece at a Time Premium Tissue Gets Resourceful GP’s unique dispensing systems for paper towels, tissue, napkins, soap Employees at Georgia-Pacific’s consumer products mills in Crossett, Ark., and Port Hudson, La., are making more premium consumer tissue products and using fewer resources to do so. and cutlery have been proven to reduce consumption in away-fromhome environments. The enMotion®, Cormatic®, System 3000® and SmartStock® dispensers work by controlling the amount of product dispensed. The enMotion® “touchless” towel dispenser reduces waste at the source, improves hygiene for consumers and reduces paper usage by up to 30 percent. Innovative product designs, including the Big Fold® C-fold replacement towel and EasyNap dispenser ® napkins, reduce usage and waste by 30 percent compared with other standard products. GP’s Compact® coreless bath tissue reduces packaging by up to 95 percent versus standard bath tissue by eliminating cardboard cores, inner wraps and outer corrugated packaging. 4 Two upgraded paper machines now have advanced, proprietary tissue-papermaking technology that reduces combinations of fiber use, energy use or water use versus alternative papermaking processes. The equipment upgrades are in response to growing consumer demand for premium qualities in tissue products, such as softness and absorbency. The upgraded paper machines and converting equipment not only meet customer and consumer demands and help conserve resources, but the projects also modernized the mills, improving their long-term competitiveness and helping maintain jobs. Less Water, Cleaner Water Water is a critical element in many of GP’s manufacturing processes. We use creative and innovative methods to conserve, reuse and reduce water used in our processes, and to ensure that our process water is properly treated before being released. For example, since 1999 Georgia-Pacific’s Palatka, Florida, mill has reduced groundwater usage by 90%, while a recent equipment upgrade has enabled Georgia-Pacific’s Brunswick, Georgia, cellulose mill to totally eliminate the use of surface water in its operations. Heat Does Double Duty Most of Georgia-Pacific’s large pulp and paper mills self- Moving Products Cleanly and Efficiently with SmartWay® generate power to run equipment needed to make bath Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products is a member of tissue, paper towels, linerboard and many other products the SmartWay® Transport Partnership, an innovative people use every day. We generate this power from steam produced in our boilers. Through a process called cogeneration, or combined heat and power, GP can use that steam as it’s on its way to be used in the manufacturing process to turn turbines that generate additional electricity to run other parts of our operations. Cogeneration enables us to self-generate electricity at about double the efficiency of a typical commercial utility. We’re also buying less electricity from the grid. collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency and significantly reduce air pollution. As part of its participation, GP has: • Increased its intermodal shipping (truck to rail to truck) to reduce fuel consumption • Instituted a non-idle policy at all of GP’s consumer product mills, asking drivers to turn off their engines while waiting to be loaded or unloaded • Cut down on deadhead trips, when trucks return empty GP Pursues Green Energy­­ Georgia-Pacific’s Albany, Oregon, chemical plant and Coos Bay, Oregon, sawmill are helping to promote the development of renewable energy as a participant in Pacific Power’s Blue SkySM renewable energy program. Blue Sky energy comes from wind power, an attractive form of energy generation because it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants, wastewater, smog and acid rain. According to Pacific Power, the Albany and Coos Bay facilities are offsetting more than 600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. 5 Recycle Georgia-Pacific goes full circle when it comes to paper recovery and recycling. GP Harmon Recycling, a Georgia-Pacific company, is one of the world’s largest buyers and sellers of wastepaper, and GP uses approximately 3 million tons of recovered paper and paperboard in its facilities. That’s just part of the story. Synthetic gypsum makes drywall Chemically identical to natural gypsum, synthetic utilities, GP recovers more than 600,000 tons per year gypsum is created through flue gas desulfurization, a of this synthetic gypsum that was once landfilled process that utilities use to scrub their air emissions and converts it into gypsum drywall at GP facilities to remove sulfur and sulfates. Working with local in Indiana, Washington and Tennessee. From Washroom to Showroom Georgia-Pacific Professional’s “Return-RefurbishRecycle Dispenser Recovery Program” offers customers a sustainable end-of-life solution for their existing older paper towel dispensers. Those dispensers that can be refurbished are; those that can’t are recycled into plastic components used in automobiles. The program recycles enMotion® and other dispensers, and provides the customer with documentation that the dispensers have been ‘put to rest’ sustainably. More than 20,000 dispensers have been recycled to date. 6 Paper Recycling... A Big Priority and Big Business for GP Americans recycled 334 pounds of wastepaper per person supply of wastepaper, purchasing nearly 7 million tons in 2010* and global demand for wastepaper is climbing. of recovered paper in 2012. Georgia-Pacific consumes approximately 3 million tons GP’s Halsey, Ore., paper recycling facility diverts nearly of recovered paper, using it in many products including 200,000 tons of wastepaper per year from West Coast tissue and towels, office paper, containerboard and landfills and uses it to produce bright white pulp without corrugated boxes. GP Harmon Recycling makes sure the aid of chlorine or chlorine compounds. The pulp is Georgia-Pacific facilities are well-positioned to meet used for business papers and towel and tissue products. their recovered fiber needs, as well as addressing the growing demand for recovered paper around the world. GP Harmon manages nearly 13 percent of the U.S. *American Forest and Paper Association Additionally, 100 percent of the paper that covers GP’s ToughRock® gypsum drywall is recycled, and has been for nearly 50 years. 7 Recover Choose GP Recycled Products Georgia-Pacific is the largest producer of recycled away-fromhome tissue products, offering more than 200 products that contain up to 100 percent recycled fiber. GP’s Envision® line of washroom and tabletop products meets or exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended guidelines for total and post-consumer recycled fiber content. Our Georgia-Pacific Standard Recycled Multipurpose paper contains 30% post-consumer fiber. Additionally, Spectrum® papers offer recycled options with a line of 30% recycled content papers and, in select markets, 100% recycled content papers. Consumers who want paper towels, napkins and bath tissue with recycled content can choose Mardi Gras® and Soft ‘n Gentle® brands. From Cups to Compost Until recently, most commercial composting facilities didn’t take used paperboard cups with a polyethylene (PE) coating because the coating wouldn’t break down during the composting process. Advances in technology have enabled commercial composters to accept and process materials that they were previously unable to use. A series of Georgia-Pacific lab and field tests showed PE-coated paper cups may be processed in commercial composting facilities that have final screening capability, where these facilities are available. Being able to compost products like GP PerfecTouch® hot cups, which are composed of about 80 percent wood fiber, diverts materials from landfills to a beneficial reuse and ultimately reduces costs for consumers, businesses and municipalities. 8 A Place for Commercial Waste Ecosource, GP’s wastepaper processing operation, annually recycles more than 100,000 tons of pre- and post-consumer grades of wastepaper and plastics generated from both commercial and industrial sources. The Ecosource location at Green Bay, Wisconsin, collects, sorts and processes books, magazines, rolls and industrial grades of wastepaper from paper mills, offices, universities, printers and other types of facilities. About 60 percent of collections are from a 300-mile radius. Within 24 hours, Ecosource turns wastepaper into high-value materials for GP mills or for sale on the open market. Recycling – It’s Not Just for Paper Anymore GP Harmon Recycling is also in the business of recovering business opportunity in silver-based X-ray and lithographic film metal, plastic and even X-ray film. In 2007, the company began recycling, prompted by the growth of the health care service collecting plastic and metal grades that are expensive for industry, the rising cost of silver, and increased awareness of customers to dispose of on their own. This includes steel and the environmental impact of these materials. Today, GP Harmon aluminum cans, plastic films, crates, garment hangers, steel manages more than 150,000 tons of nonpaper recyclable baling wire and other metals. The company also saw a material annually. Meeting Federal Guidelines GP is a leading supplier of tissue products to the federal government, providing products that meet their guidelines for post-consumer waste and total recycled fiber content. 9 Reuse Waste not. It’s good business, and it’s good for the environment. Whether reclaiming waste for energy or for making useful products, GP looks for ways to maximize resources and improve efficiency. Innovative Ways with Waste By-products from Georgia-Pacific processes often end up paving roads, making grass grow or providing a strong foundation for roads. The Rincon, Ga., and Wauna, Ore., paper mills have used ash from their power boilers, which would otherwise be landfilled, for road stabilization and building. The Rincon mill also beneficially reused the plastic tailings that came in as contaminants with the bales of recovered paper the mill uses to make tissue products. These tailings were used to help close out a paper mill waste disposal area. Local farmers and turf growers benefit from waste that is turned into fertilizer in several GP plant communities. The Halsey, Ore., mill annually turns 600 dry tons of recycled paper residual into a commodity valued by local farmers for the production of grass seed. Gypsum waste in California is used as an agricultural soil amendment. Waste Fuels Our Facilities Bark, wood residues and by-products from pulping are used to create energy at GP building products and paper plants. Known as “woody biomass” fuels, they supply more than 50 percent of the energy required for GP’s operations. In fact, GP is responsible for more than 12 percent of the electricity generated from renewable woody biomass in the entire U.S. While we use most of this renewable energy, GP also supports renewable energy development by selling some of it in the form of renewable energy certificates. Biomass fuels reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and demand for purchased electricity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 10 GP’s Annual Energy Use by Source* * in 2015 Fossil Fuel 34% (coal, fuel oil, natural gas & other) Biomass Fuel 59% Purchased Electricity 7% Repeat Environmental stewardship is not defined by a single event. It’s about consistency, about an ongoing commitment to a way of thinking, operating and performing. It’s a commitment that’s repeated every day. A Framework for Environmental Performance At GP we document our environmental performance through comprehensive self-audits and third-party audit programs. Our employees who have environmental responsibility receive training to keep them current on changing requirements and goals. Environmental excellence is recognized and rewarded at GP and is an important part of performance expectations. Creating a Fishy Environment In Washington state, GP is working with the city of Camas, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and the Lower Columbia River Fish Enhancement Group to return a portion of the Washougal River to its traditional channel and vegetate the shoreline with native plants. This will benefit salmon and steelhead passage through the area and restore flow to historic salmon spawning beds. 11 Renew Promoting Sustainable Forestry by Supporting Family Forest Landowners Georgia-Pacific is committed to sustainable forestry. The company meets this commitment by working with family forest landowners and through a rigorous wood procurement program. Across the US 56% of all forestlands are privately owned with 38% owned by family forest landowners.* GP promotes sustainable forestry practices among the landowners and suppliers from whom we purchase wood. We protect water quality by requiring the use of voluntary and mandatory forestry Best Management Practices. GP provides land­owners with practical approaches for addressing wildlife habitat and threatened and endangered species. We encourage reforestation and require that wood suppliers be trained in sustainable forestry practices. Verifying Our Wood Procurement Practices Georgia-Pacific has taken several steps to provide assurance to our customers that we are responsibly sourcing wood and fiber for our pulp, paper and wood products operations. Our ongoing actions include: • Certification of our wood and fiber sourcing practices; • An independent analysis for controlled wood risk in the basins where we operate; and Finding a Way: Measuring Forestry BMPs Georgia-Pacific was challenged with measuring compliance with forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) that protect water quality. GP had accurate information for lands on which it supervised harvesting, but needed additional data to comply with SFI program standards. Working with a private forestry consulting firm, GP helped pioneer a third-party monitoring system to accurately capture BMP compliance that protects water quality in the areas where GP operates. The program is an excellent example of cooperation among forestry interests to meet sustainable forestry goals. Helping Bring Back the American Chestnut Georgia-Pacific works in support of wildlife and habitats around the country. For example, the company is working to bring back the American Chestnut near the Georgia-Pacific Big Island, Virginia, mill. The tree was nearly wiped out by a fungal disease in the 1900s. But working in partnership with the American Chestnut Foundation, Georgia-Pacific has planted over 500 saplings on mill property. The company has a 20–year commitment to provide and manage the test plot. 12 * Source: USDA—Forest Resources of the United States, 2007 ® • Implementation of chain of custody programs. Caring for Wildlife Georgia-Pacific works to provide a safe home to local wildlife, including red cockaded woodpeckers, leopard frogs, glass lizards, and gopher tortoises. Georgia-Pacific employees volunteer their time building bird houses, planting food plots and managing our plant sites to protect wildlife, including endangered and threatened species. Trends Pushing for Greater Recovery U.S. paper producers have set a goal of recovering 70 percent of the paper produced in the United States by 2020. In 2014, the industry recovered 65.4 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S., nearly doubling the rate of recovery since 1990. The paper recovery goal is one of six sustainability goals established by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) as part of its Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 initiative. GP supports this effort, which includes one of the most extensive and quantifiable sets of sustainability goals of any major manufacturing industry in the United States. GP Products Wearing the SFI Label Dixie® PerfecTouch® hot and cold cups, communication papers, oriented strand board panels, Golden Isles® fluff pulp and many corrugated containers made by Georgia-Pacific carry the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Certified Sourcing label. Displaying this label is a visible way for GP and our customers to show that we promote and support sustainable forestry and sustainable products. Building Better Environments Georgia-Pacific’s innovative products can help improve indoor and outdoor environments. GP’s DensArmor Plus® interior drywall is the first gypsum drywall to be GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold certified for low VOC emissions. The Dens® family of gypsum products resists moisture and potential mold growth during and after construction. And for nearly 30 years, versatile and durable DensDeck® roof boards have protected commercial structures all over the world. GP’s low-emission resins work has positive implications for our customers and consumers as well. Responding to the needs of fiberglass insulation and highpressure laminate manufacturers, GP has developed low-formaldehyde emitting resins that improve indoor air quality and help our customers meet GREENGUARD certification requirements when our resins are used in their products. Our lowformaldehyde resins also improve our customers’ workplace environments while significantly reducing facility emissions. GP and “Green” Building Wood-frame construction that uses dimensional lumber like 2x4s and 2x6s to frame homes and plywood or other wood panels for sheathing is the traditional building method in North America. Recent life-cycle analysis of building materials shows wood to contain less “embodied energy” and less global warming potential than steel and concrete alternatives. Producing wood products uses less energy than manufacturing steel or concrete.* GP supports wood-frame construction as a sustainable practice that uses products derived from North America’s fast-growing and renewable forests. The company supports both national and regional green building programs, which provide blueprints for energy efficient, healthy, durable and comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and help protect the environment. * CORRIM 13 Headquartered at Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs nearly 35,000 people worldwide. The familiar consumer tissue brands of Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Sparkle®, Mardi Gras® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific away-from-home products include the popular enMotion® hands-free towel dispensing system and the Envision® line of recovered content paper products. Dixie Consumer Products, a Georgia-Pacific company, manufactures the Dixie® brand of disposable cups, plates and cutlery. Georgia-Pacific has long been among the nation’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers, with brands such as Plytanium® and Ply-Bead® offered by Georgia-Pacific Wood Products and DensArmor Plus®, DensGlass® Sheathing and ToughRock® offered by Georgia-Pacific Gypsum. For more information, visit www.gp.com. All GP trademarks are owned by or licensed to Georgia-Pacific LLC. © 2016 Georgia-Pacific LLC. All rights reserved. 4/16 www.gp.com Headquartered at Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs nearly 35,000 people worldwide. The familiar consumer tissue brands of Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Sparkle®, Mardi Gras® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific away-from-home products include the popular enMotion® hands-free towel dispensing system and the Envision® line of recovered content paper products. Dixie Consumer Products, a Georgia-Pacific company, manufactures the Dixie® brand of disposable cups, plates and cutlery. Georgia-Pacific has long been among the nation’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers, with brands such as Plytanium® and Ply-Bead® offered by Georgia-Pacific Wood Products and DensArmor Plus®, DensGlass® Sheathing and ToughRock® offered by Georgia-Pacific Gypsum. For more information, visit www.gp.com. All GP trademarks are owned by or licensed to Georgia-Pacific LLC. © 2016 Georgia-Pacific LLC. All rights reserved. 4/16 www.gp.com