Sustainability of the Forest Products Industry

Floor Speech

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Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the paper and forest products industry to support their advancement of six sustainability goals.

There are about 18,000 hard-working men and women employed by the forest products industry in the State of Maine where we have about 40 wood products and paper manufacturing facilities contributing over $900 million to the economy through jobs and wages and over $4 billion in industry shipments of products, making the forest products industry one of the largest manufacturing sectors in our State.

Sustainability is inherent to the pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and wood products manufacturing industry. These products are made from renewable and recyclable resources, and these companies have a good track record of managing natural resources in order to ensure they can continue making useful products in the future.

In 2011, the industry established the Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 initiative pursuing one of the most extensive sets of sustainability goals established for a U.S. manufacturing industry.

By 2020, the Better Practices, Better Planets goals aim to exceed 70 percent paper recovery for recycling, improve purchased energy efficiency by at least 10 percent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from member facilities by at least 15 percent, increase the amount of fiber procured from certified forestlands or through certified fiber sourcing programs in the U.S. from 2005 to 2020 and work to decrease illegal logging, improve worker safety by 25 percent, with a broader vision of zero industry injuries, and reduce water use in member facilities by 12 percent

This week the American Forest & Paper Association released their 2016 report on the industry's performance. The industry works with government agencies, communities and other stakeholders to employ advanced sustainability practices benefitting the economy, environment and society and transparently reports on their performance. I am pleased to announce that the industry has met the greenhouse gas emissions and safety goals ahead of schedule.

These companies are committed to sustainability along the entire value chain, starting with the renewable resources they acquire to make their products. AF&PA members procured 98 percent of their fiber through certified fiber sourcing programs and have also increased the amount of fiber procured from certified forestlands to 29 percent.

Also, AF&PA companies are strong proponents of international efforts to suppress illegal logging and to reduce the demand for illegally harvested forest products.

AF&PA's mandatory Environment, Health & Safety Principles require that members have health and safety policies in place. Implementing worker training, increased automation, and a host of injury preventive measures and safeguards allowed AF&PA members to reduce their incidence rate by 40.8 percent between 2006 and 2014. These companies are committed to continue to look for new ways to reach their aspirational goal of zero workplace injuries.

The industry's purchased energy efficiency improved by 8.1 percent due to investments in energy efficiency projects. Many pulp and paper mills are largely energy self-sufficient, 56 percent of electricity needed to power manufacturing processes was self-generated, and, in some cases, supplying energy to the electric utility grid.

Improved energy efficiency and the use of less carbon-intensive fuels and carbon-neutral biomass enabled the industry to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. These companies reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 16 percent, surpassing the goal of 15-percent reduction.

Water is a valuable natural resource and a vital component of the papermaking process. The forest products industry directly returns about 88 percent of the water it withdraws and uses in its manufacturing processes. Ongoing technology and innovation enable water to be reused and recycled 10 times, on average, throughout the pulp and paper mill process before it is treated in a wastewater system and returned to the environment. So far, water use at these pulp and paper mills was reduced by 6.5 percent since 2005.

The industry's commitment to sustainability extends beyond the manufacturing process: More than 60 percent of paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling each year since 2009, reaching a record 66.8 percent in 2015.

Paper recovery success is possible thanks to the millions of Americans who continue to recycle at home, work, and school every day. In 2014, 96 percent of the U.S. population had access to community curbside and/or drop-off paper recycling services. AF&PA works to promote paper recovery by creating materials to educate consumers about best recycling practices.

I ask my colleagues to join us in congratulating this industry on taking steps to improve environmental performance, continue economic progress and support our communities. I am proud of this industry's progress and their continued commitment to advance sustainability performance.

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