SUSTAINABILITY
SUMMARY
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As a manufacturer and distributor of paper, we have certain responsibilities. Building our business upon paper – a sustainable product made from a renewable natural resource that is completely recyclable – has many implications. These unique product features have become increasingly relevant to environmentally conscious consumers the world over. To maintain our Company’s growth, we must focus our sustainability strategy on these three areas:
- Economic sustainability – the successful performance of our business model.
- Social sustainability – meeting society’s expectations of our responsibilities to our employees and the communities in which we operate.
- Environmental sustainability – managing natural resources wisely to continually improve our environmental performance.
Sustainability Highlights for 2008
- For the fourth consecutive year, PaperlinX has satisfied the requirements of the FTSE4Good Index Series by meeting global standards of corporate responsibility for social, ethical and environmental performance. And we participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project Survey in Australia.
- Over the past seven years, we successfully reduced our overall Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) by 50 per cent, and our Medically Treated Injury Frequency Rate (MTIFR) by 55 per cent.
- The PaperlinX Values were launched in every business to enhance our organisational culture and business performance.
- HealthLinX, our global health and wellbeing programme, was launched by offering all employees a free workplace health check.
- Carbon emissions per tonne of paper produced were reduced by 11 per cent in our Australian manufacturing business. Achieved a 6.7 per cent reduction in raw water used per tonne of paper produced in Australia.
- Developed the first Australian-made range of carbon-neutral papers, called ENVI.™ and launched yoyo™, a unique combined office paper delivery and waste collection service in the UK.
- Australian Paper qualified as a member of the World Wildlife Fund’s Australia Forest and Trade Network, an initiative to promote responsible forest management and credible forest certification.
- Australian Paper received dual chain-of-custody certification for its paper products under the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
- Continued to significantly drive up the number of chain-of-custody certifications in our merchant operations in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America, confirming their ability to trace paper back to an approved sustainable source of fibre.
- The upgrade of the pulp capacity at Maryvale Mill is progressing, including the new bleach plant that will provide further improvements in environmental performance.
- Contributed $0.9 million to a range of local programmes and non-profit organisations that support communities around our business sites.