Environmental Management Systems

100%

Percentage of our North American forestlands certified to SFI standards

95%

Percentage of our manufacturing facilities that have an ISO-ready environmental management system in place.

To track performance and ensure we meet our goals, we use ISO 14001 environmental management systems. This standard, set by the International Organization for Standardization, outlines the key elements of an effective environmental management system that will achieve its environmental and economic goals. An environmental management system defines how to effectively manage an operation's environmental aspects—by setting clear objectives, documenting best practices, and establishing processes that promote continuous improvement and provide a record of performance against goals. We have implemented environmental management systems in all our manufacturing facilities and managed forests.

Each operation sets targets appropriate to its circumstances. As each unit improves, so does the company's performance as a whole, continually reducing our environmental footprint. Over time, operations will align their individual environmental management system goals with the related goals on our long-term sustainability strategy. A comprehensive "environmental essentials" training tool is available for employees who manage such issues at their sites. In one business, our corporate environmental managers host quarterly webinars to discuss environmental priorities, and share lessons learned across sites. In another business, environmental managers from manufacturing operations coordinate a similar sharing network.

In our forests and manufacturing facilities, we've instituted environmental management systems that meet ISO 14001 standards, but the decision to take the additional step of registering those systems with the ISO depends on the value to the business. At the end of 2011, 20 percent of our manufacturing facilities had an EMS registered to ISO 14001. Our sustainability strategy includes a commitment that more than 90 percent of our facilities have an EMS in place that is “ISO-ready,” meaning that it meets ISO 14001 standards but has not been formally registered to ISO 14001. In 2011, 95 percent of our manufacturing facilities had an ISO-ready EMS in place.

We also internally audit our conformance with ISO 14001 environmental management systems. In our managed forests, we complete annual internal audits of the EMS and ensure accountability by reviewing the internal audit results and follow-up actions items with top management.

Conformance with ISO 14001 environmental management systems in our manufacturing facilities is included as part of our internal environmental compliance audits.