Water

Water

Water Usage

Water is a primary input into our manufacturing process. In fact, we could not make our product without it. Approximately 93 percent of the water in our process goes back to the aquatic environment after treatment. Much of the remaining 7 percent is returned to the environment via evaporation.

Across the company, in 2013 we saw water usage remain about the same as the previous year’s usage.

In 2013, International Paper analyzed our water risk by mapping it facility by facility. This analysis included four factors: the World Resources Institute (WRI) risk mapping tool, perceived community and regional risk, manufacturing risk and customer sensitivity. This analysis resulted in a composite score for each mill. We are using this ranked list to focus on our highest-risk mills, identifying projects to reduce water risk. This analysis and ranking puts us on track with our goal to develop site-specific plans by 2015. We will continue to further identify water conservation opportunities and risks.

Energy

Water Quality and Monitoring

In 2013, we recorded an increase of approximately 13 percent in Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) from 2012 levels, due to year-to-year variability, acute system upsets and weather-related events. BOD is used as a gauge of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants. We are now 13 percent under our baseline level from 2010, but our mill teams remain focused on reducing process losses to our wastewater treatment systems, thereby reducing oxygen-depleting substances and generating cost savings. Wastewater best practices continue to be shared across our manufacturing sites.

Several mills marked improvement in reducing their BOD levels in 2013. The following mills posted reductions of greater than 15 percent year over year.

Mills with BOD Reductions of Greater Than 15 Percent Year Over Year

MILL   MANAGER
 
Ticonderoga, New York   Chris Malion
 
Springfield, Oregon   Dave Castro
 
Pine Hill, Alabama   Janet Neighbors
 
Newport, Indiana   Derek Depuydt

In addition to managing water use and output associated with our manufacturing facilities, we work with groups like São Paulo University to evaluate the impact of our forest management on water resources in Brazil, where we possess a unique stake in plantations and land we own.

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Ticonderoga Mill Sees Wastewater Improvement

Our Ticonderoga Mill, managed by Chris Mallon, has partnered with the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Ticonderoga team completed water mapping and research analysis to reduce the generation and disposal of manufacturing waste. This innovative approach of scientists, engineers and academics working with REACH engineers to implement identified opportunities is just one example that has helped the Ticonderoga Mill achieve a 25-percent decline in BOD over its 2010 baseline.

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Forty Employees Achieve Manufacturing Excellence Training Certification

Our strategy of Manufacturing Excellence (ME), based on Lean Six Sigma principles, enables us to identify, prioritize, implement and sustain deliberate improvements to our operations and business processes. In 2010, we began an intensive training program to develop ME practitioners from white belts (basic understanding) to green belts (mastery of tools and concepts) to black belts (leaders in executing the ME strategy). These trained and certified ME professionals drive the success of our projects and support the organization as it embraces the ME approach.

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Pine Hill Mill Enriches Fields with Pulp and Paper Manufacturing

Our Pine Hill, Alabama, Mill, led by Mill Manager Janet Neighbors, mixes residual materials into a soil amendment. This beneficial use returns minerals, organic matter and liming and fertilizing agents to enrich the soils. This successful reuse of waste included collaboration with the Alabama Departments of Environmental Management and Agriculture and the Auburn University Plant and Soil Laboratory.

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International Paper Brazil Facilities Lead the Way on Solid Waste

In Brazil, where our fiber is supplied by eucalyptus plantations grown near our mill, land application of composted pulp and paper mill residual waste materials returns organic matter and nutrients to the very land that produces the mill’s primary raw material. Mills at Mogi Guaçu and Luiz Antonio, Brazil, led by Mill Managers Luis Cesar Assin and Dorival Almeida, respectively, have engaged in this best practice since early in their production history, working closely with the responsible regulatory group. In 2013, both mills achieved near zero manufacturing waste to landfills. While this achievement might be more complex for many of our mills, it sets a high bar for future waste-reduction endeavors.

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Innovating to Protect Life

As part of our overarching safety program known as LIFE (Life-changing Injury and Fatality Elimination), employees are continually looking for ways to improve our operations to make them safer for employees, contractors and visitors. For example, to reduce the risk of falls for truck drivers hauling chips and fiber fuels to U.S. mills, our fiber supply team created tarping stations that eliminate the need for drivers to climb on top of the trucks to uncover loads. As a result, drivers are less prone to falls, a hazard prevalent in the industry for years. Our innovative solution has been recognized by national associations, which are now advocating that other companies implement this best practice.

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Vicksburg Achieves Excellent Safety Record

Power plant employees at our Vicksburg, Mississippi, facility, led by Mill Manager Tom J Olstad, celebrated three years without a recordable safety incident in April 2013. The team has demonstrated its commitment to safety by focusing on safety observations and reporting on them daily in morning meetings. They also report safety observations during pre-shift safety meetings to increase awareness of potential hazards. The zero-incident rate reflects the high level of engagement and commitment by the Vicksburg team.