{"id":14233,"date":"2016-11-04T18:33:22","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T22:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/paper-for-the-planet\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T18:33:22","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T22:33:22","slug":"paper-for-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/paper-for-the-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper for the Planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

(800 words)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

How much pizza is too much pizza? Some of you might say \u2018not possible. But, if you are like me, you were over pizza by the second week of the semester. How would you feel, if you knew that the hundreds of boxes of pizza we collectively accumulate each week actually contribute to preserving our ecosystem? What if you were saving the planet, one slice of pizza at a time?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-3-52-28-pm\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0[1]<\/p>\n

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From pizza boxes to medical pill packets to packs of cigarettes (unfortunately), WestRock charges ahead to innovate in papermaking and packaging. As unsexy as the industry may be, paper and cardboard are integral to so many of our daily activities. WestRock services millions of people with its products every day. As a company that produces over 13 million tons of paperboard and billions of boxes, cartons, dispensers and displays annually[2], WestRock can, and does, have an immense impact on how we humans engage with the planet.<\/p>\n

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To provide some background, WestRock was recently formed in 2015 following the merger of MeadWestvaco Corporation and Rock-Tenn Company, and it is the second-largest American packaging plant after International Paper Company for corrugated containerboard[3]. The CEO, Steve Voorhees, and Chief Sustainability Officer Nina Butler supervise WestRock\u2019s upholding of its purported values: integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence.<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-12-43-11-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Recyclable paperboard for the PerfPak Advantage medication cards<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By virtue of its business depending on cutting down trees, WestRock is greatly impacted by climate change. First off, it is inherently under heightened scrutiny as a contributor to the ever rising CO2 emissions that remain in the atmosphere instead of quite literally being anchored into the ground[4]. This increased carbon (energy) trapping in the atmosphere contributes to climate change by overwarming the earth, which we experience as rising coastlines, shrinking glaciers, and spring weather in November. WestRock acknowledges this fact and flips what could be an extremely negative role into an opportunity to champion sustainability and conservation of forests and the surrounding ecosystem.<\/p>\n

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To frame its sustainability goals, WestRock established its 3Ps: People, Planet, Performance. Specifically, the company takes on on local and global ecological challenges, from preserving Golden-winged warbler habitats in Virginia to sponsoring schoolchildren\u2019s education about the ramifications of deforestation and environmental pollution in Brazil through Project Learning Tree [5].<\/p>\n

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Moreover, WestRock has a robust recycling business. Yes, it produces 13 million tons of paperboard, but it also recovers and recycles 7 million tons of wood fiber in its own recycling facilities and paper mills. If you buy any product packaged by WestRock, they will come pick it up from you \u2013 an individual customer or a larger corporation \u2013 and pay you <\/em>for the recyclables! That is a pretty great incentive to treat the planet right [6].<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-1-03-27-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This recovery of recyclables actually goes even further to save <\/em>businesses money by freeing up more space in their dumpsters for them to dispose of other materials. Instead of dumping waste into landfills to decompose into methane emissions, companies can now turn their waste into raw material to combine with virgin wood fiber and transform into the quality packaging we see every day. WestRock talks the talk and walks the walk, using its sustainability initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint[6].<\/p>\n

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In addition to its recycling initiatives, WestRock tries to keep its suppliers honest. After a rigorous supplier approval process, the company holds its suppliers to its WestRock Principles of Conduct that require compliance with laws, legal requirements and regulations regarding virgin wood fiber or recycled fiber acquisition in 11 U.S. fiber procurement regions. The company also has two Independently Managed Group certificates through the American Tree Farm System that gives it greater control over the activities of >250 landowners and >230,000 acres of land[7].<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-12-46-52-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To keep itself honest, it routinely runs its own chemical and microbiological testing, and abides by multiple certification requirements, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council. It also employs a large independent auditing system to ensure that the company strives to protect forest ecosystems and complies with established laws.<\/p>\n

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In light of all these great initiatives, one might ask, \u201cWell, how is WestRock really doing?\u201d The numbers speak for themselves.[8]<\/p>\n

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Sales are booming.<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-1-17-44-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Stock prices are trending up.<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-1-14-27-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The 5-year cumulative total returns fly above the market.<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-1-17-10-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What is next for this company? It has covered sustainable forestry, mixing virgin wood fiber with recycled fiber, and creating a robust recycling program. To increase its impact, it should partner with companies that are struggling to achieve their sustainability goals in order to compound its positive benefits on the industry. Additionally, continual reduction of the amount of paper or cardboard required for individual packaging and the possibilities of reducing that with bulk shipments will incrementally improve the good work it already does.<\/p>\n

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Hopefully, we can all feel a little less guilty when ordering pizza now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1] Tita, Bob. \u201cSuper Bowl Challenge for Box Makers: 12.5 Million Pizzas.\u201d Wall Street Journal. <\/em>January 29, 2015. <\/em>http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/packaging-companies-meadwestvaco-rocktenn-to-merge-1422272094<\/a><\/p>\n

[2] WestRock. (2016). https:\/\/www.westrock.com\/en\/company<\/p>\n

[3] Tita, Bob. \u201cMeadWestvaco, Rock-Tenn to Combine.\u201d Wall Street Journal<\/em>. January 26, 2015. http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/packaging-companies-meadwestvaco-rocktenn-to-merge-1422272094<\/a><\/p>\n

[4] Henderson et al. \u201cClimate Change in 2016: Implications for Business.\u201d 性视界 Business School<\/em>. October 14, 2016.<\/p>\n

[5] WestRock. (2016). https:\/\/www.westrock.com\/en\/sustainability<\/p>\n

[6] WestRock. (2016). https:\/\/www.westrock.com\/en\/sustainability<\/a><\/p>\n

[7] WestRock. (2016). https:\/\/www.westrock.com\/en\/forest-resources<\/p>\n

[8] WestRock. (2016). http:\/\/ir.westrock.com\/phoenix.zhtml?c=254016&p=irol-irhome<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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