Beyond Green: The Triple Bottom Line
The paperboard packaging industry is aware that sustainability means more than providing for the continued health of the companies that make the packaging. What counts just as much as a business' return on investment (economic), is protecting the planet by being a responsible manufacturer (environmental) and making sure that the welfare of all those affected by the organization's existence, both inside and outside the company, is held to equally high standards (social).
This is the triple bottom line.
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Environmental
Economic
Social
Environmental
Through environmental stewardship and conservation, the paperboard packaging industry focuses on improving all the ways processes and products interact with the environment, including:
- managing forests to protect and conserve essential forest values while harvesting needed fiber;
- designing products to reduce fiber content;
- operating facilities to reduce environmental impact, especially energy and water usage;
- create products that enable customers to extend their own sustainability story through creative designs and consistent quality; and
- create products that allow consumers to extend sustainability through recycling.
In addition, the paperboard packaging industry holds core environmental principals as part of its focus on processes, products, and future, including the:
- renewability of the natural resources used;
- reductions in the fiber necessary to make reliable and effective packaging;
- reduction and recapture of the energy and water needed during manufacturing;
- reusability of products on a planned basis by businesses; and
- recycleability of products at the end of their useful life.
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Economic
Economic viability and contribution means that the paperboard packing industry recognizes the breadth of its economic impact as:
- reliable suppliers of efficient and effective packaging with consistent quality that enhances the financial sustainability of customers;
- managing operations with ever more efficient use of energy and natural resources which contributes to the financial competitiveness of products; and
- stable and desirable employers and significant taxpayers and stewards in the communities where the industry operates.
In addition, the industry focuses on several different dimensions of economic sustainability, namely:
- the superior efficacy of paperboard packaging that creates economic value for customers as it enhances the quality and desirability of the products;
- the efficiency and effectiveness of paperboard packaging that results in less product loss and greater public safety and health; and
- the cost containment resulting from increased efficiency of energy and water usage.
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Social
Social responsibility and engagement means that the paperboard packaging industry understands its obligations and role in society beyond simply making fine products by:
- managing operations in the safest, most healthful way on behalf of employees and communities; and
- creating packaging designs that enhance the safety and protect the efficacy of the products they carry on behalf of customers and consumers.
In addition, the industry plays an important and constructive role in society by:
- making products that enhance efficiency, safety and efficacy while they reduce the use of renewable resources and impact on the environment; and
- helping society through direct contributions to social and charitable organizations; and being leaders in sustainable business practices to inspire and educate others inside and outside the industry.
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