AF&PA outlines advocacy goals for 2021

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), Washington, has announced advocacy priorities that it plans to pursue to ensure the pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products industry can grow in 2021.

“President Biden has laid out an ambitious agenda to ‘Build Back Better,’ creating job and economic opportunities for all Americans while protecting the future of our planet,” says AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “Our members are committed to environmental stewardship across the value chain—from the raw, renewable wood fiber that is harvested to the energy and water used in the manufacturing process to the recovery of paper and paper-based packaging that is used to make new products. Policy conversations related to worker safety, sustainability and paper recycling will strengthen our industry’s ability to provide consumers with essential, sustainable and recyclable paper products.”

AF&PA reports its 2021 advocacy priorities:

• being identified as an essential industry working safely during the pandemic response -- AF&PA members are committed to the safety of the industry’s essential workforce and end users. AF&PA says it will remain engaged during the pandemic to address critical issues as they arise and will take proactive measures to ensure the success of the industry.
• achieving sustainability -- According to a news release from AF&PA, the association says it first adopted a comprehensive, quantifiable set of sustainability goals in 2010. AF&PA reports that it plans to soon launch 2030 goals that will build on its sustainability successes in the past to advance the paper and wood products industry into the coming decade.
• promoting sustainable manufacturing to advance the circular economy -- AF&PA states that the paper and wood products industry is a contributor to the circular economy. AF&PA is advocating for policies that promote continued progress in meeting the challenge of the changing climate, air quality, water stewardship, product stewardship and health and safety. “These policies should recognize that our industry is based on a renewable and recyclable resource and our bio-based products are manufactured with bioenergy, improved efficiency and recycled at a rate far higher than other commodities,” AF&PA says.
• advancing success for paper recycling -- AF&PA reports that the paper industry has a demonstrated, measurable record of success in making products more sustainable through market-based approaches. In 2019, the paper recycling rate was 66.2 percent, and the recycling rate for old corrugated containers (OCC) was 92 percent. The three-year average recycling rate for OCC is 92.3 percent. According to AF&PA, paper and paper-based packaging are the most recycled materials by weight from the municipal recycling stream in the U.S. today. U.S. packaging and pulp producers have invested in about $4.1 billion in manufacturing infrastructure from 2019 to 2023 to continue the best use of recovered fiber in manufacturing products. Additionally, AF&PA believes that efforts to ban, tax or restrict access to paper products are “counterproductive” to advancing paper recycling. AF&PA says it supports efforts that recognize educating consumers on the right ways to recycle as one of the best ways to increase the quantity and quality of paper in the recycling stream.
• keeping forests as forests -- According to AF&PA, the U.S. grows more wood than it harvests currently. U.S. forest products manufacturers take steps to promote sustainable forestry and procure wood fiber from certified forestlands and through certified sourcing programs. The association says members procuring fiber must adhere to Sustainable Procurement Principles that promote sustainable forest management practices. A&FPA says it has advocated for science-based policies that acknowledge renewable biomass and provide regulatory certainty to level the playing field for global competition and the protection of rural American jobs. The association says these sustainable practices ensure the industry’s fiber supply is protected while also helping mitigate a major factor of wildfire risk. Additionally strong markets for paper and wood products gives private forest owners confidence to continue planting trees.
• transportation infrastructure improvements -- The industry faces a nationwide shortage of transportation capacity, aging infrastructure and inefficient surface transportation policies. AF&PA says connecting products, raw materials and consumers is difficult. The association is encouraging necessary infrastructure enhancements, such as policies to enhance trucking efficiency, including safely increasing weight limits on federal interstate highways.

AF&PA says it remains engaged in advocacy discussions related to international trade, tax and sustainable regulation to allow the industry to compete in a global marketplace.

Michael Doss, Graphic Packaging International LLC president and CEO and AF&PA Board chair, concludes, “For the last decade, our industry has led with a comprehensive set of quantifiable sustainability goals, known as Better Practices, Better Planet. These goals recognize the three essential pillars of sustainability—economic, environmental and social—interdependent factors that collectively support long-term viability, growth and improvement. As a top 10 manufacturing employer in 45 states across the country, we have an impressive track record of leadership in safety, environmental and forest stewardship. It is imperative the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and other stakeholders continue to recognize our industry and people—the approximately 950,000 individuals of the forest products industry—as essential.”