August 7, 2006—Weyerhaeuser recently pledged to reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2020 (reportedly the equivalent of taking 700,000 vehicles off the road for one year) while reducing its reliance on high-priced fossil fuels.
The company will do this by harnessing the benefits of a renewable, natural resource–biomass–as fuel in the boilers that generate steam and electrical energy in its mills. In addition, Weyerhaeuser will improve energy efficiency and install cleaner-burning boilers.
Biomass fuel consists of bark, lignin (the substance that binds wood fibers) and other organics in spent pulping chemicals. When biomass comes from sustainably managed forests, burning it reportedly has a neutral effect on greenhouse gas emissions.
Weyerhaeuser’s pulp and paper mills already generate 72 percent of their energy from biomass, says the company. This new initiative will raise this percentage, further moderating the effects of volatile oil and gas prices. Pulp mills, in particular, have the potential to become energy self-sufficient.
Weyerhaeuser’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are described in more detail in its 2005 Sustainability Report, available online. The report describes the company’s environmental, social, and economic performance in 2005. The Sustainability Reports for the previous three years are also available.
