Iberpapel Group plantations reach over 16 million trees
The CO2 eliminated by Iberpapel’s forest plantations is equivalent to the carbon
emissions generated annually by 235,000 people.
Around 40% of Group investment in the last ten years has been earmarked to
improving its environmental record. The environmental management work put in by
Iberpapel has been acknowledged with the European Business Award for the
Environment in the Management award for sustainable development category
under the Basque award scheme.
The number of trees planted across the Iberpapel Group’s various forest plantations has
surpassed the 16 million mark, eliminating carbon emissions equivalent to those
generated by cities of the size of Vitoria (with 235,000 inhabitants), Granada (234,000),
Oviedo (224,000) or La Coruña (246,000).
Iberpapel has forest plantations in Spain (6,117 hectares in the province of Huelva),
Uruguay (10,551 hectares) and Argentina (8,537 hectares). The company works with
the Eucalyptus Globulus species. Its forestry strategy is one of forest repopulation with
a view to self supplying 30% of the primary raw material needed in its paper making
facilities.
Environmental protection and sustainable development are built into the company’s
everyday activities. The company’s Uruguayan initiative for the reforestation of
degraded land with silvopastoral systems, being implemented by Group subsidiary Los
Eucaliptus, enjoys the backing of Uruguay’s Department of Agriculture and Forestation,
as is evidenced by the fact that the authorities presented the project before the FAO
Committee on Forestry (COFO) in Rome in March 2007.
According to Martín Arregui, who is in charge of the Group’s environmental
management division, “At Iberpapel we are working hard to make our growth more
sustainable. The integration of environmental indicators into our business management
represents an opportunity to contribute to development by reducing our environmental
fallout by promoting energy efficiency, using renewable energy sources or raising our
capacity to capture CO2 through our forests”.
Values, milestones and challenges
Iberpapel’s environmental performance has been acknowledged internationally. Its
environmental management approach translates into quantifiable milestones such as
reduced power consumption, lower overall carbon emissions, reduced water
consumption and lower waste generation. The company has devoted significant
resources to this effort, specifically 40% of total investment during the last ten years.
The main challenges successfully overcome by Iberpapel include the integration of its
environmental management policy into its business strategy and management.
Press release