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Toward a common cause: the embrace of carbon along a supply chain |
| By Drs. Chris Elliot and Gary Bull |
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 In 2007, Catalyst Paper Corporation approached Wenner Media Group, publisher of Rolling Stone, with a proposal to print the magazine on paper that adds no carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through the manufacturing process.
After conducting its own research and working with WWF Canada and other
parties to examine the benefits of the new product, Wenner agreed.
As researchers interested in the link between forest products and
climate change, we were intrigued by the story of Catalyst Cooled
paper. We decided to measure carbon emissions along its supply chain –
from harvesting the fibre to printing the magazine.
But once we started, we soon realized quantitative data was only part
of the picture. There was much more to be gained from a broader look at
how the companies along this particular supply chain were addressing
the issue of carbon – and the potential this has to reshape business
today.
The data showed basically what we had expected – 41 per cent of the
total carbon emissions came from the actual paper manufacturing
process. The rest is associated with harvesting the fibre on northern
Vancouver Island and moving it to the sawmill (12 per cent); sawmilling
(10 per cent); trucking the chips to the paper mill in Port Alberni
(two per cent); transporting the paper to the print facility in
California (28 per cent), and printing the magazine (eight per cent).
We then interviewed senior managers in the six companies along this
supply chain – and found agreement that carbon is a cost, a potential
risk and an opportunity.
Carbon and the Supply Chain
That’s not a surprise when you consider that carbon has emerged as a
convergence point in sustainability, in business operations and in
supply chain collaboration. Unlike any other measure, carbon exists in
all three realms of sustainability. It is synonymous with the cost of
energy so it can be economically sustainable. It has a direct impact on
climate change so it can be environmentally sustainable. Its increasing
value gives forest users another choice in land-use decisions so it can
be socially sustainable.
There are two ways carbon efficiency may manifest along supply chains –
companies that are energy efficient may become preferred suppliers, and
supply chains themselves may reorient around minimizing carbon
emissions. We saw both with the Catalyst case study.
Wenner chose Catalyst Cooled paper because of its environmental
attributes. Catalyst was able to offer a manufactured carbon neutral
paper because it has done a lot to lighten its environmental footprint
– since 1990, it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per
cent.
The other companies along the supply chain clearly saw opportunities
for their own businesses. Washington Marine Group began carbon
management planning when it learned Catalyst – its largest customer –
was exploring carbon-light products. It recognizes the potential
strength of sea-based shipping, and is looking for ways to reduce its
emissions such as lowering vessel speeds to burn less fuel.
The same is true for Burlington Northern Santa Fe. It has close to
50,000 kilometres of track in the United States, and sees a low-carbon
economy as a prime opportunity to enhance its share of the shipping
business – a tonne of freight shipped by rail uses one tenth as much
fuel as a truck.
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