In the spring of 2009, we officially announced the following Sustainability Goals for the corporation:
By the year 2015, we intend to:
- Reduce our fossil fuel usage by 10%
- Reduce our use of purchased electricity by 25%
- Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels
and purchased electricity by 15%
- Reduce our water usage by 5%
All of these reductions are calculated on the base year of 2007, which represents the endpoint for our inaugural sustainability report. Performance against all energy-related goals is measured on a unit or “per metric ton” basis. The fossil fuel and purchased electricity targets are particularly challenging targets because we already generate nearly 80% of our total energy needs through the use of carbon neutral biomass. Even so, we are confident in our ability to meet these goals.
John Crowe, Chairman and CEO, in announcing the sustainability goals for the company said, "We are establishing measurable, longer term performance goals to further support our commitment to continual improvement of the conservation of natural resources and reducing our environmental footprint. Buckeye's employees understand that sustainability is at the core of everything we do, and we see this significant commitment as a natural next step for us."
We are proud of the societal value provided by the products we produce and the way we produce them. Our products, based largely on renewable resources, give us the opportunity to demonstrate our dedication to stewardship and the sustainability of our business. On our way to achieving the Sustainability Goals, we expect to make a positive difference in the communities in which we work, both environmentally and economically. We exemplify the responsible stewardship of the natural resources which we rely on, ensuring that they are available to future generations as they are to us today.
(In the graphical representations included in this report, these 2015 Goals are shown, along with our progress towards them.)