Australian Paper has welcomed the Federal Government's response to the Pulp and Paper Industry Strategy Group report, which has been underlined by the establishment of procurement targets for the use of recycled paper by government agencies.
"Australian Paper appreciates the Government's confirmation that the pulp and paper industry is a fundamental part of Australia's manufacturing sector. The Government's recognition of the importance of sustainable growth in plantation resources for the long term requirements of the industry is also fully consistent with Australian Paper's fibre resource strategy," said Australian Paper CEO and PPISG deputy co-chair Jim Henneberry.
"The recent announcement that Australian Paper will construct a $90 million waste paper recycling plant at the Maryvale Mill in Victoria's Latrobe Valley is a major investment in sustainable innovation for the Australian pulp and paper industry. The government's support for this plant and the establishment of procurement targets for the use of recycled paper by government agencies is critical to the success of this investment," Henneberry said.
"This recycling plant will divert up to 80,000 tonnes of waste paper from Australian landfill every year, which is equivalent to more than 16 billion sheets of A4 office paper. It will also triple Australian Paper's usage of recycled fibre and enable the development of an innovative range of new Australian-made recycled office, printing, envelope and stationery papers," Henneberry said.
Henneberry also noted the government's recognition that the pulp and paper industry makes a significant social and economic contribution to local communities.
"As the largest private employer in the Latrobe Valley, Australian Paper's total operations support around 6000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs nationally. We also contributed over $750 million to the Australian economy in 2011," he said.
Including flow-on impacts, the recycling plant will support more than 950 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs during construction and around 250 FTE jobs on-going.
"We are proud of our contribution to regional communities and in turn Australian Paper appreciates the support of Australian consumers for locally made office, printing and packaging papers," Henneberry said.
