The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA, afandpa.org) released its 2014 Sustainability Report, which exhibits the U.S. pulp, paper, packaging and wood products industry's significant contributions to sustainability across the value chain, including measurable progress toward achieving its Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability goals.

"We are proud to represent member companies who deliver on their sustainability commitments when manufacturing reusable and recyclable products that people across the country and around the world rely on every day," says AF&PA president and CEO Donna Harman.

"Through sustainable business practices, we are able to guarantee that both our industry's products and the renewable resources used to make them will be plentiful, enabling them to improve quality of life for this generation and those to come," adds John Williams, president and CEO of Domtar and chairman of the AF&PA Board of Directors.

The Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability initiative includes one of the most extensive collections of quantifiable sustainability goals for a major U.S. manufacturing industry, focusing on increasing paper recovery for recycling, improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainable forestry practices, improving worker safety, and reducing water use.

2014 Sustainability Report highlights:

• Over 63% of paper consumed in the U.S. has been recovered for recycling for each of the past five years, making paper the most recycled material in the nation.
• Members have nearly reached the Better Practices goal to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 15%.
• Pulp and paper mills self-generate most of their energy needs, and most of that energy is renewable.
• The forest products industry is the second largest producer of combined heat and power electricity in the manufacturing sector.
• AF&PA-supported efforts to curb illegal logging have gained traction around the world.