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2022 Sustainability Report
Our vision is simple: to provide the most sustainable building materials on the planet.
Guided by this vision, our people work hard to supply critical wood products the world needs and fulfill our commitments to our global customers sustainably and responsibly.
In 2022, we saw our commitment to improvement in action with measurable results across key areas. We continued to foster a strong safety culture, advance mutually beneficial partnerships with Indigenous groups, contribute to the wellbeing of our communities, and innovate and evolve our practices to sustain healthy forests.
2022 PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
Partners in Forest Stewardship
We continue to advance industry-leading forest practices to ensure healthy, resilient forests, and a stable supply of long-lived wood products that are part of the global climate change solution.
We take a long-term view to managing the 1.62 million hectares of land in our care on the coast of B.C. We are also increasing collaboration with Indigenous groups, incorporating Indigenous knowledge and values into our planning, and investing in new technology and innovations to ensure diverse and natural forests in perpetuity, including old forests and healthy habitats.
In B.C., most of our fibre supply continues to be sourced from our third-party certified timberlands tenures, with the remainder coming from external sources certified under the same standards. At our U.S. and wholesale divisions, we have developed fibre sourcing standards to ensure fibre comes from legally harvested private and public-land forests.
Partners in Climate Action
Our activities, from the forest to the mill to the products we make, are having a positive impact on the climate.
Through careful management of forests, Western is a net carbon sink, meaning more carbon is being removed from the atmosphere than emitted. By reducing GHG emissions and sequestering more carbon than emitted, we are meeting and exceeding provincial, national, and international climate targets.
In 2022, we expanded the scope of our carbon accounting to include our Columbia Vista, Calvert and Arlington divisions, meaning that our net carbon balance now reflects all of our North American operations. Western will continue to monitor our activities and make fact-based decisions to ensure that our business is actively reducing atmospheric carbon levels and supporting a better future for generations.
For further information, please see our comprehensive 2022 Carbon Accounting Report.
Partners in Opportunity
We help shape a more resilient future for everyone by sustaining employment and contributing to the social and economic wellbeing of the communities where we operate on the B.C. coast and Washington State.
The health and safety of our people is our highest priority. Our commitment to our employees also extends to providing a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment. We also work hard to be a good neighbour. Building and maintaining productive relationships with communities where we operate is important to us and critical to our business’ success. We generate economic benefits to communities by providing high quality employment and family-supporting wages, prioritizing the procurement of local goods and services, and through government taxes and payments, and community contributions.
Partners in Reconciliation
Western acknowledges and respects the rights and interests of Indigenous groups in the areas where we operate.
We are committed to advancing reconciliation by supporting new and innovative business partnerships in the forest sector and collaborating with Indigenous groups to develop innovative forest landscape and integrated resource management plans.
We work collaboratively with Indigenous groups to support healthy, sustainable forests and ecosystems for the long-term, ensuring economic stability and opportunities. At Western, we believe shared planning and management of the land are critical in achieving these objectives. Our collaboration also takes the form of business-to-business service and supply contracts, combining tenure for joint harvesting opportunities, job creation and training, and limited partnerships with shared governance and financial interests.
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