Sustainability Report 2007

Our community commitment

Achievements 2007	Goals 2008
Contributed $1.16 million, to a range of local programmes and non-profit organisations that support communities around our business sites. Continued to build constructive relationships with environmental groups such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Australia, the UK, Europe. Continued our dialogue with key stakeholders near our mills through Community Consultative Forums. Reviewed community investment activities and identified challenges and opportunities, as part of developing a framework for a global community relations programme. Began developing charitable funding guidelines to assist our businesses with their community support programmes. Developed a system to improve the identification and measurement of community investment activities across operating companies. In 2006/07 our global community investment was equivalent to 1.45 per cent of our reported profits, a 28 per cent increase compared to last year.	Roll out a global community investment model for businesses to adopt as required. Launch a pilot employee workplace giving programme in Australia and evaluate its success for implementation in other countries. Identify new community partnerships for PaperlinX corporate division to support. Review our practices of allocating funds to a range of non-profit community groups and organisations. Coordinate an Australian-wide employee community support event. Develop a metric for valuing paper donations to charitable organisations.

Achievements 2007

Goals 2008

Contributed $1.16 million, to a range of local programmes and non-profit organisations that support communities around our business sites.
Continued to build constructive relationships with environmental groups such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Australia, the UK, Europe.
Continued our dialogue with key stakeholders near our mills through Community Consultative Forums.
Reviewed community investment activities and identified challenges and opportunities, as part of developing a framework for a global community relations programme.
Began developing charitable funding guidelines to assist our businesses with their community support programmes.
Developed a system to improve the identification and measurement of community investment activities across operating companies.
In 2006/07 our global community investment was equivalent to 1.45 per cent of our reported profits, a 28 per cent increase compared to last year.

Roll out a global community investment model for businesses to adopt as required.
Launch a pilot employee workplace giving programme in Australia and evaluate its success for implementation in other countries.
Identify new community partnerships for PaperlinX corporate division to support.
Review our practices of allocating funds to a range of non-profit community groups and organisations.
Coordinate an Australian-wide employee community support event.
Develop a metric for valuing paper donations to charitable organisations.

PaperlinX has a made a broad commitment to support communities in which it operates, through its Sustainability Charter.

Working with Communities

With four paper mill sites in regional areas of Australia, our operations provide employment and positive economic sustainability for rural communities in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. We work with nearby communities on continuously improving our environmental performance, we host regular public tours and open days, we have open dialogue with environmental groups and we support local community organisations.

Our many operating companies around the world also provide a broad range of community support; either through charitable contributions of cash and paper, commercial sponsorships for industry support, cause-related marketing initiatives and employee involvement activities (see the PaperlinX Community Partnership Model). All of these activities are led by local management.

Community Relations

To better understand the needs of the communities we are part of, and also to obtain feedback on our operations, we have a Community Consultative Forum at each of the Company’s four Australian manufacturing mills. These long-standing forums are made up of people representing diverse organisations who have an interest in the mills’ operations.

These groups participate in the development of an Environmental Improvement Plan that forms part of a site’s overall Environmental Management Plan. These plans address issues such as odour reduction and improvements in water and energy usage at the mills. The groups are a valued part of the overall communications between the Company and the communities in which we work.

A range of briefings were held during the year to provide Australian environmental groups with the latest information on the environmental performance of our paper manufacturing operations and the products produced.

Community Partnerships

We are currently finalising a framework that will provide a more relevant community strategy and will assist our operating companies with building stronger community connections. We believe our community support is in line with the size and profitability of the PaperlinX business. Our challenge is to improve measurement and reporting of our community activities across all our operations. In particular, we are working to develop a metric to value the tonnes of paper that we donate in kind every year to charitable organisations.

Our key areas of support are learning and creativity, the environment, and health and wellbeing. Some examples of the range of our community support worldwide include:

Australia’s Maryvale Mill Y-Linx Sponsorship Programme is a local community grants programme in Victoria that is managed by an employee-led committee that meets quarterly to review applications from local non-profit organisations for funding and paper donations.
Robert Horne Group’s three-year partnership with Marie Curie Cancer Care UK was selected by employees as the single charity of choice. Proceeds from employee fundraising are also donated to the charity.
Coast Paper in Canada supports the United Way by matching employee donations. United Way provides the infrastructure for community giving and relies on employees to champion fundraising activities within their company. In addition, the annual Coast Paper Christmas Drive collects donated gifts to benefit around 9,000 people in need.
Spicers Paper Recreate programme with Landcare Australia is a ‘cause-related marketing’ initiative that funds rehabilitation of ex-landfill sites through a percentage of sales of Tudor RP 100% Recycled paper. Employees and customers volunteer for working bees.

Getting Involved

Across our businesses, the spirit of giving and involvement is strong with employees who assist in raising funds and volunteering for local events and good causes. Whether it is supporting selected charities through workplace fundraising, donating gifts for underprivileged children, or entering a team into a cancer charity triathlon, PaperlinX and our people are proud to support the communities we are part of.

Supporting Design and Printing Communities

Many businesses are actively involved in providing paper education and supporting the professional development of the design and printing communities. Spicers Paperpoint School in Australia and Robert Horne’s Know How Academy in the UK are two such examples.

Our businesses are involved in creating a range of industry awards to support excellence in print and design for professionals and students. Saxton Scholars is Australian Paper’s annual competition that supports communication design education across Australia for tertiary students. In the UK, Howard Smith Paper Group held their first Graphic Design and Print Awards this year, to promote the value and benefits of graphical communications.

And we work together with a number of industry groups in Europe, North America and Australia to tackle specific issues that arise.

What we are doing

Paper delivers messages of hope and inspiration

For several years, PaperlinX has supported the work of Breast Cancer Network Australia as they empower, inform, represent and link people whose lives have been affected by breast cancer.

We donate the paper to publish The Beacon and The Inside Story, a quarterly magazine and supplement which reaches out to 30,000 Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer. The publications provide information and inspiration to help women through their breast cancer journey. Later this year, our Australian merchanting and manufacturing sites will hold ‘Pink Lady’ morning teas to support fundraising for Australia’s Breast Cancer Month. And our paper merchant, Spicers Paper, is helping to streamline their paper purchasing for their printing requirements.

right: Kirsten Pilatti and Lyn Swinburne from the BCNA.