04.11.2020
Interview : Sustainable Development in an Industrial Environment
Interview with Céline PROCOP, CEO, of Guyenne Papier, a company specialising in the production of special papers, films and textiles.
Can you briefly present your activity?
We buy untreated media (film, textile, paper) and we deposit a liquid layer on it (aqueous based), in order to give it special qualities and properties, such as colour (fluo, inkjet, barrier, etc.). We also have other post-coating transformation facilities: roll winding (small reels), and custom cutting (cutting to standard or specific formats at the customer's request), as well as a packing/repackaging unit.
Where does Guyenne Papier's desire to get committed to initiatives in favour of the environment come from? Is it imposed or is it an independent approach?
Guyenne Papier's desire to commit to environmental initiatives comes first and foremost from the industrial site itself. Guyenne Papier, by virtue of its history and strategic choices, has decided to continue to bring its territory to life. We are located in the valley of the river Isle, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Also, the sensitivity of the directors made it possible to tackle the environmental problem head on. Guyenne Papier has long since implemented a number of actions aimed at reducing its environmental impact: waste sorting, reuse, waste water treatment, etc. This is in line with the evolution of the industrial sector as a whole.
For decades the industry has been decried. Often with good reason! Sixty years ago, industry was the 1st polluter in France with very regrettable methods. A lot has improved since then, and because of the important efforts that have been made, industry is now far behind agriculture and transport in terms of pollution. Factories have made enormous efforts on noise, dust discharge, safety, waste, etc... This shows that with commitment and discipline, human nature is capable of doing very beautiful things.
In concrete terms, what does Guyenne Papier do today?
Let's be realistic, the real steps are in the small daily gestures and not in the slightly marketed high impact effects.
As regards to sourcing, we carefully choose our suppliers and our papers. Our paper comes from controlled forests. The pulp comes from European forests only. This way we avoid the doubts linked to the sometimes wild exploitation of forests in South America or Asia. These European forests are planted and exploited in a sustainable way for the wood industry, for furniture and paper markets. We are used to saying that trees are cut down for paper, but this is largely inaccurate.
A tree trunk is far more valuable to the furniture or wood industry than it is when ground into cellulose fibres. Thus, only low-value trunks, heads and branches are used to make paper.
Some paper mills are integrated. This means that they make their own pulp, but this is rare. Some of these integrated mills own their own forests. These enterprises, who have complete ownership, allow 100% use of the plantations. But such an investment and strategic choices are clearly not mainstream. It is costly and forces one to leave one's initial industrial job to become a forest exploiter.
It is simpler to buy wood from loggers than to become one yourself!
So let's twist the saying "You cut down trees to make paper! ». No, you cut trees to make swimming pool decks, beds and coffee tables first!
Paper is made from devalued wood!
At Guyenne Papier, there is no question of buying paper whose pulp origin is uncertain.
Located on the banks of a river, we have been become self-sufficient in water a long time ago. We no longer draw water from the natural environment and the cooling of our machines is a closed circuit. Water management is crucial and we have halved its use over the last 20 years. In other words, we hardly need any water to operate.
For a paper mill, that's quite an achievement, isn't it?
Waste treatment
Waste is a daily concern. We have a constant and strong relationship with our partners, waste collectors. We need to produce less waste. This means reducing non-quality. We are at less than 3% today.
We have set up a waste management system that benefits our customers.
A 100% European supply
Our supplies are 100% European and our export sales include the environmental cost of transport. It is a given fact in the industry to sell at lower export prices in order to dispose of its products, to meet the competitiveness of the markets and to preserve its national territory. At Guyenne Papier, our prices are identical, regardless the country. For overseas export, we apply MADE IN FRANCE and transport costs are increased. In any case, we operate in a niche industry. Our sales policy is premium quality.
At Guyenne Papier, we develop new products for our customers and partners. Due to our geographical location and also for the safety of our employees, it can happen that we sometimes refuse to manufacture the requested product. For exemple if it incorporates chemicals such as fungicides. This isn't our speciality and we don't want to do it.
What is your opinion on the theoretical concept of sustainable development?
The concept of Sustainable Development (SD) is well over 20 years old, and it may be the solution for our future, but it also has certain limitations.
First of all, the boundary between what can be called sustainable development and what isn't is sometimes a little blurred.
Nearly all actions can be characterised as "sustainable development" by identifying arguments that relate to three pillars:
- the economic factor
- the societal factor
- the environmental factor
So how can we identify which actions benefit SD and which are not? Perhaps we simply need to integrate values that are closer to us, more humane, to turn them into selfless actions, in which the search for profit is not the only or priority goal, but a "plus", which is certainly not negligible.
This makes it a good concept in terms of its success: increased media coverage, a record number of people working on a voluntary basis as well as in associations. More and more companies are showing a marked interest in this concept, and more and more of them are joining in.
Organizations, both corporate and non-corporate, businesses, use it for purely commercial purposes, playing with their brand image. It is sustainable development at the service of marketing. The concept is therefore a good solution, but its original spirit must be kept in mind.
Do you feel that implementing punctual actions and structured approaches in favour of the environment are compatible, with Guyenne Papier's goal to achieving profitability?
There are a number of measures that are easy to implement, low or no cost, and immediately applicable, such as better organisation, reusing certain "waste products" (plugs, chucks, pallets), which allows (very) rapid savings. There are other actions that require a low or medium time frame, and which, even if they involve relatively high expenses, have a reasonable break-even point : installation of low-energy lighting, replacement of obsolete equipment with less energy-intensive equipment, etc.).
Are you looking for good examples of durable development practices, in your sector of activity or in other sectors, to be adapted within your company?
We carry out research based on professional and non-professional journals, specialised press (e.g. ADEME magazine), the general public press, specialised websites (e.g. newsletter subscriptions), participation in conferences, seminars, trade fairs or other local or national events. We are committed to anything that can help reduce our footprint on the planet.