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Prepared for: The Interdepartmental Working Group on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) CSR Case Study: Weyerhaeuser A legacy of acting responsibly FINAL DRAFT

Transcript of CSR Case Study: Weyerhaeuser - CommDev · CSR Case Study: Weyerhaeuser ... is an international...

Prepared for: The Interdepartmental Working Group on

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

CSR Case Study:Weyerhaeuser

A legacy of acting responsibly

FINAL DRAFT

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1 Corporate Overview

Weyerhaeuser is an international forest products company that has four major product/service lines. The company:

• Manages forest land – public and privately owned, harvesting trees and ensuring forest regeneration;

• Manufactures and sells forest products – including logs, wood chips, pulp, paper, packaging, lumber, structural panels, and engineered wood products;

• Operates a business to collect and recycle wastepaper, boxes, newsprint; and

• Builds single and multi-family homes, and develops land.

Frederick Weyerhaeuser and 15 other partners founded the company in 1900 through the purchase of 900 000 acres of timberland in the Pacific Northwest. The company has grown considerably, and now employs approximately 58 000 people in 18 countries, generating US$14.5 billion in sales in 2001.1 Weyerhaeuser in Canada has grown through acquisition significantly since it was established in 1965, and now employs approximately 10 500 people. The recent acquisition of Willamette Industries in 2002 creates a global leader in the forest products industry, a company that will rank in the top three in all of its major product lines.2 The acquisition of Willamette increases the number of timberland acres owned or leased by Weyerhaeuser in the United States from 5.7 million acres to 7.4 million acres (Figure 1). Worldwide, Weyerhaeuser owns or leases 393 million acres of timberland.

Figure 1: Number of Acres of Timberland Owned or Leased by Weyerhaeuser in the US

1 About Us. Weyerhaeuser Company website. www.weyerhaeuser.com. 2 Willamette Acquisition Overview and Rationale. Weyerhaeuser’s 2001 Annual Report.

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Weyerhaeuser has significant access to markets worldwide and conducts sales with customers in more than 60 countries. The company is headquartered in Washington, USA, and has 168 manufacturing facilities in North America, Asia, Europe and New Zealand. The magnitude of Weyerhaeuser operations has earned the company the following distinctions:

• World's largest owner of merchantable softwood timber;

• World's largest producer of softwood and hardwood lumber;

• World's largest producer of engineered lumber products;

• North America's second-largest producer of structural panels;

• North America's second-largest distributor of wood products;

• The top forest products exporter in the USA and among the top USA exporters overall;

• World's largest producer of softwood market pulp;

• World's second-largest producer of uncoated freesheet paper; and

• World's second-largest producer of containerboard and Kraft paper.3

Being such a large company in a business that significantly impacts the environment and local communities, it is important to set a good example for the sector. Weyerhaeuser is in a leadership position in an industry that faces significant public scrutiny. Weyerhaeuser is committed to demonstrating leadership, which it makes very clear in its corporate vision statement (Box 1). In terms of sustainability, Weyerhaeuser is also committed to meeting the needs of its stakeholders in an open and honest manner. The company has been ranked No. 1 in the industry for social responsibility by Fortune Magazine's annual corporate reputation survey for seven years.4 This is one of the reasons why Weyerhaeuser was selected for this series of CSR case studies. This case study will emphasize the experiences and challenges Weyerhaeuser in Canada, has faced, but will also discuss the company in its global context.

2 Business Context

The forest products industry is Canada’s leading manufacturing sector and largest net exporter. Canada has approximately 420 million hectares of forestland and is a significant component of the economy and a major employer for the country. Hundreds of communities in the country are

3 All taken from Growing our Future Together: Weyerhaeuser’s 2001-2002 Citizenship Report and Weyerhaeuser’s website. 4 Growing our Future Together: Weyerhaeuser’s 2001-2002 Citizenship Report.

Box 1: Weyerhaeuser’s Vision

To Be The Best Forest Products

Company In The World

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dependent on the forest sector for their livelihood. It is therefore an industry with a significant impact on Canada: economically, socially and environmentally.

The Canadian forest sector is unique because it is based almost entirely on provincially owned forest resources.5 In contrast to its international competitors, only about 6% of Canada’s forests are privately owned. This unique situation has often been used by the United States lumber industry in allegations of unfair comparative advantage against Canadian industry and has led to countervail action (four times in the last 20 years) against Canadian softwood lumber exports to the United States. The most recent ongoing dispute is now under appeal at the World Trade Organization, which on September 27th, 2002, ruled that the duties imposed by the United States violated international trade rules. Canada’s International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew welcomed the ruling, saying, “The WTO has found in favour of our position that the United States preliminary subsidy determination was flawed and disproves the methods of calculation. Today the WTO is telling Canadians: you were right”.6 Canada and the United States will have to continue to work together to seek a solution with respect to the trade issues that exist between the two countries.

Sustainability Pressures

With enormous growth in the forest products sector over the last 2-3 decades came a wave of mounting public concern about the destruction of the world's forests. More and more people began to recognize that the world’s forests had more than just economic value and should be preserved for future generations. As well, statistics showed that the rate at which many companies were harvesting the forests exceeded the rate at which the forests could renew themselves. Many of today’s influential environmental non-governmental organizations (e.g. Sierra Club, Greenpeace etc.) gained momentum and strength by working on campaigns that revolved around the protection and conservation of old growth forestlands and national parks (e.g. biodiversity protection, salmon fishery protection, etc).

A coalition of groups successfully threatened an international boycott against companies who were harvesting trees in the Great Bear Rainforest area of British Columbia. To save this habitat, which was home to an endangered species of bear known as the Spirit or Kermode bear, Greenpeace and other non-governmental organizations blockaded a shipment of Canadian lumber arriving in Europe and mounted billboards in cities around the world7. This brought international attention to the practices of Canadian logging companies and resulted in the signing of a landmark agreement by timber companies, environmentalists and Aboriginal peoples to protect a significant area of wilderness along the Pacific Coast.

5 Forest Products Sector Competitiveness Framework. Strategis Website at Industry Canada. http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/fb01004e.html 6 Canada Winds Key WTO Lumber Decision. Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade News Release. September 27th, 2002. 7 Landmark Deal to Save Canadian Forest. BBC News Online. Thursday April 5th, 2001.

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The environmental ramifications of tree-based papermaking also drew intense public scrutiny to the forest products sector in the late 1980s. Scientists realized that elemental chlorine, the main chemical used to separate and whiten wood fibres, combined with lignins that occur naturally in wood together produce dioxin, one of the most potent carcinogens and hormone disrupters.8 Chlorinated paper became associated with public health problems and the poisoning of fisheries and remains the target of an international Greenpeace campaign against the use of chlorine.

To address the environmental concerns described briefly above, a number of sustainable forest management standards have been developed by industry associations and non-governmental organizations. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international non-profit organization founded in 1993 to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests, has been a supporter of the development of national and regional standards for evaluating whether a forest is being well-managed.9 The FSC is an association of diverse group of environmental and social organizations, forest and product industries, Indigenous People's organizations, community forestry groups and certification bodies from around the world. Other certification standards have been developed and those being used in Canada include the ISO 14001 management system standard, the Canadian Standard Association’s (CSA) Sustainable Forest Management system standard; and the American Forest & Paper Association’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) in the United States. It is important to note that certifications to other “performance-based” forest management standards -- such as the CSA and SFI in Canada, and the SFI in the United States – much surpass FSC certifications.

The FSC supports the development of national and local standards that implement the International Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship that the organization has developed. These standards are developed by national and regional working groups, which work to achieve consensus amongst the wide range of people and organizations involved in forest management and conservation in different parts of the world. The FSC has developed guidelines for developing regional certification standards to assist working groups in this process.

There has also been growing demand from consumers for wood products from sustainably managed forests. The Forest Stewardship Council is currently in the process of introducing an international labelling scheme for forest products, which provides a credible guarantee that the product a consumer purchases comes from a well-managed forest. All forest products carrying the FSC logo have been independently certified as coming from forests that meet the internationally recognized “Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship”.10 In this way, FSC seeks to provide an incentive in the marketplace for good forest stewardship. Inspections of forests are carried out by a number of FSC-accredited certification bodies, which are evaluated and monitored to ensure their competence and credibility.

8 A Concise History of Paper. Watershed Media. http://www.watershedmedia.org/paper/paper-aconcise.html 9 Forest Stewardship Council of Canada Website. http://fsccanada.org/ 10 Forest Stewardship Council of Canada Website. http://fsccanada.org/

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The forest products sector in Canada also faces a number of social issues: including attracting and retaining skilled employees; minimizing the impact companies have on communities that form around the companies’ operations; and engaging key stakeholders. One of the most challenging issues facing forest products companies operating in Canada is relating to Aboriginal people and the consequent uncertainty over who has rights and jurisdiction over public land and resources. The majority of Canadian forests are on public lands, many of which are subject to land claims by Aboriginal peoples. Many land claims remain unresolved despite the number of treaty negotiations currently in progress.11 Resolution of these claims may result in a new “landlord’ (shift from the province to an Aboriginal band, for instance) which could lead to a decrease in the lands or timber available for forest operations under licence in British Columbia. The negotiation and resolution of First Nations claims could also result in additional restrictions on the sale or harvest of timber on BC timberlands, an increase in operating costs, and could affect timber supply and prices.

The forest products sector and metals and mining sectors were among the first natural resource sectors to come under public scrutiny. This has led the sector to respond by becoming environmentally and socially proactive, earlier than other sectors. Because of this, many forest products companies have relatively advanced CSR strategies and programs. To prosper in the 21st century, the forest products industry recognizes that it will have to continue to adapt to meet progressively higher customer expectations and continue to develop new markets. With increasing global environmental awareness, the industry must cultivate the image and reality of being a responsible corporate citizen to ensure continued market access and customer acceptance.

3 Acquisition without Opposition

Given the issues faced by companies in the forest products sector described above, it is clear why the industry has been an early embracer and has invested so significantly in sustainable development and CSR activities. Future business opportunities of companies in the sector depend heavily on having a reputation for considering business in an environmentally, socially and economically responsible manner. For Weyerhaeuser, a specific event reinforced the business case for, and the importance of, having a reputation as a good corporate citizen.

In 1999, Weyerhaeuser acquired MacMillan Bloedel, one of Canada’s largest forest products companies. This “friendly” acquisition (supported by the MacMillan Bloedel Board of Directors) had strong symbolic overtones to the Province of British Columbia and to Canada since it was a US company taking over what used to be considered the “crown jewel” of the Canadian forestry industry.12 There was also a great deal of sensitivity at the time regarding excessive foreign ownership of Canadian companies. Weyerhaeuser, which had already been operating in Canada since 1965, understood that the climate demanded sensitivity and made the effort to prepare for

11 Willamette Acquisition Overview and Rationale. Weyerhaeuser’s 2001 Annual Report. 12 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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the required public hearing processes. In British Columbia, any company seeking to have a forest license to harvest public land must first go through a public hearing process. Weyerhaeuser expected there would be some opposition to the company’s proposed bid to acquire MacMillan Bloedel, whether it was opposition from activist groups, Canadian nationalists, community groups or even regulators. While some opposition emerged, Weyerhaeuser learned that the company’s good reputation had been an enormous factor in its ability to close the deal in a timely fashion. Weyerhaeuser had operated in Canada for more than 30 years prior to the bid, and during this time had earned a reputation for conducting itself responsibly. The company had excellent safety records and good environmental practices and because of this had earned the respect and trust of people from the communities where it operated. Tom Stephens, MacMillan Bloedel’s President and CEO, said in a press release, “MacMillan Bloedel’s people will be joining one of the world’s most highly respected companies that puts a priority on safety and is strongly committed to the environment”.13 Everyone seemed to compare notes on Weyerhaeuser – government, regulators, employees, unions, and ENGOS – and no one could find a major issue for which to drum up opposition. Upon hearing of the potential acquisition, MacMillan Bloedel community members even called people in Weyerhaeuser communities to ask about the company’s operating practices and were adequately satisfied that the acquisition would be good for their communities as well. Because there was support, the public hearing process produced a recommendation to allow the acquisition to proceed. Weyerhaeuser attributes the timely and uneventful acquisition of MacMillan Bloedel in part to the reputation it had earned through its CSR commitment and programs.14

4 Weyerhaeuser’s Corporate Citizenship Journey

The roots of Weyerhaeuser’s corporate culture extend back to the values of the founding families (Frederick Weyerhaeuser being the most prominent). From its beginning, the company’s owners were concerned with preserving forests for future generations and took precautions to ensure that the company’s business practices did not jeopardize this aspiration. Weyerhaeuser was the first forest products company to establish a tree farm in the United States, and later the first to practice intensive forest management based on comprehensive understanding of forest science resulting from its own research programs. Weyerhaeuser has been credited with being the first company to do a lot of things, which helped it earn the reputation of being a leading company with respect to sustainability in the sector. A strong internal driver for the company from the outset was to build a good reputation as its name reflected personally on the family who founded the company.15

Despite the fact that the culture of forest stewardship extends back a century to the company’s beginnings, there are definite business drivers for Weyerhaeuser to be a good corporate citizen. The nature of its business in Canada -- operating primarily on publicly owned land -- demands 13 “Weyerhaeuser Company to Acquire MacMillan Bloedel Limited”. News Release. June 21st, 1999. 14 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002. 15 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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that the company earns its license to operate through demonstrated responsible behaviour. Access to timber in Canada is based on access, for the most part, to a public resource. According to Dave Larsen, Weyerhaeuser’s VP Government and Public Affairs, the situation is slightly different in the USA as the majority of forest operations are on private forestland. License to operate in the USA is not as dependent on earning societal consent as it is in Canada, however public expectations are nevertheless high in the USA. Stakeholders expect that any company that harvests forests on public or private land, must do so in a responsible manner and minimize its impacts on the environment. In response to stakeholder concerns over environmental stewardship, Weyerhaeuser developed its first environmental policy in 1971, which committed the company to comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations and to continuously improve its environmental performance wherever it operated. Weyerhaeuser was the first company in the forest products sector to develop a corporate-wide environmental policy.16

In addition to the need for Weyerhaeuser to earn its social license to operate, the company recognizes that it is in a resource-intensive business that has a rather large environmental “footprint” because of its effect on air, water and habitat. The company’s former CEO expressed the company’s commitment to reducing its environmental and social impacts wherever possible, emphasizing that “public opinion is our license to operate in this business”.17 If a forest products company earns a negative reputation for acting irresponsibly, governments and consumers can, and have, expressed their powers through boycotts of products, companies, and even entire regions. This understanding can be seen as a factor that compelled Weyerhaeuser to be more sensitive than perhaps other industries and companies to the needs of CSR and accountability. The company's first code of ethics and business conduct, Weyerhaeuser's Reputation, A Shared Responsibility, was issued to managers in 1976. The code was renamed Our Reputation: A Shared Responsibility in 1993 and is currently in its fifth edition. The aim of this very comprehensive code of conduct is to ensure that all employees hold themselves to the highest standards of ethical behaviour and recognize that they have a responsibility to all stakeholders affected by their business. The existence and enforcement of this code, discussed in more detail later on in the case study, sets Weyerhaeuser apart from other companies.

Another area where the company has led its peers is that of stakeholder engagement. Weyerhaeuser’s company culture has always been open to consultations with stakeholder groups (government, communities, environmental groups, etc.) as a means of managing its reputation and ensuring that the company is meeting the expectations of its stakeholders.18 As focus on environmental and social issues related to the forestry sector evolved over the century, Weyerhaeuser was always among the first companies to step up to the table to seek constructive solutions in partnership with others.

16 Growing our Future Together: Weyerhaeuser’s 2001-2001 Citizenship Report. 17 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002. 18 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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Box 2: Weyerhaeuser Values (Taken from Weyerhaeuser’s 2001-2002 Citizenship Report)

“We listen to our customers and improve our products and services to meet their present and future needs We believe that our success depends upon high-performing people working together in a safe and healthy workplace where diversity, development and teamwork are valued and recognized. We expect superior performance and are accountable for our actions and results. Our leaders set clear goals and expectations, are supportive, and provide and seek frequent feedback. We support the communities where we do business, hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct and environmental responsibility, and communicate openly with Weyerhaeuser people and the public.

Weyerhaeuser believes a number of successes have helped advance its corporate citizenship strategy over the years. Being ranked No. 1 in the industry in social responsibility in Fortune Magazine's annual corporate reputation survey for seven years is now a distinction the company is reluctant to surrender. Experiencing success in one facet of business has often led the company to challenge itself in other aspects of its business. The company’s success implementing its first environmental management system in 1997 led the company to set a goal in 1999 of having all manufacturing and timberland operations ready for certification to ISO 14001 by 2005. Success also builds confidence and a sense of pride among employees within the organization. Weyerhaeuser knows that “the company’s success depends upon high performing people” who are empowered to give their best efforts to the company each and every day.19 Weyerhaeuser believes the business case for CSR/corporate citizenship has been demonstrated through a number of examples, one of the most tangible business benefits being competitive advantage through acquisition as was discussed earlier, in Section 3 of the case study.

5 Corporate Citizenship at Weyerhaeuser

Weyerhaeuser refers to its CSR programs and activities as “corporate citizenship.” Dave Larsen added that “corporate citizenship” was used by the company to describe its sustainability activities before the term CSR or corporate social responsibility came to prominence.

Values and Road Map for Success

Weyerhaeuser has no formal CSR or corporate citizenship “policy” but its commitment to corporate citizenship is formally expressed in the company’s Values (Box 2), and through its actions. The Values were developed approximately 10 years ago and have now been translated into Weyerhaeuser’s Road Map for Success, which sets out the company’s business goals, commitments and the expected behaviour of all its employees. The Road Map was developed and signed off by senior management approximately three years ago and was the initiative of 19 Growing our Future Together: Weyerhaeuser’s 2001-2001 Citizenship Report.

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Weyerhaeuser’s new CEO, Steve Rogel, who joined the company in 1997. The goal of the Road Map is to provide a framework or direction for all Weyerhaeuser employees and is used as a management tool to guide and communicate the company vision. The Road Map was refined over a two-year period to strengthen its corporate citizenship components (e.g., commitments to support local communities, ethical conduct, prudent and effective use of resources, etc.) and will continue to be re-examined every two years to ensure that it is current and relevant to the current business climate.20

Weyerhaeuser believes that the company’s success is defined by performing well against all twelve criteria set out in the Road Map. Success for the company is not defined on profits alone, but includes safety performance, manufacturing excellence, and environmental and social criteria.

Code of Ethics and Business Conduct

Weyerhaeuser has a rigorous process that guides and enforces expected behaviour of managers in terms of ethical conduct at the company. Weyerhaeuser conducts annual surveys of all managers’ activities throughout the year to make sure they are adhering to the company’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. The company's first general code of conduct, Weyerhaeuser's Reputation, A Shared Responsibility, was issued to company managers in 1976. The real catalyst behind the development of such a comprehensive code was George Weyerhaeuser Senior who retired as CEO 14 years ago. He wanted to protect and preserve the Weyerhaeuser name and ensure that the company continued to operate according to its founding principles and ethics.21 The code was renamed Our Reputation: A Shared Responsibility in 1993 and is currently in its fifth edition. The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct applies across all of the company’s operations. In countries where environmental laws are less stringent, Weyerhaeuser commits to operate in a manner comparable to North American environmental standards. The code of conduct is updated now every year, and is issued and communicated to all Weyerhaeuser employees. It is also made available to all of the company’s customers, contractors, suppliers and the public.22 The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct helps employees make ethically sound business decisions and outlines a clear process for resolving ethical issues within the company. Topics covered in the code of conduct include:

• Safety;

• Anti-trust;

• Conflict of Interest;

• Environmental Responsibility;

• Gifts and Entertainment;

20 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002. 21 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002. 22 Weyerhaeuser’s Code of Ethics & Business Conduct http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/citizenship/businessconduct/busconductcodeofethics.asp

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• International Business Conduct; and

• Suppliers, Contractors and Customers.

The Business Conduct Office manages and administers Weyerhaeuser’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. Staff at the Business Conduct Office have responsibility for developing ethics training for all new employees, overseeing the revision of the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, and providing advice and assistance on business ethics issues. The Business Conduct Office reports to the ethics committee chair and the CEO, with no direct reporting relationship to any business or department in the company, providing an objective resource for employees.23 Weyerhaeuser’s comprehensive Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, together with its Values Statement, provide the foundation for corporate citizenship at the company.

Responsibility for Corporate Citizenship

Responsibility for corporate citizenship at Weyerhaeuser lies with employees at all levels. Direction and vision come from senior management but it is extremely important for a company like Weyerhaeuser, which interfaces with more than 300 communities, that employees at the operational level are trained in, and supportive of, the company’s corporate citizenship commitments. Business unit managers represent Weyerhaeuser in these communities; consequently, the company’s reputation is dependent on the behaviour and performance of these individuals. Weyerhaeuser recognizes the importance of good relations and provides leadership training to all business unit managers on the 12 criteria set out in the Road Map for Success. Accountability for meeting the 12 criteria in the Road Map for Success is assigned to the senior management team. For example, the CEO has responsibility specifically for Weyerhaeuser’s diversity targets. Currently, the company is trying to increase the number of women and minorities in professional and managerial positions to ensure that affirmative action plans are now in place at all facilities, and to increase the accountability of management to these objectives. Actions and results related to diversity are now on the business scorecard and count for 10% of overall score.24 Performance expectations with respect to the other criteria in the Road Map are outlined in performance goals for senior managers, and management systems are beginning to accommodate these requirements.

International Codes and Standards

Weyerhaeuser adheres to international labour and human rights laws in all countries where it operates, and it has committed to operating in a manner comparable to North American environmental standards. In the past, this has led Weyerhaeuser to withdraw from business enterprises in Russia and Indonesia when the company felt it was unable to conduct business according to its own high standards. The company has an objective to achieve independent environmental certification for all its public and private forestlands by 2004. In Canada, the 23 Weyerhaeuser’s Business Conduct. http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/citizenship/businessconduct/busconductoffice.asp 24 Growing our Future Together: Weyerhaeuser’s 2001-2001 Citizenship Report.

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applicable certification standards are primarily the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z-809 Sustainable Forest Management System standard. A small area of Canadian forestlands will be certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) standard rather than CSA. In the United States, Weyerhaeuser is using ISO 14001 and SFI. The company’s manufacturing facilities will all implement an environmental management system capable of being certified under the ISO 14001 standard by 2005. Decisions regarding independent certification of those facilities are being determined by each business based on customer and other stakeholder requirements. These standards will be discussed in more detail in Section 6.2 below.

6 Weyerhaeuser’s Program Areas

Weyerhaeuser is active in most CSR program areas: Communities & Broader Society; Employees; Customers/Stewardship; Environment; Governance / Code of Conduct; Suppliers; Stakeholder Engagement and Public Reporting. Those the company invests a great deal of time in and which it considers to be the most innovative are its Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (Governance), Environment, Stakeholder Engagement (specifically relations with Canadian Aboriginal communities where the company operates) and Community Philanthropy.

6.1 Governance and Conduct

Weyerhaeuser’s comprehensive Code of Ethics and Business Conduct is discussed in detail in Section 5 - Corporate Citizenship at Weyerhaeuser. This is an area of strength for the company. The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct clarifies employee expectations early and is an important building block of the company’s corporate culture – one of corporate citizenship. The Business Conduct office ensures that all employees are trained on the Code when they begin employment with the company and that they continue to receive training related to the Code on a regular basis as it is revised and new issues arise. Weyerhaeuser has a number of measures to ensure that the Code is taken seriously and strictly adhered to. The Business Conduct Committee, established in 1977, produces a brochure that outlines the various avenues available to employees who are seeking guidance or want to report violations. This ensures that employees are well informed and feel comfortable addressing internal issues. Employees can call the chair of the Business Conduct Committee directly, or a representative in their jurisdiction to raise any ethical concerns they may have. The Committee may then launch an investigation if it is felt that circumstances warrant one. The results of investigations are recorded and communicated to the company’s executive. The Business Conduct Committee also reports once or twice a year on the kinds of ethical issues that are being raised by employees. Weyerhaeuser has not yet tried to screen suppliers against its Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, however, it feels that this is the next logical step for the company to take in further developing the program and facilitating the integration across its value chain.25

25 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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6.2 Environment

Weyerhaeuser has always been viewed as a leader and innovator in environmental practices. The company was the first company in the forest products sector to develop an environmental policy (See Box 3). Weyerhaeuser was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index in 2000 and 2001 and was the only forest products company on this global index during that period. The company was also named North America’s top company in Innovest’s Forest Products Industry EcoValue 21 report of March 2000. These distinctions are a source of pride for Weyerhaeuser, which drives it to improve its environmental performance and enhance its reputation as an environmental leader. Weyerhaeuser’s environmental management system is quite comprehensive and forms the foundation for its environmental activities.

Environmental Management System & Other Standards

As discussed above, Weyerhaeuser has set aggressive certification targets for all of its operating units (manufacturing and timberland). Weyerhaeuser believes its EMS helps the company achieve its goals and commitments in other environmental areas. Weyerhaeuser takes the concept of forest stewardship very seriously and has taken steps to incorporate the requirements set out in other standards specific to the forest products sector. Many countries have sustainable forest management standards with similar goals but slightly differing requirements or methods of implementation. Sustainable forest management refers to the way a forest is managed to maintain and enhance the long-term health of forest ecosystems for current and future generations.26 In the United States, Weyerhaeuser is incorporating the requirements of the American Forest & Paper Association’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) standard. Canadian units of the company will meet the requirements set out in the Canadian Standard Association’s (CSA) Sustainable Forest Management system standard (a small percentage will achieve SFI certification.) Weyerhaeuser has had little difficulty meeting the requirements set out in these sustainable forest management standards but would like to see a more standardized approach to streamline its activities and 26 Canada’s National Sustainable Forest Management Standard. www.sfms.com/csa.htm

Box 3: Weyerhaeuser's Environmental Policy It is Weyerhaeuser's core policy that employees at all levels will work to ensure that we comply with applicable environmental laws, regulations and other requirements to which the company commits, and to continually improve our environmental performance wherever we do business. Employees are accountable for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and for managing and operating our businesses to conform to the company's goals of:

• Practicing sustainable forestry • Reducing pollution • Conserving natural resources through

recycling and waste reduction. In countries where applicable environmental laws are less stringent than those in the United States and Canada, we will operate in a manner comparable to North American requirements.

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ensure its practices are consistent across the board. More than 11.2 million hectares of the forests Weyerhaeuser manages in Canada, the United States and New Zealand have been certified to the ISO 14001 standard, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI), and/or the CSA Standard.27 These standards are described in more detail below.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (US)

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFISM) program was developed by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) beginning in the late 1990’s. It is a comprehensive system of principles, objectives and performance measures developed by professional foresters, conservationists and scientists, among others that are committed to attaining more sustainable forestry to ensure the long-term protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality. There are over 107.8 million acres of forestland in North America enrolled in the SFI program, making it the world's largest sustainable forestry program.28 Participation in the SFI program is a condition of membership in the American Forest & Paper Association. Since the launch of the initiative in 1994, AF&PA has asked 17 members to leave the association for failing to meet the SFI Standard. The SFI Standard is maintained and verified by the Sustainable Forestry Board (SFB) which has 15 members from a wide range of non-industry and industry interests, including: environmental/conservation organizations; public officials (state and/or federal agencies); professional/academic groups; logging professional; non-industrial landowners; AF&PA members.

Weyerhaeuser has formalized its commitment to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative through the following principles, which the company endorses publicly on its website:

• To continuously improve the company's performance as responsible stewards of the environmental quality and economic value of the forests it manages;

• To actively listen to and act upon public expectations; and

• To communicate consistently to ensure understanding of its forest stewardship goals, practices and accomplishments.29

CSA Sustainable Forest Management System (Canada)

Canada has its own national standard on sustainable forest management developed by the Canadian Standards Association in 1996. Requirements for this standard cover three key, interrelated areas: public participation; performance; and systems to achieve the desired results. The standard takes into account environmental, social and economic factors and seeks to give

27 Weyerhaeuser Company’s Forest Operations in BC Reach New Certification Milestones. Weyerhaeuser News Release December 19th, 2001. 28 Sustainable Forestry Initiative Website. http://www.aboutsfi.org/about.asp 29 Practicing Sustainable Forestry. Weyerhaeuser Website. http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/environment/practsustainforest/default.asp

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communities a voice in the way their forests are managed.30 Weyerhaeuser is committed to meeting the requirements set out in the Canadian Standard Association’s Sustainable Forest Management System standard.

At Weyerhaeuser, we are guided by stewardship of Canadian public and private land by a clear set of principles (Responding to People’s Needs, Water Resources and Habitat Protection, Soil Productivity, Management of Wildlife Habitat, Visual Impact and Recreation, A Special Partner: The Aboriginal Peoples, Community and Stakeholders Involvement, Research and Practical Science). For each of these principles we develop and follow defined strategies. We also assess specified criteria and indicators to measure the quality of our actions in the forest and to improve our performance based on past experiences. As various Canadian geographies become CSA* certified, we will report using the framework provided by the Sustainable Forest Management Criteria and Indicators that this certification system provides. The criteria used have been developed by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers and are aligned with the internationally recognized Montreal Process criteria and indicators for Sustainable Forest Management.”31

Weyerhaeuser has the largest area of CSA - certified forest operations in British Columbia, Canada, with approximately 1.9 million hectares of certified forestlands.32 The company has committed to having all of its timberlands operations in Canada certified to CSA’s Sustainable Forest Management System standard by 2003, and is well on its way to achieving this goal. (A small area of Canadian forestlands – about 1% of Weyerhaeuser managed tenures – will be certified to SFI rather than CSA standard.

Other than practising sustainable forestry in general, Weyerhaeuser operates many additional company-wide environmental programs including pollution reduction, waste reduction, and energy conservation.

6.3 Relations with Aboriginal Communities

As responsible stewards of public forest land, Weyerhaeuser will work proactively to build mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal peoples in the Company’s areas of operations.33

Weyerhaeuser believes that stakeholder engagement, particularly with Aboriginal communities, is critical to business success in the forest products sector.34 This area is also one of the biggest challenges for the company, as it has had to learn as it goes and alter its traditional way of doing business in many respects. Weyerhaeuser’s 4th Value, “We support the communities where we do

30 Canada’s National Sustainable Forest Management Standard. www.sfms.com/csa.htm 31 Practicing Sustainable Forestry. Weyerhaeuser Website. http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/environment/practsustainforest/default.asp 32 Weyerhaeuser Company’s Forest Operations in BC Reach New Certification Milestones. Weyerhaeuser News Release December 19th, 2001. 33 Weyerhaeuser’s commitment to building relations with Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples. Presented in “A Policy for Building Relationships: Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples and Weyerhaeuser”. Developed 2002. 34 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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business, hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct and environmental responsibility, and communicate openly with Weyerhaeuser people and the public”, clearly illustrates the company’s commitment to stakeholder engagement and to communities where it operates. In Canada, local communities for the company often include a large population of Aboriginal peoples. Weyerhaeuser recognizes that these Aboriginal communities can directly influence the company’s access to raw materials and are part of the potential workforce. Their needs and perspectives are therefore extremely relevant to the company’s decision making. Aboriginal communities are a source from which Weyerhaeuser draws employees, suppliers, customers and contractors, so the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships makes good business sense.

Weyerhaeuser’s Aboriginal Policy

Weyerhaeuser developed a formal policy for building relationships with Canada’s Aboriginal peoples in 1995. The policy guides the company in developing mutually beneficial business partnerships, recruiting Aboriginal employees and operating programs to support Aboriginal communities in the future. It is the company’s intent that this policy will become an integral part of how the company does business in Canada.35 The policy has three key objectives:

1. To provide Weyerhaeuser in Canada with a framework for building mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal peoples in a consistent manner across the country;

2. To ensure that Weyerhaeuser’s relationship-building activities are based on principles in the areas of employment, business alliances, education and community involvement. The application of these principles will provide necessary consistency. The specific application practices at the local level will be flexible and robust in order to accommodate local needs; and

3. To develop Weyerhaeuser’s relationships with Aboriginal peoples in Canada in a way that is most likely to promote our mutual interest in business and community.36

To meet these three objectives, Weyerhaeuser has also developed more specific policy metrics or objectives, and procedures that focus on six areas of importance: employment (direct); employment (indirectly through suppliers etc.); business alliances; education and training (in local communities); education and training (inside the company); and community involvement. Measurable objectives have been set for each of these six areas to ensure that progress can be measured and continually improved. Having concrete, measurable targets also increases the accountability and transparency of the company and shows its stakeholders that it is committed to living out its high-level policy. Table 1 shows a summary of the key measures Weyerhaeuser has developed for each policy area.

35 A Policy for Building Relationships: Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples and Weyerhaeuser. Developed 2002. 36 A Policy for Building Relationships: Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples and Weyerhaeuser. Developed 2002.

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Table 1: Progress Measures for Weyerhaeuser’s Aboriginal Policy

(Taken from Weyerhaeuser’s Aboriginal Policy)

Focus Area Key Measure Other Measures

1 Employment – Direct

New hires: total # # Aboriginal

Work force: % Aboriginal

Applications: # Aboriginal

Company demographics: % Aboriginal salaried

non-exempt % Aboriginal hourly

2 Employment – Indirect # of Aboriginal business providing

goods and services Community

Demographics

3 Business Alliances # of formal alliances with

Aboriginal communities

% Aboriginal involved in providing business goods and services

4 Education and Training External

# scholarships, bursaries & grants to Aboriginal peoples

# of education support events involved in

5 Education and Training Internal

% employees received Culture & Awareness training and education

% employees received diversity training

6 Community Involvement $ and other contributions to

Aboriginal communities

Aboriginal leaders on invitation lists Community Participation

The policy is an ambitious undertaking for Weyerhaeuser, but the company is confident it can meet these objectives in the long term. Weyerhaeuser knows that it is critical for the future of its business to develop effective and strong relations with Aboriginal communities in its areas of operation. The objectives will be reviewed on a regular basis, and progress reports tracked at Leadership Team Meetings of Weyerhaeuser’s Canadian organization. Information is shared

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among Weyerhaeuser’s business operations through three networking councils. These councils provide a forum for sharing the status, experience and learning with respect to Aboriginal community relationships in Canada. Not only are these networking councils valuable resources for Weyerhaeuser employees, but members of Aboriginal communities have also used the networking councils as a source of information.

Weyerhaeuser plans to continue building mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal communities and has already had some successes in this area.

Reaching Company Goals through Partnerships

Weyerhaeuser has developed a number of partnerships with a variety of stakeholder groups, including Aboriginal peoples, to achieve its corporate citizenship goals. Weyerhaeuser recognizes that partnerships in general are integral to the company’s success for two main reasons: 1) Stakeholders who are involved in collaborative processes with company representatives to find solutions feel empowered and are more likely to support the company in the future. Mutually beneficial relationships are built and strengthened over time; and 2) Some stakeholders contribute a great deal of knowledge and experience through partnership opportunities that help Weyerhaeuser innovate and solve problems more effectively.37 Weyerhaeuser acknowledges that it cannot achieve all of the company’s environmental goals alone and has initiated a number of cooperative partnerships. Weyerhaeuser builds relationships with Aboriginal communities—in the form of commercial partnerships, employment, education, and training – to encourage their capacity to become providers of goods and services to the company. Weyerhaeuser is engaged in significant partnerships with Aboriginal peoples in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Iisaak Forest Resources is an example of a successful joint venture among First Nations bands, environmental groups, and Weyerhaeuser’s British Columbia Coastal Group operations. Through the partnership, a new approach to old growth conservation and sustainable forest management was developed, specific to the region of Clayoquot Sound. Local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, ENGOs, the provincial government, and Weyerhaeuser’s international customers all support these new practices. Weyerhaeuser is proud of it success in this instance and has tried to replicate the win-win model of joint business ventures in other situations.38

Weyerhaeuser has also partnered with other forest licence holders and Aboriginal groups as part of the Innovative Forest Practices Agreement in British Columbia, which was approved by the provincial government. The goal of this pilot project was to improve forest stewardship across the province and increase productivity on more than 800 000 hectares of land. The agreement includes a detailed plan that integrates many aspects of forest land use management, including wildlife habitat, water quality, visual impacts, intensive forest production, biodiversity, public recreation and protection of Aboriginal heritage sites.

37 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002. 38 2000 Annual Environment, Health and Safety Report. Weyerhaeuser Company.

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Weyerhaeuser has won the Ontario Aboriginal Partnerships Award for its collaboration with two other partners that resulted in the creation of Wabigoon Anishnaabe Gitigewin Inc. Tree Nursery, a facility owned and operated by this First Nation community. The tree farm has the capacity to grow up to 10 million seedlings annually, mostly replanted on public land managed under license by Weyerhaeuser. This award is evidence of the excellent work and the progress that can be made in the area of improving relations with Aboriginal Groups.

The company believes that it has come a long way in this area of CSR, but has a ways to go, and it is determined to keep learning from its experiences and improve how it builds relationships on a continual basis.39 The company’s new policy for building relationships with Canada’s Aboriginal peoples is a good step to formalizing the company’s commitment to improvement. Weyerhaeuser has faced some difficulty dealing with overlapping land claims by Canadian Aboriginal groups. In the majority of cases, it has taken a long time for the land claims to be settled by the provincial and federal governments who are directly involved as the “landlords”. Weyerhaeuser cannot afford to sit back and wait for issues to be resolved before proceeding with developing new businesses. The way the company has dealt with this challenge in the past has been to focus on the opportunities that exist, and then work in partnership with the Aboriginal groups to derive mutual benefits from each situation.40 Another challenge Weyerhaeuser faces on an ongoing basis is mounting expectations on the part of the company’s Aboriginal stakeholders.

6.4 Community Philanthropy

In order to meet its 4th Value, “We support the communities where we do business, hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct and environmental responsibility, and communicate openly with Weyerhaeuser people and the public”, the company also operates an extensive philanthropic program through the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation in the United States, and through a National Donations Committee in Canada. Many Weyerhaeuser operations are in rural areas where community resources are scarce. In the United States, the company sponsors more than 105 local employee advisory committees, made up of employee volunteers, to carefully direct funding to a variety of local services, including education, health and human services, civic and community improvements, and the arts. Similar advisory committees exist in Canada at the local unit and regional levels. The company has overarching guidelines for charitable giving. However, each region has the autonomy to select those community organizations or events it wishes to support, typically based on a needs assessment. The majority of grant making goes to local communities to enhance the local quality of life. However, Weyerhaeuser also supports educational institutions, environmental groups and professional organizations that promote further understanding of how the forest products industry responds to a changing society.

39 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002. 40 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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Weyerhaeuser also encourages the community-minded efforts of employees through the Making WAVEs (Weyerhaeuser Active Volunteer Employees) program, which provides a framework for employees, retirees and their families and friends who want to pledge time, energy and skills to communities where Weyerhaeuser has a presence. To honour the commitment of employees, the company supports their volunteer activities with cash donations to the community organizations receiving volunteer service from Weyerhaeuser employees.

7 Key Drivers and Benefits for Weyerhaeuser

Key drivers for striving to be a good corporate citizen for Weyerhaeuser are its license to operate and license to grow, (e.g. acquisition of MacMillan Bloedel in Canada, Willamette in the United States). Weyerhaeuser is one of the only United States forest products companies to grow significantly during the 1960s and 70s through acquisitions in Canada, despite widespread opposition to US ownership in Canada. Due to its excellent reputation, Weyerhaeuser was able to gain acceptance and support from local communities, regulators and NGOs. Since 1980, many of the forest products companies that existed pre-1980 in western Canada have disappeared.41 Weyerhaeuser attributes a portion of its successful history to its reputation for operating responsibly, environmentally and socially.

Weyerhaeuser also finds that rigorous environmental management systems and a comprehensive Code of Ethical and Business Conduct translates into responsible financial management. These accountability mechanisms ensure that senior executives stay true to the company’s five core business values and reduce the business risks associated with corruption.

A contributing factor and benefit of the company’s reputation is its safety record. According to Dave Larsen from Weyerhaeuser, the company’s strong focus on workplace safety is rooted in the company’s commitment to its employees, local communities and the environment. Having positive stakeholder relations (with employees, local communities, regulators etc.), and responsible environmental practices, formalized through the company’s EMS, are important components of Weyerhaeuser’s corporate citizenship strategy.

Weyerhaeuser is committed to succeeding in all 12 Road Map for Success elements. It acknowledges that a company can no longer be successful and considered a leader if it excels in economic arenas only. Though not given entirely equal weighting, the elements of the current Road Map place emphasis on achieving success in social and environmental areas of the company’s business practices.

Achieving success in all twelve Road Map elements helps Weyerhaeuser build a consistent and healthy brand image. The company also knows that it is important to communicate both challenges and successes it has realized through its corporate citizenship or CSR efforts and

41 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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activities. Weyerhaeuser has started communicating more information recently as a means of building a stronger brand image. The company uses its Environment, Health & Safety Report and its Corporate Citizenship Report as a means of keeping stakeholders informed on the company’s activities in the areas of environmental performance, business practices, community activities and employee relations. Currently, the company does not follow a reporting standard. It is staying informed of developments in reporting guidelines and will continue to listen to its employees and monitor its competitors. The company wants to make sure the standard it eventually follows, if it opts to follow any standard, is the most widely accepted standard. The company plans to merge its different reports (i.e. its EH&S Report and Corporate Citizenship Report) into a single report to reduce duplication and streamline communications with stakeholders. The company is proud of its reputation and expects that good corporate citizenship will become more important in the future, especially in light of recent questions around business ethics and accountability.

Corporate citizenship/CSR is an important ingredient to long-term success in the forest products business. Weyerhaeuser recognizes that it must continue to meet progressively higher customer expectations, while it seeks to develop new markets. With increasing global environmental awareness, those companies who cultivate a brand image of being environmentally and socially responsible will ensure continued market access and customer acceptance.

8 Organizational Success Factors and Lessons Learned

Legacy of Corporate Citizenship. Having a legacy of good corporate citizenship has made it relatively easy for Weyerhaeuser to advance its corporate social responsibility strategy and programs. Having had a succession of leaders who have shared similar values and commitment to CSR and passed them on to the next leaders has been a key success factor for integration within the company. A culture of being an ethical corporate citizen has also been deeply engrained in all employees over the past 100 years. CSR was never something “new” that had to be accepted by employees or sold to management. Over time, the company’s corporate citizenship strategy needed broadening and reinforcement. Weyerhaeuser recognizes that with recent scandals in the USA it has become even more of a business risk to not have a clear commitment to CSR.42

Growth through Acquisition: Aligning Diverse Corporate Cultures. Weyerhaeuser has grown to its present size predominantly through acquisition. The company has found it challenging to align diverse corporate cultures over large geographic areas. It has never acquired another company that was doing more with respect to CSR. Because of this, Weyerhaeuser has had to invest significant resources to bring new acquisitions up to speed, whether it is ethics training, implementing EMS, meeting the principles set out in the Sustainable Forest Management standard, etc. ensuring that all operating units meet consistent standards takes time and patience. Change management does not happen over night. As well, the company struggles through new acquisitions if some business unit leaders are “hard headed” and want to ensure that money is not

42 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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being spent unwisely. Not all new operations managers share the same commitment to Weyerhaeuser’s corporate values. Again, it takes time to develop a corporate culture within an acquired company that is similar to that of the parent company.43

Developing a Well-Defined Business Case. As business becomes more competitive in the sector, there is growing pressure on Weyerhaeuser employees to show the business benefits of CSR activities. It is a challenge to consistently keep CSR on the radar screen – there are definite costs. You need to have a well-defined business case (which Weyerhaeuser has not yet formalized) and strong champions within the company to keep it prominent. Dave Larsen would like to have a tool or method for measuring the benefits and links between CSR activities and overall business performance.

Relations with Aboriginals. As was discussed in detail in Section 6, Weyerhaeuser has come a long way with its policy and practices for engaging Aboriginal people (especially in terms of recruitment and joint ventures). The company has learned through experience, and it acknowledges that there is still a great deal to learn. Developing effective relationships with any stakeholder group is not something that can be taught to employees. The company has to seek out employees who see intrinsic value in developing strong relationships with Aboriginal peoples and then create opportunities to work with Aboriginal people to learn from them. Understanding their expectations is critical to the success of any joint venture or partnership and developing communication channels with Aboriginal people has required significant change within the company.

Overlapping Standards. Weyerhaeuser feels that the number of overlapping forest stewardship standards for companies in forestry sector is inefficient. The company does not object to meeting these standards, but would like to see a standardized approach to reduce the amount of resources it has to spend on meeting different requirements in each country of operation.

9 Role of Government

Related to the issue of overlapping standards discussed in Section 8, Weyerhaeuser indicated that the federal government could help it streamline its practices by moving towards a single certification standard. Weyerhaeuser is certifying to ISO 14001 on both sides of the border with the expectation that the ISO sustainable forestry standard will evolve as the commonly accepted international standard.

Weyerhaeuser does not want to see government legislate in the area of CSR. Instead, Weyerhaeuser believes the government should provide incentives (e.g. recognize strong performance by giving greater latitude in achieving the defined outcome – regulators audit rather than prescribe and ‘police’, etc.). Currently there are no incentives for a forest products company

43 Personal Interview with Dave Larsen, VP Government and Public Affairs. Weyerhaeuser. July 25th, 2002.

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in Canada to invest more money in CSR programs or strategies. The sector has been under enormous financial stress given the current softwood lumber trade dispute between the United States and Canada. Government could also help document how the market rewards CSR, which would help drive the adoption of CSR practices by companies for market reasons. If government decides that it is going to regulate, Weyerhaeuser would prefer to see regulations that are outcome-based and not overly prescriptive. It is acceptable for government to define the desired outcomes, but it is more constructive if industry has the autonomy to get itself there in whatever way it decides is most effective. It will also be more cost effective for industry.

Government could work toward levelling the playing field globally in the area of business ethics and practices. There may be potential for a national corporate governance code of conduct or something similar.

Government can also develop and publicize best practice case studies to disseminate stories and share the experiences of others.

As discussed previously, the majority of Weyerhaeuser’s Canadian timberlands are on public lands. Many of these lands are subject to the constitutionally protected treaty or common law rights of the First Nations peoples of Canada. Most of the lands in BC are not covered by treaties, and as a result, the claims of BC's First Nations peoples relating to forest resources are largely unresolved, although many First Nations are engaged in treaty discussions with the governments of BC and Canada.44 Resolution of these claims may result at some time in the future in a negotiated decrease in the lands or timber available for forest operations under licence in BC, including Weyerhaeuser's licences. The negotiation and resolution of First Nations claims could also result in additional restrictions on the sale or harvest of timber on BC timberlands, an increase in operating costs, and could affect timber supply and prices. Weyerhaeuser urges the provincial and federal governments to resolve these negotiations in a more timely fashion, which in turn, would allow Weyerhaeuser and other companies to make more long-term plans.

44 Willamette Acquisition Overview and Rationale. Weyerhaeuser’s 2001 Annual Report.