The Sustainability behind WestRock Brasil packaging

Sustainable from
Seed to Packaging

Discover the sustainability behind WestRock corrugated packaging and be a part of the movement. By using corrugated packaging, you are contributing to an industry that plants trees everyday and regenerates the planet.

WestRock packaging, your sustainable choice.
Made using renewable sources, all WestRock products are biodegradable and recyclable and only use natural fibers as raw materials:

• Virgin fiber from our doubly certified planted forests and from responsible sources.
• Recycled fiber coming from the circular economy.

The Circular
Economy in Action

1

Our Supertrees (planted forests) are responsibly sourced, provide a renewable raw material and remove CO₂ (greenhouse gases) from the atmosphere.

2

Virgin fiber is one of the raw materials used in HyPerform® paper, which is manufactured using the principles of a circular bioeconomy: efficient use of resources such as water and energy.

3

Resistant and high quality boxes made with HyPerform® transport our customers' products safely, and they can also be reused.

4

Our post-consumer packaging can be collected and recycled, or used in composting, due to the fact that they are made with biodegradable materials.

5

The packaging collected is recycled and its fibers become part of the raw materials used to make new paper.

Check out the video

Learn more about a circular economy initiative in our operations, which has a positive impact on the three pillars of Sustainability:

We are collaborating to
Regenerate the Planet and to
build a low carbon economy

Our supertrees regenerate the planet by removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere, storing it in trunks, roots, branches and leaves, and providing us with oxygen (O₂) through photosynthesis.

In the manufacturing of HyPerform® paper, we use biofuels (waste from forestry operations and paper production), rather than fossil fuels, thereby reducing GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions.

Our paper and corrugated packaging continue to store the carbon removed by our supertrees throughout their life cycle.

Learn More Check out our GHG Protocol Inventories

WE RETHINK. WE REDUCE. WE REUSE.
WE RECYCLE. WE REGENERATE.

We Rethink

We Reduce

We Reuse

We Recycle

We Regenerate

We Rethink

To build a new future, the first step is to rethink and to step out of our comfort zone, questioning how we can reduce our impact and continuously improve. From the simple to the most complex actions, they all impact the sustainability of our planet, regardless of their size.

At WestRock, we are tireless in seeking out new sustainable alternatives, both in our packaging solutions and in our operations.

Together with our customers and our communities, we are developing initiatives and providing solutions for a more sustainable world each day.

We reduce.

A simple action, most of the time, but reducing consumption is one of the most effective ways to have an impact on sustainability.

Reducing consumption means raw materials, inputs or even final products. In addition to increasing the availability of the planet's resources, we also reduce the generation of waste.

Reducing consumption has a positive environmental and economic impact on two of the three pillars of sustainability (Environment and Economic). The rational use of water, saving electricity, and using renewable fuels are easy ways to reduce consumption and make an impact.

Guided by the principles of the Circular Bioeconomy, here at WestRock, we use fewer resources in the manufacturing of our products and, going even further, we are constantly seeking packaging solutions that allow our customers to reduce the use of inputs in their operations.

We reuse

Reusing resources or products, regardless of their form or function, is yet another way we can reduce environmental and economic impacts.

By reusing, we extend the life cycle of products, maximizing the use of the resources involved in their production.

In our operations, we seek out alternatives to ensure that waste is continually reused in a circular way, so we reduce the need for new resources and the unnecessary disposal of waste in landfills.

When it comes to our packaging, we develop alternatives to increase its life cycle through better resistance and weight, enabling its reuse, whenever necessary, in our customers' operations.

To encourage reuse by end consumers, our designers are ready to offer the best packaging solutions that not only allow reuse, but also inspire it.

We recycle

Recycling means transforming waste that would not be used into a new raw material or product.

At WestRock, we remove around 98 thousand tons of post-consumer paper and corrugated boxes from the market every year, which is returned to our Recycling unit in Três Barras (SC), where the material is processed and incorporated into new products.

We also promote the annual recycling of more than 1,400 tons of plastic waste, in addition to more than 500 tons of metallic waste, which are sent to partners who transform them into raw material for new items.

We regenerate

To regenerate means to restore, renew or revitalize resources and/or energy sources, sustainably balancing socio-economic needs with nature's ability to generate new resources. In a regenerative system, we are constantly looking for a process that is free from the generation of waste and unnecessary energy use.

WestRock’s Brazil business model is Sustainable and Regenerative and is based on the Low Carbon Circular Bioeconomy.

Unlike the traditional Linear Economy, the Circular Bioeconomy avoids the generation of waste and sending of waste to landfills. In order to do this, we use resources responsibly, so that they return to the process, circulating in our chain efficiently. The Circular Bioeconomy increases productivity, reduces demand for raw materials and optimizes energy processes.

AND YOU, WHAT IS YOUR PART IN THE WORLD? TOGETHER, WE CAN GO FURTHER.

WE COLLABORATE TO MINIMIZE CHANGE CLIMATE

We plant trees each day. And
they regenerate the planet.

With more than 60 years of investment in technology and innovation in our forestry business, we have developed supertrees that have high levels of productivity per hectare and that help to reduce climate change, removing tons of CO₂ (greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere:

• Approximately 40% more than the average of other planted forests in Brazil;
• 70% more than native forests.

• In 2020, our planted forests removed around 556 thousand tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

• They effectively contribute to greater availability of water and greater biodiversity of species of fauna and flora.

• They supply the recycling industry with fibers of sustainable origin, produced in a responsible and ecologically correct way, doubly certified by FSC® (FSC-C131668) and PEFC.

See our Certifications

Learn more about our Supertrees

We are WestRock

WestRock partners with our customers to provide sustainable paper and packaging solutions that help them win in the marketplace.

We have approximately 50,000 team members worldwide, with more than 2,400 located in Brazil, commited to finding the best packaging solutions for our clients’ needs. In order to do this, our solutions seek to reduce your total costs, increase your sales, minimize risks and/or improve sustainability.

Learn More

OUR LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS

All our efforts are focused on our commitment to make the world better today and for future generations. With our stakeholders, we are focused on three pillars - Supporting People and Communities, Bettering the Planet and Innovation for Our Customers and Their Customers.

We have set sustainability goals, with tangible objectives for 2030, as part of our commitment to Imagining and Delivering On the Promise of a Sustainable Future.

Learn More

What is your part in the world?

Whether at home, in cities, within companies or governments, the possibilities of rethinking are available to everyone. And if every attitude counts, why not rethink our daily lives? Every action, no matter how simple it seems, can make the world a better place today and for future generations. Where can we start?

Using Natural Resources Responsibly

Reducing water consumption

Reducing energy consumption

• Before throwing something out, consider if the item can be reused in another way. Ex: some used packaging can become plant pots. When disposing of your garbage, separate organic items from the recyclables, so that they are sent out and recycled correctly;

• Whenever possible, reduce the consumption of single-use plastic, such as plastic cups and bags, prioritizing the use of glass or ceramic cups and mugs, corrugated packaging or returnable bags;

• Prioritize sustainable or less polluting means of transport. When possible, use bicycles, public transport or take advantage of carpooling;

• When using a car or motorcycle, try to fill up using biofuels from a renewable source, such as ethanol.

• When washing dishes or brushing your teeth, keep the taps closed;

• When possible, reuse laundry water for other household activities;

• Try to sweep your backyard and sidewalks before washing them.

• Always turn off the lights when leaving a room;

• Turn off electronic devices when they are not in use;

• Whenever possible, use sunlight provided through windows and doors.

Using Natural Resources Responsibly

• Before throwing something out, consider if the item can be reused in another way. Ex: some used packaging can become plant pots. When disposing of your garbage, separate organic items from the recyclables, so that they are sent out and recycled correctly;

• Whenever possible, reduce the consumption of single-use plastic, such as plastic cups and bags, prioritizing the use of glass or ceramic cups and mugs, corrugated packaging or returnable bags;

• Prioritize sustainable or less polluting means of transport. When possible, use bicycles, public transport or take advantage of carpooling;

• When using a car or motorcycle, try to fill up using biofuels from a renewable source, such as ethanol.
Reducing water consumption

• When washing dishes or brushing your teeth, keep the taps closed;

• When possible, reuse laundry water for other household activities;

• Try to sweep your backyard and sidewalks before washing them.
Reducing energy consumption

• Always turn off the lights when leaving a room;

• Turn off electronic devices when they are not in use;

• Whenever possible, use sunlight provided through windows and doors.

Natural Fibers: A Sustainable Choice

At WestRock, sustainability is part of everything we do each day. We believe that it is also our role to present truthful and relevant facts and data, which help to demystify the subject and educate individuals about the real impacts of cardboard packaging, and its sustainable and responsible sourcing. Learn more about some facts and myths related to virgin and recycled natural fibers.

CONTACT US

Send us your questions, comments and suggestions by email.

sustentabilidade@westrock.com

imagining and delivering

on the promise of a
sustainable future

Sustainable from
Seed to Packaging

The Circular
Economy in Action

Check out the video

We are collaborating to
Regenerate the Planet and to
build a low carbon economy