1991 Commodity Wrap-Up—A Year to Forget

1991 Commodity Wrap-Up—A Year to Forget

With 1991 behind it, the scrap industry is hoping that the worst of the recession is over and that 1992 will herald the long-awaited market recovery.

BY ROBERT J. GARINO

PSI CHAPTER MEETING EXAMINES GLOBAL WARMING, MORE
More than 155 paper recyclers flocked to the Paper Stock Industries Chapter’s fall meeting in November, and who could blame them? The meeting’s location—Huntington Beach, Calif.—was as idyllic as it gets thanks to California’s balmy weather and the Hyatt resort venue, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
   Along with fun, sun, and style, the PSI meeting offered substance, with keynote speaker
Anthony Pratt of Visy Industries (Melbourne, Australia) discussing global warming and how paper recyclers can help mitigate that problem while also “capitalizing on a profit opportunity”
by being green.
   The global warming trend, Pratt said, is “beyond a scientific doubt” and is “one of the most pressing issues facing us as a society and an industry.” Much of the problem can be traced to excessive carbon emissions, which trap heat in the atmosphere and bring about climate change. How serious is the problem? The current amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest in 650,000 years, with 2005 registering as the warmest year on record and the last decade as the hottest ever, Pratt reported. Glaciers are disappearing around the world, and the polar ice caps are losing 20 billion tons of ice every year. In less than 100 years, the Arctic Sea will be thawed, he said. Ocean temperatures are steadily rising, threatening aquatic life. Plus, the number of adverse weather events—such as Hurricane Katrina—has increased 165 percent since 1975.
   The pulp and paper industry plays a significant role in this unfolding environmental drama. The industry consumes 4 billion trees a year to produce paper and is the fourth most energy-intensive industry in the world, Pratt said, adding that deforestation is the second-largest source of carbon emissions in the world. As he explained, mature trees store high levels of carbon dioxide, so cutting them down increases the carbon in the atmosphere.
   Some paper producers, like Visy Industries, are reducing their “carbon footprint,” Pratt said.  Visy, which makes 100-percent recycled paper, operates 11 paper mills, including two in the United States. Those mills, based in New York and Georgia, recycle more than 2,000 tons of scrap paper a day, which prevents 4,000 tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere and saves 25,000 trees a day from the ax, Pratt said. Half the scrap paper shipped to Visy’s New York mill arrives by barge, not truck, reducing traffic in the city and trimming emissions in the area. Also, the firm’s mills use only cornstarch and water as chemicals in its processes.
   These are just some examples of what Pratt called “sustainable development,” which he defined as “the ability to meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of future generations.” There doesn’t have to be a divide between what’s good for business and what’s good for the environment, he said, stating “there’s money to be made and saved by being green.”
   So what should paper producers and recyclers do to address global warming? Pratt offered a few suggestions.
• Reduce the generation of greenhouse gases—primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—in your operations.
• Educate the public about the dangers of global warming, and encourage people to recycle and buy recycled products. “Too much paper is still going to the landfill,” he said.
• Encourage government at all levels to support recycling programs, not cut them back.
• Make heavy consumers of resources pay for their consumption, and make it socially unacceptable to waste resources.
   In closing, Pratt asserted that “this planet is in trouble, but that’s not to say it’s necessarily doomed. We can make a difference, but we have to act—and act now.”
Beyond this keynote address, the four-day PSI Chapter event included a full slate of educational workshops on topics such as safety, international trade, government affairs, insurance, the PierPASS program at the Port of Long Beach, and the Dow Jones recovered paper index, plus a panel discussion on domestic paper production. The meeting also offered social and networking opportunities, including a golf tournament, facility tours, an expo of tabletop exhibits, receptions, and a final night California-themed dinner. Other highlights included recognition of past PSI presidents and presentation of the annual Phil Alpert Memorial Award (see sidebar on page 113).

EMMERICK JOINS ReMA TEAM
Brooke Emmerick is ISRI’s new meeting planner. Prior to joining ISRI, Emmerick was event manager at the World Presidents’ Organization and special events and publishing coordinator for the Progress & Freedom Foundation.
   She will work primarily on ReMA education programs and also will assist with logistics and operations for ISRI’s annual convention and exposition.
   Emmerick holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Mercyhurst College and participated in an international study program in London under the auspices of the State University of New York.
   Reach her at 202/662-8544 or brookeemmerick@isri.org.

ISRI SAFETY COUNCIL FORMS WORKING GROUPS
On Nov. 8-10, 55 scrap safety professionals met in San Diego to launch a newly reorganized ReMA Safety Council (formerly known as the ReMA National Safety Committee). At this meeting, ReMA staff passed control of the council to ISRI’s members, with Joe Bateman, safety director of Mervis Industries Inc. (Danville, Ill.), becoming its chair. One of the ISC’s goals is to develop best management practices for safety, presenting a unified voice to industry leaders on what safety looks like in the context of scrap recycling.
   The council divided itself into eight working groups:
• Visitor Controls/Security, which will address safety concerns relevant to nonemployees who enter scrapyards with or without permission;
• Equipment/Fall Protection, which will address safety problems related to the use and maintenance of production equipment;
• Transportation Issues/Trucking, which will focus on the safety of rail, water, and over-the-road transportation;
• HazMat/Compressed Gases, which will address the proper identification and handling of hazardous materials;
• Machine Guarding/Lock-Out/Tag-Out, which will review procedures to prevent machine-related injuries;
• Safety Training/Multilingual Issues, which will address the means and techniques for communicating the message of safety to a diverse workforce;
• Safety Manual/Standards/Personal Protective Equipment, which will work to formalize safety techniques and procedures through user-friendly documentation; and 
• Benchmarking/Data Collection, which will strive to develop meaningful industry safety statistics.
   For more information on the ISC, contact John Gilstrap at 202/662-8515 or johngilstrap@isri.org.

1991 Commodity Wrap-Up—A Year to Forget

With 1991 behind it, the scrap industry is hoping that the worst of the recession is over and that 1992 will herald the long-awaited market recovery.

BY ROBERT J. GARINO

PSI CHAPTER MEETING EXAMINES GLOBAL WARMING, MORE
More than 155 paper recyclers flocked to the Paper Stock Industries Chapter’s fall meeting in November, and who could blame them? The meeting’s location—Huntington Beach, Calif.—was as idyllic as it gets thanks to California’s balmy weather and the Hyatt resort venue, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
   Along with fun, sun, and style, the PSI meeting offered substance, with keynote speaker
Anthony Pratt of Visy Industries (Melbourne, Australia) discussing global warming and how paper recyclers can help mitigate that problem while also “capitalizing on a profit opportunity”
by being green.
   The global warming trend, Pratt said, is “beyond a scientific doubt” and is “one of the most pressing issues facing us as a society and an industry.” Much of the problem can be traced to excessive carbon emissions, which trap heat in the atmosphere and bring about climate change. How serious is the problem? The current amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest in 650,000 years, with 2005 registering as the warmest year on record and the last decade as the hottest ever, Pratt reported. Glaciers are disappearing around the world, and the polar ice caps are losing 20 billion tons of ice every year. In less than 100 years, the Arctic Sea will be thawed, he said. Ocean temperatures are steadily rising, threatening aquatic life. Plus, the number of adverse weather events—such as Hurricane Katrina—has increased 165 percent since 1975.
   The pulp and paper industry plays a significant role in this unfolding environmental drama. The industry consumes 4 billion trees a year to produce paper and is the fourth most energy-intensive industry in the world, Pratt said, adding that deforestation is the second-largest source of carbon emissions in the world. As he explained, mature trees store high levels of carbon dioxide, so cutting them down increases the carbon in the atmosphere.
   Some paper producers, like Visy Industries, are reducing their “carbon footprint,” Pratt said.  Visy, which makes 100-percent recycled paper, operates 11 paper mills, including two in the United States. Those mills, based in New York and Georgia, recycle more than 2,000 tons of scrap paper a day, which prevents 4,000 tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere and saves 25,000 trees a day from the ax, Pratt said. Half the scrap paper shipped to Visy’s New York mill arrives by barge, not truck, reducing traffic in the city and trimming emissions in the area. Also, the firm’s mills use only cornstarch and water as chemicals in its processes.
   These are just some examples of what Pratt called “sustainable development,” which he defined as “the ability to meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of future generations.” There doesn’t have to be a divide between what’s good for business and what’s good for the environment, he said, stating “there’s money to be made and saved by being green.”
   So what should paper producers and recyclers do to address global warming? Pratt offered a few suggestions.
• Reduce the generation of greenhouse gases—primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—in your operations.
• Educate the public about the dangers of global warming, and encourage people to recycle and buy recycled products. “Too much paper is still going to the landfill,” he said.
• Encourage government at all levels to support recycling programs, not cut them back.
• Make heavy consumers of resources pay for their consumption, and make it socially unacceptable to waste resources.
   In closing, Pratt asserted that “this planet is in trouble, but that’s not to say it’s necessarily doomed. We can make a difference, but we have to act—and act now.”
Beyond this keynote address, the four-day PSI Chapter event included a full slate of educational workshops on topics such as safety, international trade, government affairs, insurance, the PierPASS program at the Port of Long Beach, and the Dow Jones recovered paper index, plus a panel discussion on domestic paper production. The meeting also offered social and networking opportunities, including a golf tournament, facility tours, an expo of tabletop exhibits, receptions, and a final night California-themed dinner. Other highlights included recognition of past PSI presidents and presentation of the annual Phil Alpert Memorial Award (see sidebar on page 113).

EMMERICK JOINS ReMA TEAM
Brooke Emmerick is ISRI’s new meeting planner. Prior to joining ISRI, Emmerick was event manager at the World Presidents’ Organization and special events and publishing coordinator for the Progress & Freedom Foundation.
   She will work primarily on ReMA education programs and also will assist with logistics and operations for ISRI’s annual convention and exposition.
   Emmerick holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Mercyhurst College and participated in an international study program in London under the auspices of the State University of New York.
   Reach her at 202/662-8544 or brookeemmerick@isri.org.

ISRI SAFETY COUNCIL FORMS WORKING GROUPS
On Nov. 8-10, 55 scrap safety professionals met in San Diego to launch a newly reorganized ReMA Safety Council (formerly known as the ReMA National Safety Committee). At this meeting, ReMA staff passed control of the council to ISRI’s members, with Joe Bateman, safety director of Mervis Industries Inc. (Danville, Ill.), becoming its chair. One of the ISC’s goals is to develop best management practices for safety, presenting a unified voice to industry leaders on what safety looks like in the context of scrap recycling.
   The council divided itself into eight working groups:
• Visitor Controls/Security, which will address safety concerns relevant to nonemployees who enter scrapyards with or without permission;
• Equipment/Fall Protection, which will address safety problems related to the use and maintenance of production equipment;
• Transportation Issues/Trucking, which will focus on the safety of rail, water, and over-the-road transportation;
• HazMat/Compressed Gases, which will address the proper identification and handling of hazardous materials;
• Machine Guarding/Lock-Out/Tag-Out, which will review procedures to prevent machine-related injuries;
• Safety Training/Multilingual Issues, which will address the means and techniques for communicating the message of safety to a diverse workforce;
• Safety Manual/Standards/Personal Protective Equipment, which will work to formalize safety techniques and procedures through user-friendly documentation; and 
• Benchmarking/Data Collection, which will strive to develop meaningful industry safety statistics.
   For more information on the ISC, contact John Gilstrap at 202/662-8515 or johngilstrap@isri.org.

1991 Commodity Wrap-Up—A Year to Forget

With 1991 behind it, the scrap industry is hoping that the worst of the recession is over and that 1992 will herald the long-awaited market recovery.

BY ROBERT J. GARINO

PSI CHAPTER MEETING EXAMINES GLOBAL WARMING, MORE
More than 155 paper recyclers flocked to the Paper Stock Industries Chapter’s fall meeting in November, and who could blame them? The meeting’s location—Huntington Beach, Calif.—was as idyllic as it gets thanks to California’s balmy weather and the Hyatt resort venue, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
   Along with fun, sun, and style, the PSI meeting offered substance, with keynote speaker
Anthony Pratt of Visy Industries (Melbourne, Australia) discussing global warming and how paper recyclers can help mitigate that problem while also “capitalizing on a profit opportunity”
by being green.
   The global warming trend, Pratt said, is “beyond a scientific doubt” and is “one of the most pressing issues facing us as a society and an industry.” Much of the problem can be traced to excessive carbon emissions, which trap heat in the atmosphere and bring about climate change. How serious is the problem? The current amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest in 650,000 years, with 2005 registering as the warmest year on record and the last decade as the hottest ever, Pratt reported. Glaciers are disappearing around the world, and the polar ice caps are losing 20 billion tons of ice every year. In less than 100 years, the Arctic Sea will be thawed, he said. Ocean temperatures are steadily rising, threatening aquatic life. Plus, the number of adverse weather events—such as Hurricane Katrina—has increased 165 percent since 1975.
   The pulp and paper industry plays a significant role in this unfolding environmental drama. The industry consumes 4 billion trees a year to produce paper and is the fourth most energy-intensive industry in the world, Pratt said, adding that deforestation is the second-largest source of carbon emissions in the world. As he explained, mature trees store high levels of carbon dioxide, so cutting them down increases the carbon in the atmosphere.
   Some paper producers, like Visy Industries, are reducing their “carbon footprint,” Pratt said.  Visy, which makes 100-percent recycled paper, operates 11 paper mills, including two in the United States. Those mills, based in New York and Georgia, recycle more than 2,000 tons of scrap paper a day, which prevents 4,000 tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere and saves 25,000 trees a day from the ax, Pratt said. Half the scrap paper shipped to Visy’s New York mill arrives by barge, not truck, reducing traffic in the city and trimming emissions in the area. Also, the firm’s mills use only cornstarch and water as chemicals in its processes.
   These are just some examples of what Pratt called “sustainable development,” which he defined as “the ability to meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of future generations.” There doesn’t have to be a divide between what’s good for business and what’s good for the environment, he said, stating “there’s money to be made and saved by being green.”
   So what should paper producers and recyclers do to address global warming? Pratt offered a few suggestions.
• Reduce the generation of greenhouse gases—primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—in your operations.
• Educate the public about the dangers of global warming, and encourage people to recycle and buy recycled products. “Too much paper is still going to the landfill,” he said.
• Encourage government at all levels to support recycling programs, not cut them back.
• Make heavy consumers of resources pay for their consumption, and make it socially unacceptable to waste resources.
   In closing, Pratt asserted that “this planet is in trouble, but that’s not to say it’s necessarily doomed. We can make a difference, but we have to act—and act now.”
Beyond this keynote address, the four-day PSI Chapter event included a full slate of educational workshops on topics such as safety, international trade, government affairs, insurance, the PierPASS program at the Port of Long Beach, and the Dow Jones recovered paper index, plus a panel discussion on domestic paper production. The meeting also offered social and networking opportunities, including a golf tournament, facility tours, an expo of tabletop exhibits, receptions, and a final night California-themed dinner. Other highlights included recognition of past PSI presidents and presentation of the annual Phil Alpert Memorial Award (see sidebar on page 113).

EMMERICK JOINS ReMA TEAM
Brooke Emmerick is ISRI’s new meeting planner. Prior to joining ISRI, Emmerick was event manager at the World Presidents’ Organization and special events and publishing coordinator for the Progress & Freedom Foundation.
   She will work primarily on ReMA education programs and also will assist with logistics and operations for ISRI’s annual convention and exposition.
   Emmerick holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Mercyhurst College and participated in an international study program in London under the auspices of the State University of New York.
   Reach her at 202/662-8544 or brookeemmerick@isri.org.

ISRI SAFETY COUNCIL FORMS WORKING GROUPS
On Nov. 8-10, 55 scrap safety professionals met in San Diego to launch a newly reorganized ReMA Safety Council (formerly known as the ReMA National Safety Committee). At this meeting, ReMA staff passed control of the council to ISRI’s members, with Joe Bateman, safety director of Mervis Industries Inc. (Danville, Ill.), becoming its chair. One of the ISC’s goals is to develop best management practices for safety, presenting a unified voice to industry leaders on what safety looks like in the context of scrap recycling.
   The council divided itself into eight working groups:
• Visitor Controls/Security, which will address safety concerns relevant to nonemployees who enter scrapyards with or without permission;
• Equipment/Fall Protection, which will address safety problems related to the use and maintenance of production equipment;
• Transportation Issues/Trucking, which will focus on the safety of rail, water, and over-the-road transportation;
• HazMat/Compressed Gases, which will address the proper identification and handling of hazardous materials;
• Machine Guarding/Lock-Out/Tag-Out, which will review procedures to prevent machine-related injuries;
• Safety Training/Multilingual Issues, which will address the means and techniques for communicating the message of safety to a diverse workforce;
• Safety Manual/Standards/Personal Protective Equipment, which will work to formalize safety techniques and procedures through user-friendly documentation; and 
• Benchmarking/Data Collection, which will strive to develop meaningful industry safety statistics.
   For more information on the ISC, contact John Gilstrap at 202/662-8515 or johngilstrap@isri.org.