This holiday season, we want to thank White Swan for its support of the Nature Explorers program. We’ve invited Steven Sage, Corporate Director Sustainability & Innovation from Kruger Products, L.P. to be a guest blogger and share more with us about White Swan’s current sustainable practices, its plans for the future, and why connecting youth with nature is so important to the company.Kruger Products, makers of the White Swan brand of household paper products, has been a proud sponsor of Nature Canada since 2006.  This partnership includes support for Nature Canada’s Nature Explorers program which currently helps children and youth across Canada connect with nature through diverse outdoor activities throughout the year.

White Swan’s partnership with Nature Canada is based on the mutual belief that environmental responsibility begins with caring. We embrace environmental responsibility and ensure our White Swan products are made using environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes. White Swan products are made from 100% recycled paper containing at least 88% post consumer material and are also certified by EcoLogo, North America’s most widely recognized and respected third-party environmental standards authority. In addition to our environmentally sustainable manufacturing process, White Swan also supports and encourages our communities to embrace environmental responsibility through our partnership with Nature Canada.

The Nature Explorer’s Program encourages youth engagement and is focused on conserving and protecting Canada’s natural heritage.  By creating opportunities for kids to experience nature first-hand, the Natures Explorers Program promotes healthy, active lifestyles and the building of a nature ethic—a culture that instills an appreciation of nature and the responsibility to protect it.  These learning experiences bring young Canadians back into intimate contact with nature, nurture in our young people a deep passion for nature, and motivate them to become ongoing, active and responsible stewards for the environment.

White Swan’s support will help to allow the program to expand in the next several years.  Nature Canada has a goal of reconnecting one million children and their families with nature through a national campaign that includes support for a wide range of activities in nature to an online network and resource centre.

Kruger Product’s commitment to the environment began with its first reforestation program in 1948.  And that commitment continues today.  In 2010, Kruger Products launched its five-year sustainable development program—Sustainability 2015—focused on reducing its environmental footprint and benefiting the communities in which it operates.  We identified nine specific targets to improve based on 2009 benchmarking metrics.  These include reductions in energy and water consumption as well as reductions in solid waste, greenhouse gas emissions and packaging materials.  In addition, Kruger Products is working towards increasing our offering of third-party certified “green” products, utilizing 100% third-party certified fibre in the manufacture of its products, becoming Forest Stewardship Council®-certified and optimizing our logistics and transportation efforts.

Since launching the Sustainability 2015 initiative, Kruger Products has:
o    Reduced its overall energy consumption by nearly 3% while meeting its objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15%.
o    Received FSC® Chain of Custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance.  We now offer over one of the largest portfolio of FSC-certified products in North America with over 135 products for both consumers as well as our commercial and industrial customers.
o    Published its first annual Sustainable Development Report available for view at www.sustainability2015.ca

Kruger Products and White Swan are proud to continue its ongoing support of Nature Canada and its ongoing mission to protect Canada’s natural diversity of plant and animal species and their environment.  We hope you’ll try the White Swan family of paper products including bathroom and facial tissue, paper towels and napkins.  www.WhiteSwan.ca