The Canadian forestry industry took a massive financial blow when it was overlooked for the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – the single biggest order for book grade paper of all time – because of the sector’s non sustainable production methods.
The
order, 15,000 tonnes of paper grade to make 12 million book copies,
went to a manufacturer in the US whose paper was recycled and produced
with environmentally conscious methods. The opportunity lost was an
alarmingly loud wake up call to the Canadian forestry industry to pick
up their green socks or be left behind in the recycled dust of
competitors.
The lost opportunity is only one of many more to
come if industry leaders don’t recognize the sheer necessity for
sustainability in business, noted Franklin Holtforster, President and
CEO of MHPM Project Managers Inc.
“The time is already here when
you will lose your investment if sustainable design is not included,”
said Holtforster. “Naysayers who claim that sustainable design costs too
much will quickly discover that there is no market for their
unsustainable facilities.”
Paying homage to Philip Crosby’s concept that quality is free, Holtforster tackles the popular notion that sustainability is
unaffordable by demonstrating unequivocally that the reverse is true
and that Sustainability is Free™. In his line of business, incorporating
sustainability into facility projects is an imperative for future worth
and return on investment, noted Holtforster
“Those early movers
are well down the path to success. Whether you believe that climate
change is real or a hoax, your next facility project had better
incorporate sustainability,” said Holtforster. “If it doesn’t, that
building and your organization will be relegated to the dust heap of
history along with everyone else who didn’t get it.”
The idea that sustainability is
more than a good deed and essential to a business’s success is catching
on quickly. The Harvard Business Review recently noted that corporate
sustainability is a “key driver” of innovation that also yields real
financial rewards rather than extra cost. “By treating sustainability as
a goal today, early movers will develop competencies that rivals will
be hard-pressed to match,” said the journal.
MHPM doesn’t just
give lip service to sustainability. Virtually all of its more than 200
professional project and program managers have LEED accreditation
credentials and the company has led over 50 LEED-certified projects.