Pollution Prevention in the Great Lakes Basin: Working with Pulp & Paper Manufacturers

Authors

Eugene Park, NY State Pollution Prevention Institute, Rochester Institute of TechnologyFollow

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

In response to growing concerns over persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes, new initiatives are in place to address and mitigate pollutant loadings to these large natural waterbodies. With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) worked with pulp & paper companies in the Great Lakes Basin in an effort to find solutions to reduce environmental impacts from this industry sector. Based on currently available EPA toolkits, NYSP2I developed and utilized an assessment tool called Lean, Energy, and Environment (LE2). Five different paper manufacturers participated in this project and received technical assistance from NYSP2I to identify and implement process modifications. Significant reduction opportunities in energy, water and chemical use were identified, some of which were implemented. The results of this project serve as a working template to continue pollution prevention work in the Great Lakes Basin.

Recommended Citation

Park, Eugene (2017) "Pollution Prevention in the Great Lakes Basin: Working with Pulp & Paper Manufacturers," Journal of Environmental Sustainability: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://repository.rit.edu/jes/vol5/iss1/4