Our Environmental Policy

The P. H. Glatfelter Company is committed to the effective utilization of natural resources and to a continuing effort to reduce adverse environmental impacts which may be caused by its operations.

The Company will demonstrate good corporate citizenship in environmental matters by complying with relevant laws and regulations, abiding by environmental principles to which it subscribes, and practicing pollution prevention rather than pollution control whenever feasible.

The Company believes that maintaining the quality of its environment is a responsibility it shares with everyone who works and lives in or near the communities where its facilities are located. The Company expects all employees to assume personal responsibility for awareness and control of environmental issues on the job.

Administration

A. The Company has a commitment to continual improvement and to reducing adverse environmental impacts which may result from its manufacturing processes. Recognizing that pollution prevention is better than treatment or control, the Company will:

1. utilize manufacturing processes which reduce waste generation and/or pollutant emissions;

2. use non-hazardous materials to the maximum extent possible and obtain appropriate approvals for the use of any hazardous material; and

3. reclaim for reuse or recycle waste materials within the existing facilities whenever possible.

B. The Company will dispose of its waste products in conformity with the laws and regulations existing at the time of disposal thereby decreasing the likelihood of any adverse environmental impact. The Company will utilize the following preferential ranking for waste disposal in evaluating disposal alternatives:

1. recycle waste materials through acceptable programs;

2. promote the beneficial use of waste materials;

3. process waste materials to reduce volume and/or to reduce possibility of adverse environmental impact; and

4. landfill only those materials which cannot be reused, recycled or disposed of in any other feasible manner .

C. The Company will fully cooperate with governmental agencies engaged in environmental protection activities and will conform with the applicable legally established administrative permit requirements and quality standards.

D. The Company will employ effective environmental protection technologies and strategies in all operating facilities as a means of both protecting the environment and also of reducing any environmental health and safety risk to our employees and the communities in which we operate. Further, the Company will maintain procedures and equipment to handle environmental emergencies.

E. The Company will promote the multiple usage of natural resources so that all may share in the benefits from these resources.

F. The Company will charge key personnel with the responsibility for, and cause them to devote a major portion of their efforts to, the field of environmental quality.

G. The Company will conduct periodic reviews and audits of its environmental records to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations, document progress made in meeting environmental objectives and targets, and provide a historical record of the Company’s efforts to lessen adverse environmental impacts.

H. The Company will continue to extend its technical competence in the field of environmental quality through employee training and continuing education.

I. The Company will communicate its environmental quality efforts to employees, shareholders, and the general public in a timely and forthright fashion.

 

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