Environmental Footprint Comparison Tool (EFCT)

Roll over the diagram to learn more about the environmental decisions

How to use this information
Useful in understanding the broad implications of improving specific measures of environmental performance
Co-benefits and Trade-offs
Reducing one type of environmental release can affect other releases. These interactions can sometimes result in co-benefits where improvement in one parameter can cause improvement in others. For instance, when you reduce energy consumption by using less fossil fuel, you get co-benefits via reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In other cases, improvements in one area can cause deterioration elsewhere. Combustion units installed to reduce emissions of organic chemicals, for instance, will increase energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
What does this resource do?
Using this resource, including the footprint decision tool incorporated into each decision area (e.g. water use), you can explore interactions, both co-benefits and trade-offs, between environmental parameters of common interest to the stakeholders of the pulp and paper industry.
What is ncasi?
The National Council for Air and Stream Improvement is an independent, non-profit research institute that focuses on environmental topics of interest to the forest products industry. Established in 1943, NCASI is recognized as the leading source of reliable data on environmental issues affecting this industry, and has nearly 100 member companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. More information on NCASI is available at http://www.ncasi.org.

Minimizing the environmental footprint from forest products manufacturing requires understanding the interactions between various parameters.
Manufacturing, recycling and disposing of paper and wood products entails releases to the environment. When a company minimizes one of these environmental releases, it may find that, at the same time, other releases are minimized (co-benefits), or other releases are increased (trade-offs).

Environmental decisions therefore become something of a balancing act, seeking to maximize co-benefits while minimizing trade-offs. The EFCT will help you understand these sometimes complex interactions that become the scientific backbone of decisions related to minimizing a company's or a facility's environmental footprint.

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CONTACT
National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. P.O. Box 13318 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA (919) 941-6400 [email protected]
ABOUT
The National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) is an independent, non-profit research institute that focuses on environmental topics of interest to the forest products industry. NCASI was established in 9143 by the pulp and paper industry to provide technical assistance for the industry's goal of lowering the ecological impact of its spent pulping liquors. In the years since, NCASI has developed technical expertise spanning the spectrum of environmental challenges facing the forest products industry, and is today recognized as the leading source of reliable data on environmental issues affecting this industry. Through its research investigations, surveys, and other information gathering activities, NCASI helps ensure that environmental decision-making at many different levels is based on technical information of the highest quality. The Environmental Footprint Comparison Tool grew out of requests from stakeholders to better understand the complexities and interplay of environmental choices made during the course of manufacturing pulp and paper products. As consumers become more interested in the sustainability of the products they purchase, it is increasingly important for stakeholders to understand the science behind environmental decision-making. This tool represents technical knowledge acquired by NCASI scientists and engineers over the past 88 years of conducting research in the forest products industry, and is grounded in references to peer-reviewed scientific publications.
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