Sustainability is Important to FEA
“For FEA to grow as a leading forestry organisation and in a manner that positively contributes to Regional and Global sustainable development means we must deliver on a number of fronts. This includes providing value to shareholders and investors, being an employer of choice, playing a positive and active role in rural and regional communities, and responsibly managing our environmental footprint.” Andrew White, CEO.
FEA is serious about making a contribution to the sustainable development of the regional communities we live and work in. That is why we publish a Sustainability Report each year alongside our Annual Report. Our Sustainability Report is referenced to the internationally recognised Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and details our performance and contribution across a suite of corporate governance, environmental, economic, social, labour practices and product responsibility indicators.
The report provides shareholders, investors, neighbours, staff and other stakeholders with information on:
- Our involvement in local communities
- Our workforce and workplace relations
- Our approach to Health and Safety
- Our approach to sustainable forestry management
- Our land estate
- Our environmental certification
- How we manage biodiversity
- How we consult with our neighbours
- Our approach to using chemicals
- How we manage for wildfires
- Our approach to environmental management at our timber processing sites
- Our greenhouse gas emissions and energy use
- Our governance structure and approach to ensuring the integrity of the products we produce
- Our overall contribution to local and regional economies
What is “Sustainability”?
Sustainable development is commonly defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
FEA generates revenue through the use of natural resources to grow a plantation forest estate and produce a diverse range of value-added wood products. If we are to be recognised as a responsible corporate entity then we need to consider our potential impacts on the world’s resources. This includes the impacts from our forestry activities themselves as well as our wood processing and corporate activities.
Sustainability is not solely about natural resources. FEA has forestry operations in regional communities in Tasmania, Northern NSW and South East Queensland and is developing operations in the Northern Territory. We employ people all over Australia. We grow value for shareholders, investment returns from plantations and provide meaningful jobs for employees. We procure services and goods from a range of suppliers and support the communities in which we operate. This means we can potentially impact both positively and negatively on society and the economy, not just the natural environment.
FEA aims to ensure that its operations gain optimum community benefit through sustainable environmental, social and economic management. We are committed to determining our contribution to sustainable development and to set about improving it wherever we can.