Dixie is owned by Georgia-Pacific which is a subsidy of Koch Industries. Georgia-Pacific focuses on
five main areas for sustainability. The first is natural preservation and this is healthy forests and
clean water. The second is challenging their non-reusable methods and trying to innovate to more
sustainable practices. The third area is controlling emission; this is done by measuring how much is
being used and looking at ways to minimize this. Fourth is contributing by examining what products
are being used and where they are coming from. This also includes recycling and composting. Fifth is
connecting on social media and spreading awareness on the efforts of sustainability.
Dixie produces paper products like paper plates and cups. Dixie has many different approaches to
sustainability. For instance, one tree is grown for every tree used and Dixie uses every part of the
tree. They do not use endangered forests for their wood.
The wood is sourced 70% in the U.S. and the process preserves biodiversity and water quality. Dixie
doesn't use polystyrene foam and uses 80% plant-based materials. Most of the water used for
manufacturing is recycled and reused. The products are not perfect and Dixie acknowledges that the
coating used to hold liquids and prevent leaks is difficult to recycle. I do think these practices are in
the right direction, there is still much more to be done. The difficulty in recycling paper products is
the main one.
How did the organizations you explored address sustainability concerns inherent to their industry, if
at all?
The Dixie company manufactures single use paper products such as cups and plates. They provided a
brief history of their company history and their efforts to make sustainable products. They broke
down their efforts such as using 80% recycled material, conservation efforts in order to stabilize
their use of raw materials (trees), and saying no to sourcing from national parks (Georgia-Pacific,
2022).
What other sustainable practices did the organizations you explored identify as priorities, and what
kinds of business risks may they be taking on to prioritize those sustainable practices?
The Dixie company also identified the need to be conscious when harvesting trees. They do not
purchase trees from endangered national parks unless management from those parks needs to
make room for wildlife (Georgia-Pacific, 2022). This shows that Dixie is keeping track of these forests
and collaborating with park management to ensure better quality of life for the animals that live
there. Dixie is also apart of the sustainable forest initiative, this means that they use certified loggers
that are trained to save natural resources when harvesting material. This company is probably
allocating a large amount of their annual budget towards expenses. Using these sustainable
practices is costly.
Do you think that the business risks the organizations are taking to prioritize their identified
sustainable operations are worthwhile from a business perspective? Why or why not?
As the world is becoming more conscious about waste, I believe that Dixies efforts will not go
unnoticed. The company has been in business for over a century and they are a well-known
household name in the U.S.A. From a business standpoint they are ahead of the game. North
American society is becoming more and more concerned about where their product come from and
we can see this cultural shift in most marketing campaigns. Dixie has been apart of the sustainability
movement for some time and when consumers start researching a better alternative, I would bet
that Dixie would be one of their top options when switching to an eco-conscious brand.
Based on the L’Oreal for the Future Booklet, L’Oreal has promised by 2030 that they will be 100% of
the plastics that they use will be sourced from recyclables or biobased. It also states that by the
same year it will be reusing or recycling 100% of their waste. They have a Solidarity Sourcing
program that encourages their suppliers to employ the disadvantaged. Although they are
committed to lower their carbon foot print it has increased their volume of production, which in
layman terms in increased profits.
While looking into Dixie and their sustainability, they are just a minor part of a much bigger
company. Georgia-Pacific is the bigger company behind Dixie, and both have the same commitment
with stability. Our focus is to make progress daily, improving performance by living a principle of
stewardship, embracing creative destruction, improving efficiencies, eliminating waste, finding new
ways of meeting needs, and driving conservation activities that leave more resources available to
satisfy other needs in society (Georgia-Pacific). When it comes to the Dixie line, they take a more
direct approach with their sustainability. For nearly a century now, the Dixie® brand has remained
committed to ensuring the continued growth
and conservation of our natural resources—a responsibility we take seriously (Dixie). In the long run,
both their focus is on sustainable practices that will benefit the environment’s natural resources.
With Dixie, they point out four top priorities with their sustainability efforts. First and foremost,
keeping the forest sound and healthy is top priority. In order to maintain this, they make sure a tree
is planted every time one is cut down for their products. Not only do they replant the trees, but what
trees they do harvest, Dixie makes sure that every part of the tree is used. Whether it’s using wood
chips left over from lumber operations or using the waste from pulping to generate renewable
steam energy, we take great pride in making the most of our resources (Dixie). The company also
makes sure that they use the Sustainable Forestry Initiative in order to make sure their wood is
legally sourced from certified loggers/companies. And of course, the last thing on their top 4 list is
keeping track of America’s endangered forests. We won’t buy wood from these areas except when
active forest management is needed to improve habitat for rare, endangered or vulnerable wildlife
like the Louisiana black bear (Dixie).
From my perspective, what Dixie and Georgia-Pacific are currently doing in order to have a
sustainable operation, is trending in the right direction. Yes, there may be some bumps along the
road, but I have a feeling their commitment to ensuring the conservation of natural resources will
bring on new initiatives to go along with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Limiting the amount of
forests that can be harvested at a time may cause some issues for business, but eventually it will
smooth itself out, creating profit for everyone involved.
I have explored the organization of Dixie. Dixie's products primarily consist of paper cups, bowls, and
plates. They have surprisingly addressed sustainability concerns inherent to their industry by
planting one tree for every tree used for their products. Every part of the tree is used to make their
products. According to Dixie, "the wood we use is legally sourced and we use trained loggers who
follow best practices for preserving biodiversity and water quality". Active forest management is also
a priority for this company. They want to ensure that the ecosystem is sustained.
They are taking a risk of using a limited raw material. Trees take years to grow. How much is this cost
to regrow trees? It would also be nice to see the statistic of how many products one tree makes on
their website. I think the business risks that Dixie is taking to prioritize sustainable operations are
worth it. The company is making a substantial effort to keep ecosystems intact while maintaining a
green image and efficient business.
Reference:
https://www.dixie.com/sustainability?utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Cu
ps%20-%20Non%20Brand%20-%20Sustainability%20-
%20BMM&utm_term=%20sustainable%20%20companies&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjpD5zaHD6gIVIgiICR
0PkgjPEAAYASAAEgLTzPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Sustainability Starts At The Source. (2002). Dixie.
https://www.dixie.com/sustainability?utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Cu
ps%20-%20Non%20Brand%20-%20Sustainability%20-
%20BMM&utm_term=%20sustainable%20%20companies&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjpD5zaHD6gIVIgiICR
0PkgjPEAAYASAAEgLTzPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Progress with Purpose. (2022). Georgia-Pacific. https://www.gp.com/sustainability
Georgia-Pacific. (2022). Sustainable Paper Products: Dixie®: DIXIE®. Dixie® Paper Products &
Disposable Dinnerware. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from
https://www.dixie.com/sustainability?utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Cu
ps+-+Non+Brand+-+Sustainability+-
+BMM&utm_term=+sustainable++companies&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjpD5zaHD6gIVIgiICR0PkgjPEAAY
ASAAEgLTzPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Dixie. (2022). Sustainability starts at the source.
https://www.dixie.com/sustainability?utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Cu
ps%20-%20Non%20Brand%20-%20Sustainability%20-
%20BMM&utm_term=%20sustainable%20%20companies&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjpD5zaHD6gIVIgiICR
0PkgjPEAAYASAAEgLTzPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Georgia-Pacific. (2022). Progress with purpose. https://www.gp.com/sustainability
