The organization I am exploring in this discussion is Dixie. The
sustainability concerns of this company directly related to the paper-
goods industry are tree conservation, recycling, and water
conservation.
Dixie states that for nearly a century they have a “remained committed
to ensuring the continued growth and conservation of our natural
resources—a responsibility we take seriously.” (Dixie, 2022) Dixie
breaks down their sustainability promise into four sections;
• “One Tree Is Regrown For Every Tree Used.”
• “We Use Virtually Every Part Of The Tree.”
• “We Keep Track Of America’s Endangered Forests.”
• “Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Certified Sourcing”
Summarized from above, Dixie replants every tree they use, they do
not waste the trees that they have sourced, they do not operate in
forests that are struggling, and their wood is legally sourced from
around the globe. Dixie also mentions that they recycle most of the
water that is running through their mills so that the least amount is
consumed. Some of Dixie’s products can also be recycled such as
clean plates and bowls, but cups can not because of their plastic
coating. (Dixie, 2022)
The business risks that I believe Dixie could be taking on with this
sustainability program is not doing enough innovation to spark
interest. While it is amazing that Dixie goes above and beyond with
saving their non-renewable resources, trees, and water, that is almost
expected in business nowadays. Nowadays, where many consumers
educate themselves on the environment, it is a risk to pride
themselves on sustainability when their most popular paper product
can not be recycled itself. This leads to another risk, which is that the
company is based on using a resource that could run out, because of
the very industry that needs it to survive. Will Dixie sell enough cups
to not be able to keep up with replanting every tree?
I believe that Dixie’s risks are worthwhile from the business’s
standpoint. Designing a recyclable cup that performs just as well
could end up costing more and lead their consumer base to switch
brands. The same goes to switching to a renewable resource, it would
completely change the brand.
Although I do believe there can be more added to Dixie’s
sustainability plan, overall their plan is a great start at developing
sustainable business practices that will lead to growth within the
company over time.
Reference
Sustainable Paper Products: Dixie®: DIXIE®. Dixie® Paper Products
& Disposable Dinnerware. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2022,
from
https://www.dixie.com/sustainability?utm_source=GOOGLE&ut
m_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Cups+-+Non+Brand+-
+Sustainability+-
+BMM&utm_term=+sustainable++companies&gclid=EAIaI
QobChMIjpD5zaHD6gIVIgiICR0PkgjPEAAYASAAEgLTzPD_BwE&am
p;gclsrc=aw.ds
