Responsible Manufacturing at Western

Made in the U.S.A.

Vintner’s Choice wine shippers are made by Western Pulp Products Company, who, since 1958, has manufactured a variety of innovative molded fiber products that:

• Divert waste fiber from landfills or incineration;
• Displace products that are not biodegradable;
• Use renewable and sustainable materials;
• Recycle, compost or biodegrade after use.

Unlike many products that are made overseas, Western manufactures with recycled paper in compliance with rigid local, state, and federal regulations, and reflects our on-going commitment to conserve natural resources. Western Pulp recognized early on that recovered paper was an important raw material. Because as it was re-used in our products, it reduced the waste in our local landfills and ensured that we got the maximum value out of wood fiber.

Social responsibility

Increasingly, consumers today are flocking to producers who use sustainable and organic practices, as well as those sources that provide safe and healthy standards for their workers. The post-consumer paper used in Western’s wine shippers is purchased directly from charitable groups in our community. Since the 1960s, the Eugene Mission in Oregon has been the primary source of recycled newspaper for Western’s molded fiber products.

The Eugene Mission was founded in 1956 as a shelter for homeless men, women and children. The Mission is open 24 hours and provides more than 300 beds for men and 75 beds for women and children, as well as offering food, clothing, and work therapy. More than 100 men take part in work therapy programs daily, many of which participate in the Mission’s paper recycling operation. Every year, Western purchases more than 150 large thirty-yard dumpsters of newspaper at fair market value, which in turn, supports the Mission and those they serve.

Environmental responsibility

Western is a strong advocate of proper recycling, recovery, and handling of waste associated with packaging. Western designs its molded fiber packaging components to minimize environmental impact in compliance with many agencies, including:

• CONEG CERTIFICATION/MODEL TOXICS IN PACKAGING COMPLIANCE
• CALIFORNIA TOXICS IN PACKAGING PREVENTION ACT (AB 455, AB 2021, SB 774)
• EUROPEAN UNION’S DIRECTIVE ON PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE (94/62/EC OF 20 DECEMBER 1994, AS AMENDED BY 2004/12/EC) and THE CEN PACKAGING STANDARDS (2005/C 44/13) pertaining to heavy metals content requirements.

For more information, click here to view Western’s Certificates of Compliance.

Lacey Act

As part of its dedication to principles of responsible manufacturing, Western Pulp Products has incorporated Lacey Act compliance efforts into the sourcing and sale of all of its products and product lines.

The Lacey Act is a conservation law first passed in 1900. It has been amended by Congress several times, most recently in 2008. The 2008 Lacey Act amendments were aimed at preventing plant and wood products that have been illegally taken or harvested anywhere in the world from entering the commerce stream in the United States.

The 2008 amendments to the Lacey Act require all importers of plant and wood products to file declarations with the Department of Agriculture designating the nature and source of the imported product. Because Western Pulp Products does not directly import any plant or wood products into the United States, Western Pulp Products is not subject to the Lacey Act’s declaration requirements.

The 2008 amendments also prohibit the import, export, transport, sale, receipt, acquisition or purchase of any plant or wood product taken or harvested in violation of any domestic or foreign law. Civil and criminal penalties apply to violations of the Lacey Act done “knowingly,” and to violations that could have been prevented in the exercise of “due care.”

Although Western Pulp’s product line is made from pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled waste paper, Western Pulp is committed to meeting the Lacey Act’s objectives of preventing illegally sourced wood products from being trafficked in the United States. Western Pulp has not and will not knowingly transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase any wood product that has been illegally taken or harvested. Additionally, Western Pulp has implemented a Lacey Act “Due Care Program” to continually monitor its fiber supply in an effort to identify and sequester any wood products that fall under the prohibitions of the Lacey Act.

For more information about Western Pulp’s Lacey Act compliance efforts, contact our Corporate Office in Corvallis, Oregon.

Setting a higher standard

For decades, Western has been at the forefront of the molded fiber industry. As design innovators, our products continue to satisfy the demands of a diverse range of industries. Our goal is to provide premium quality, product innovation, customer service and value for the price