Local Sustainability Benefits at Heart of New Columbia Pulp Mill in Washington

On Dec. 12, 2018 the Tri City Herald (Kennewick, Wash., USA) wrote another article detailing some of the key sustainability benefits being brought by the new $184 million Columbia Pulp Mill (under construction) in Lyons Ferry, Wash., USA. Once in full service, the mill will process 240,000 tons of straw byproduct per year, purchased at a lucrative $10-15 per ton, taking specifically what has traditionally been a waste product in the region and turning it into pulp to make paper and paper-based packaging products. The mill will employ up to 90 people at the plant and an additional 20 at the company's Dayton office according to this most recent report. 

The region of Washington in which the mill is being built is home to the highest density wheat farming in North America. Prior to the proprietary innovation at Columbia Pulp, the waste straw from the large wheat harvest was being eliminated in large part through burning. Given the current controversy over the burning-off of natural gas in U.S. oil fields, the need to redirect this type of burn was even more urgent to the immediate environmental needs of the area the mill is being built. This is due to the fact waste straw burning has demonstrated significant toxic emissions. In addition to making environmentally conscious paper products to be exported from the mill, the site will be effectively eliminating multiple thousands of tons of emissions in the local area. 

The facility is also energy efficient, self contained, and the process was designed specifically to use significantly less chemicals, less water, and less energy than that of a traditional pulp mill. It's because of these significant local benefits and many others that the Tri City Herald reported Columbia Pulp had won the Association of Washington Business's 2018 Manufacturing Award for Operational Excellence on Nov. 28, 2018 at the association's annual Evening of Excellence. 

In addition to many environmental benefits both locally for the mill and across the nation for its products, the mill represents an important improvement in the local economy. Here the social aspects of sustainability also come into focus when fully considering the positive impact Columbia Pulp is having. Columbia County, Washington is a county that has lost population over the past decades. The payroll for the facility is estimated at $9 million annually which is expected to be a big boost for the 4,000 residents and 1,760 in the civilian labor force. 

Good living-wage jobs in a county that needs them is a game changer for families and a community that strongly relies on a tax base to fund services, schools, and safety.