Associations & Memberships

Associations & Memberships

Why Membership Matters

Mercer is a global company that understands that staying connected through active collaboration with associations and initiatives enables us to understand how we can positively impact our stakeholders. As a member of a number of national industry associations, we engage with policymakers on key issues related to climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy, as well as the bio and circular economy.

We believe that active involvement in local and global initiatives is part of our responsibility. Enhancing stakeholder engagement is one of our key sustainability priorities as we actively seek feedback and ideas from our various stakeholders.

  • Coming Together to Promote the Industry

    We wouldn’t be good stewards of our natural resources if we did not work closely with a number of industry-related associations advocating for our operations and everything they do. Both our German and Canadian operations hold memberships and relationships with a wide variety of local, regional, provincial/state, national, and international associations, all of which advocate for pulp and paper, raw wood, timber and sawmills, forest products, energy, and trades. 

    We’re proud of the partnerships we have with our industry associations. So proud, in fact, that a number of the Mercer leadership team hold positions with these associations:

    • Wolfram Ridder, Senior Vice President, Innovations & Government Relations, is a board member of the German Pulp and Paper Association (VDP).
    • Uwe Bentlage, Vice President Pulp Sales & Marketing for Europe and Managing Director of Mercer Pulp Products, is an elected board member of the FSC® Germany Chamber of Commerce.
    • Dr. Carsten Merforth, Chief Operating Officer, Wood Products, is the Vice President of the Main Association of the German Wood and Plastics Processing Industries and Related Industries and Businesses (HDH).
    • Mark Goebel, Vice President Health & Safety, is WorkSafeBC’s communication interface.

    Memberships & Associations

  • Innovation with External Partners

    At Mercer, innovation involves collaboration – working together to create new ideas and solutions for the use of our products and increasing our sustainability efforts, not just for Mercer but for the industry as a whole.

    This too is an area where the Mercer leadership team holds great interest and is reflective of the positions we hold in order to learn and share input:

    • Brian Merwin, Senior Vice President, Mass Timber, is Chairman of Performance Biofilaments.
    • Bill Adams, Vice President Sustainability & Innovation, is a board member of FPInnovations.

    At our Fibre Centre at Mercer Stendal, along with our team’s technical expertise and practical experience, innovation is used to support paper manufacturers in fully exploring the potential of fibres in their manufacturing processes. A key focus in this support comes from the strategic collaboration with customers, external partners, and research institutes and universities.

    Innovation at Mercer

Furthering our Mills and the Industry with Academics

A number of our Mercer leadership team members hold professional associations and registrations due to their education and hands-on expertise. The academic credentials are varied amongst leaders but include memberships with the Chartered Professional Accountants, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, and Association of BC Forest Professionals.

The attainment of education provides our many employees immediate membership in associations related to their discipline. We are proud to have a number of educated alumni from local post-secondary in the communities where we live, work, and play at internationally recognized institutions. Selkirk College, located in Castlegar, British Columbia, frequently works with Mercer Celgar to provide their forestry students with hands-on insight and education.

Communities

  • Membership for Respectful Relationships

    Membership for Respectful Relationships

    Belonging to associations that advance excellence in our industry, from manufacturing, engineering, logistics, or the pillars of sustainability, is important to Mercer. A critical element within our membership associations is to belong to certification associations.    

    We maintain third-party chain of custody certifications to ensure the wood we utilize comes from sustainably managed forests and the majority of our purchased wood comes from one or a combination of four broad sources, including private landowners, state-owned forests, private local wood product manufacturers, and sustainably harvested wood from our own forest tenures. The Mercer Wood and Fibre Procurement Policy provides the principles that ensure responsible sourcing, with our certifications and strong pre-existing relationships recognizing the efforts of this sourcing.

    Certificates

  • Consultation and Mercer

    Consultation and Mercer

    Consultation with communities about our Operations and any potential impacts that our business might have on these communities is how we stay respectfully connected. In Canada, for Indigenous lands within our forest management areas in Alberta, consultation is extremely important in determining a mutually beneficial relationship between Indigenous communities and Mercer. This is why Mercer has joined the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) in their Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program. The CCAB PAR program, when used in tandem with our policies, processes, and values, provides Mercer Peace River and our Indigenous communities with a solid, shared foundation for environmental integrity and protection of values, economic health, and cultural security for generations to come.

    PAR with MPR

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