Product Health and Safety
We are committed to ensuring the public health aspects of our products in the marketplace. Our health and safety risk management policy states our commitment to "identify, understand and respond to public-health impacts of our operations and the use of our products and services."
As part of this commitment, we provide our customers with Material and Safety Data Sheets for our most commonly used products. Health, safety, legal, regulatory and environmental issues are taken into account in our development of new products by identifying potential issues and mitigating or resolving any issues before commercializing a product. Additionally, all our facilities maintain policies that require all visitors, including customers, to have a safety orientation and wear proper safety gear before entering the operating portion of the facility.
Product Compliance
Our food-contact packaging materials comply with the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act regulations.
REACH, or Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals, is a new chemical regulation adopted by the European Union in December 2006. Weyerhaeuser is affected by this regulation, as it applies to the products that we export directly into the European Union or where we sell products to non-EU customers who then use our products in their sales to the EU. Cellulose fiber (CAS #65996-61-4) is exempt from REACH per Annex IV of the regulation. We are working internally and with our customers to understand how REACH applies to our products so that we can comply with REACH requirements.
We are not aware of any significant fines for noncompliance with laws or regulations concerning the provision and use of our products and services.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the art and science of manipulating matter at the nanoscale (down to 1/100,000 of the width of a human hair) to create significantly new and unique materials, as well as improve the performance and economics of existing materials. Nanotechnology has many potential applications in the forest products industry.
Weyerhaeuser is engaged in examining the benefits of this new technology to help release the full potential of trees. Using a life cycle approach, the health, safety and environmental aspects of any potential nanotechnology application are considered. We are seeking to enable research and use of nanotechnologies based on an approach that integrates economic, product and process opportunities with an understanding and consideration of environmental, health and safety elements.
Genetic Engineering
Weyerhaeuser operates seed orchards where we use the traditional techniques of selection and cross-pollination to produce seeds that grow superior trees. We grow seedlings in our own nurseries as well as purchase seedlings from others.
Weyerhaeuser does not grow genetically engineered trees. Genetically engineered plants are regulated by law, and no genetically engineered tree has been approved for use in the countries where we operate. We support continued scientific research to understand the benefits and risks, and to ensure safeguards are in place if and when genetic engineering is used in commercial forestry.
