SEATTLE TIMES
OPINION/EDITORIAL

TRADING PARTNERS: INDUSTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Michael Lupariello
(831)643-2513
Michael.Lupariello@miis.edu
Adam Darling Memorial scholarship
Essay Award Competition
Spring 1999

environmental policies, stating, "As trade promotes growth overseas, we must ensure clean
air, clean water and protection of our natural heritage, as well as effective approaches to
broader questions like biodiversity and climate change." At last year's WTO conference in
Geneva, President Clinton emphasized that the U.S. would work to build a global economy
with a "human face" and make it more "open to all elements of society," calling on the WTO to work more closely with environmentalists to lift standards.

In preparation for this ministerial meeting, the WTO has decided to hold a high level
meeting on trade and the environment in Geneva in March of this year. This high level
meeting will involve senior officials from both trade and environmental ministries as well as
representatives from the business community, relevant international organizations, non-
governmental organizations and academics. It will allow the participants to engage in an
open exchange of views on the trade and environment relationship, environmental
protection and sustainable development in preparation for the WTO meeting in Seattle. It
will mark the first opportunity for these various participants to air their diverse views on the
relationship between trade and the environment. Allowing the viewpoints of non-trade
officials to be heard will provide an important opportunity for the WTO to begin to
reconcile the interests of the different stakeholders in this debate.

Historically, environmentalists and free traders have viewed the world in different ways.
Environmentalists have identified the growth of the global economy as selfishly exploitative
of the world's natural resources ancT damaging l-o the environment. They have advocated an international environmental standard, even going so far as to champion the use of trade
restrictions as sanctions for non-compliance with international standards. Environmentalists
have also been concerned with the "race to the bottom" or the idea that companies seeking

and the environment enjoy a symbiotic relationship -where each is dependent upon the other in order to achieve the most efficient use of resources.

Despite the fact that this partnership is necessary in order to provide long-term growth,
conflicts continue to arise between advocates for free trade and the environment. Among
the more difficult of these is the conflict over who should decide environmental standards.
Countries will attempt to influence other countries' environmental policies even while defending their sovereignty over their own policy. In our rapidly changing world, the pressures on the environment and natural resources continue to grow as many of the world's nations struggle to develop their economies. It is vital that the WTO develops its capacity to respond effectively to these challenges. But it is also imperative that nations and businesses involved in trade take it upon themselves to develop and apply their own stringent environmental standards that allow them to efficiently use their resources while maintaining long term development.

Companies like International Paper are able to provide a successful, working model of a
partnership between business and the environment. International Paper can also pride itself
on its self-imposed environmental standards that are more strict than any required by law.
We have learned that balancing the interests of both the environment and industry is
beneficial to both.

International Paper faces an interesting challenge. It operates facilities in 31 countries for
customers in 130 nations, including some of the fastest growing in the world. We have
manufacturing and converting facilities in 32 countries as well as 25 states in the U.S. and
employ more than 80,000 people worldwide. We are one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average and have stock traded on six exchanges internationally. Despite the enormous scope of our operations. International Paper is almost entirely

model of how this may be accomplished. Unless we all work towards a sustainable
development of our natural resources, long-term growth will not be possible.


Michael Lupariello
Vice-president, Public Relations
International Paper
Tacoma, WA