EPAT considers 20 environmental performance indicators across the supply chain of paper in an analysis customized to reflect a paper buyer’s environmental objectives.

Step 1: Suppliers and buyers subscribe to EPAT at www.epat.org.

Step 2: Suppliers enter environmental data for the mills where their paper products are manufactured. Buyers determine environmental priorities and weight indicators accordingly.

Step 3: EPAT generates a report based on suppliers’ environmental performance relative to the buyer’s weighting.

How does EPAT report results?

An EPAT report outlines suppliers’ information and environmental performance by; (1) overall performance, (2) performance relative to priorities, (3) mill profile, and (4) performance through the supply chain.

Suppliers report EPAT data directly from the mill to the buyer. This enables the buyer and supplier to communicate effectively and consistently about environmental issues using information that reflects actual processes and conditions used to manufacture products. Using EPAT, a buyer can deepen his or her understanding of the environmental performance of various paper choices and work collaboratively with suppliers to set long-term goals and to evaluate progress toward achieving them.

How are EPAT results calculated?

EPAT results are calculated by taking supplier environmental performance data relative to a buyer’s environmental priorities. A supplier reports data annually on 20 environmental performance indicators. This data is normalized on a scale of 0 to 10 according to industry averages. The supplier’s normalized data is then calculated relative to buyer’s priorities— represented by weighting EPAT indicators. The result is an evaluation based on a buyer’s own realities.