AET's Executive Director
Douglas C. Pryke, an internationally recognized
expert in pulp and paper bleaching technology, has more than twenty years
of industry experience. He began his career as a process engineer with
Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd., and later, at ERCO Industries Ltd., he played a
key role in developing the world's first closed-cycle pulp mill in 1977.
Other industry accomplishments include the design and project engineering,
operator training, and commissioning of a chlorine dioxide plant built for
MoDoCell AB, a Swedish forest products company.
Since 1993,
Mr. Pryke has served as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Environmental
Technology (AET), an international association of chemical manufacturers and
forest products companies dedicated to improving the environmental performance
of the pulp and paper industry.
In this capacity, Mr. Pryke has managed large-scale scientific projects and presented recommendations for the ecological risks associated with bleaching alternatives to various national and international bodies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Joint Commission. Allied industries, such as printing and publishing, as well as financial institutions, have used his analysis of international pulp and paper markets to understand current developments and monitor future trends.
Much of Mr. Pryke's work on behalf of AET focuses on bringing scientific fact, technical expertise, knowledge of regulatory controls, and market information to the continuing debate surrounding two alternative bleaching technologies - ECF (Elemental Chlorine-Free) and TCF (Totally Chlorine-Free). In this respect, AET provides a clearinghouse of information for the scientific and academic communities, as well as public interest groups and lawmakers. AET's members include, among others, Mead Corporation, Eka Chemicals, and Sterling Pulp Chemicals.
He is the author of several peer-reviewed papers, including a recent in-depth study of one pulp and paper mill's impact on the Wapiti River eco-system in Alberta, Canada. He regularly speaks at international academic and scientific symposia on environmental, market, and regulatory issues facing the forest products industry and its stakeholders. He has also addressed organizations such as the Research and Engineering Council of the Graphic Arts Industry (R & E Council), the Sales Association of the Paper Industry (S.A.P.I.), and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) regarding the environmental progress of the pulp and paper industry. His work has been cited in a wide range of general, business, and trade publications, including the Associated Press, Publishing & Production Executive, World Paper, and Economics Weekly.
A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Mr. Pryke holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in chemical engineering and is a member of the International Association of Water Pollution Research and Control, and TAPPI.