Georgia-Pacific has named Bill Frerking vice president and chief sustainability officer. He previously was chief counsel for the company’s building products businesses.

In this newly created position, Frerking is responsible for the company’s overall sustainability efforts, including working with Georgia-Pacific’s business units and procurement and staff groups to develop and implement sustainability strategies, goals, measurement and reporting. He also will represent the company in sustainability discussions with customers and other groups. Frerking reports to Philip Ellender, senior vice president – government and public affairs.

Chief sustainability officers are becoming more popular with companies that want to profit from going green and want to guard the value of their brand.

But for CSOs to create change, they need to have the necessary authority. AMR Research’s John Davies has noticed that the chief green officer reports, just like other top executives, directly to the CEO. But that doesn’t appear to be the case at Georgia-Pacific.