A colleague recently forwarded me a great column on forest certification from the Canadian Bar Association’s June issue of their publication “Bar Talk”.  



Jonathon Lok, RPF and president of the Association of British Columbia Professional Foresters, penned an editorial titled “Choose your Paper Wisely ” that informs readers about Canada’s excellent record for forest certification, highlights the fact that there are three credible systems used in Canada, including SFI, and a simple “how to” on determining if paper or wood products are certified. Jonathon Lok’s article is excellent because it presents the facts and options clearly and without bias.  

Kathy

The climate change bill pending in the U.S. Congress should include provisions that prevent the “destructive dynamic” of deforestation.  So says the New York Times in a recent editorial.  The editorial included some mind-boggling stats to support its case:   “Deforestation accounts for one-fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases — about the same as China’s emissions, more than the emissions generated by all of the world’s cars and trucks. And the world is doing far too little to stop it. An estimated 30 million acres of rain forest disappear every year, destroying biodiversity and pouring billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.”

A major contributor to deforestation is illegal logging, which is exactly what forest certification programs like SFI are designed to avoid.  In fact, voluntary third-party forest certification began in the 1990s in response to market concerns about forest management and illegal logging, primarily in developing countries. In the U.S, The State of America’s Forests report prepared by the Society of American Foresters (and based on U.S. Forest Service data) concludes that forested acres in the U.S. have remained relatively stable for the past 100 years (about 755 million acres).  And while it’s true that tremendous progress is being made, the fact remains that only 10% of the world’s forests are now certified.  SFI is doing its part address the remaining 90%.

We were excited to receive support from two different groups in April— TerraChoice Environmental Marketing and the Boy Scouts of America. TerraChoice included the SFI label as a credible eco-label in its Greenwashing Report 2009, saying that our program meets three key criteria – third party certified, publicly available standard and transparent standard development process received. SFI is one of just 14 labels that the group recognizes as “legitimate.” TerraChoice’s press release, with the provocative subhead “Study Finds New Greenwashing Sin: ‘Worshiping False Labels’” is posted here. You can find SFI’s release here.

Also in April, Boys’ Life, a monthly magazine published by the Boy Scouts of America, announced that it is being printed on SFI chain of custody certified paper. “From the forest to BSA headquarters to the pressroom to the mailboxes of more than 1 million subscribers each month, Boys’ Life adheres to a strict policy of environmental responsibility,” says the group in its April 23 press release. “At its heart, Boys’ Life is about the outdoors and about teaching our young readers to be good stewards of the outdoors,” says Mike Goldman, managing editor of Boys’ Life. We are pleased that the Scouts chose SFI to help achieve that important educational mission.

Recently, members of the SFI team had the privilege to attend the national Recycling Coalition’s 11th Annual “Recycling Works” Award Ceremony at which Staples was honored for its recycling and sustainability practices.

Of course, recycling is an issue that’s important to us at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative because all recycled content begins as virgin fiber. Which means even recyclers need to care about the origin of fiber and how the forests it came from were managed – whether it is being used for the first time or the fifth. It’s one of the many reasons we must focus on sustaining our forests and that is what SFI is all about.

Prior to the event, I was able to sit down with David Refkin, President of the National Recycling Coalition to ask him about his views on recycling, sustainability and future policy issues – as well as background on the award Staples received. His answers regarding multiple content streams and the (possibly) pending cap and trade issue are particularly insightful.

It was no surprise to find members of the paper and paper products industries at Fortune’s Brainstorm Green conference. Issues such as sustainability, the future of energy, supply chains and climate change are all pertinent to the paper (and wood products) industries. In fact, both Rick Willett, President and CEO of NewPage and Guy Gleysteen, Senior Vice President, Production at TIME, Inc. were here to participate in the discussions and learn from the experts.

In their interviews, they both made some interesting comments regarding the amount of energy required in the paper making process. Of course, because healthy forests store carbon, sourcing from responsibly managed forests, like those certified to the SFI Standard, can mitigate the impact of climate change. Both TIME, Inc. and NewPage are SFI participants and are committed to responsible forest management.

Rick also commented on the collaborative nature of the conference – something we advocate ourselves in sustainable forestry practices. We were all pleased to find shared goals and mutual respect. It’s a collaborative attitude I hope continues.

Guy Gleysteen, SVP of Production at TIME, Inc.

Rick Willett, President & COO at NewPage Corporation