Our partnerships with groups from Habitat for Humanity to Time Inc to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have allowed us to get involved in so many projects we’re proud of. Partnerships are what breathe life into our program and drive the importance of what we do home for many people. When companies get involved with SFI, it means we’re able to continue work to make on-the-ground differences with logger training, conservation and community outreach. Additionally, it gives us a way to keep forests as forests, avoiding loss to conversion and development. To keep involvement with these programs, there must be a continuous demand for forest certification.

The packaging industry plays a large role in us being able to keep many of our partnerships running. Without their support, in addition to all the other users of certified forest products, not only would our forests suffer, but so would many of the programs we’re able to fund as a part of our program.

While forestry and the packaging industry have each made huge strides over the past two decades, there’s still a lot of work to be done. With only 10 percent of the world’s forests certified, the focus will always be on promoting responsible forestry on all lands – certified or uncertified. Additionally, we need more action to inform consumers and customers about forest certification and how it works in partnership with recycling. Recycling is important, but it, nor forest certification, can stand alone.

I had a great time talking with fellow speakers and attendees of the forum. With continued dialogue and continuous improvements, I can’t wait to see the leaps both sectors will make over the next 20 years.

For more coverage from the Sustainable Packaging Forum, check out this interview with Justmeans:

If you take a look at our conference agenda you will see we have lined up local and international speakers who will talk about partnerships yielding benefits for the forest products marketplace, communities, First Nations, and government agencies throughout North America and globally. Keynote speaker Linda Coady, Distinguished Fellow, University of British Columbia and Vice-President of Sustainability, Vancouver Olympics Organizing Committee will talk about Certification, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability – The Next Generation.  We’ll also be making some exciting announcements.

We will be posting video from conference speakers as well as pictures from the event on our Annual Conference webpage – so check it out if you are not able to join us in Vancouver and take part virtually.

Partnerships power the SFI program. They breathe life into our work, making it dynamic and exciting.

Together with our many partners, we share ideas and accomplish so much more in the forest, in communities, and in the marketplace. Our partners include community organizations and companies of all sizes, government agencies, conservation groups, Aboriginal people, customers and family forest owners.

We have a diverse range of partners because we respect and value all contributions, and believe everyone can benefit through involvement in the SFI program. After all, everyone has a responsibility to our forests and to our communities. This report touches on just a few of the accomplishments resulting from these amazing partnerships.

2010 is a perfect time to be celebrating the power of partnerships. We began the year by introducing our new SFI 2010-2014 Standard, concluding an 18-month open, consultative and inclusive review. The process invited input from more than 2,000 people, and was overseen by the independent External Review Panel. This collaboration did a lot to strengthen existing partnerships, and build new ones.

We also entered 2010 as the largest single forest certification standard in the world. This growth reflects the confidence and respect our program has earned. It places us in a leadership position to bring together people from different backgrounds and viewpoints to achieve our common goal — to strengthen forest practices.

You don’t have to look any further than the 950 people who make up our 37 SFI Implementation Committees. These committees are a unique and important part of our program. Close to half of the members are involved not because their organization is an SFI program participant, but because they understand the relevance and value of what we do. They know that they can, and are, making a difference. They include loggers, teachers, biologists and public officials. They are working to meet the needs of communities across the United States and Canada, arranging training sessions and workshops for loggers and family forest owners to expand the reach of responsible forest management.

Another fantastic partnership – one that means a lot to me – is our relationship with Habitat for Humanity. Local participants and SFI Implementation Committees have contributed time and resources to help build Habitat homes in Maine, Manitoba, Minnesota, Ontario and Tennessee – using SFI wood from local communities to build better communities. The SFI partnership includes the first Habitat home certified to the ANSI National Green Building Standard in the United States, the first certified to the Built Green Canada Program in Canada, and the first in a First Nation community in Canada. But what’s best is that these projects bring together volunteers to provide decent homes using local resources for hard-working families– people like Timothy Gistover who lives with his son in a Habitat home in Nashville built with the help of the SFI program and its partners.

We have just embarked on a new partnership initiative that will bring us closer to the conservation community. Through an ongoing Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, we have announced support for projects that will, among other things, improve forest habitat and wildlife biodiversity, strengthen knowledge and data, and reduce the risk of illegal products in the global supply chain. Our criteria called for projects that bring together partners and resources so we were not surprised to find that our initial commitment of $675,000 – $307,500 so far in 2010 alone – will leverage a total value of $2.7 million from all of those involved.

What is so heartening about everything we are doing right now – and what motivates SFI staff and all of our partners to work even harder – is the realization that more and more people are voicing their support for third-party certification and the SFI program.

The power of partnerships gives meaning to the work that we do, and motivates us to take on the challenges ahead and to seize the opportunities of the future. From everyone involved in the SFI program and everyone who benefits from this work, sincere thanks to all of our partners – we look forward to continuing to work with you.

Read the full report here
Read our news release here

At last count, the SFI program and its SFI Implementation Committees have been or are involved in Habitat projects in Minnesota, Maine, Tennessee, Manitoba and Ontario. Program participants have volunteered hundreds of hours of their time, and companies have donated thousands of dollars worth of products.

There are so many pluses it is hard to know where to start. Through Habitat, we are helping put low-income working families into their own homes. I was given a chance to wield a hammer at a Build Day in Hibbing, Minnesota, last summer, and saw for myself how much it meant for the new homeowner to build her own home with the help of her community.

The Manitoba and Ontario projects are special because both involve Aboriginal organizations – Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg has partnered with the Manitoba Métis Federation and Habitat for Humanity Northumberland is working with Alderville First Nation in southern Ontario to build the first Habitat for Humanity home in a First Nation community in Canada.

This is a great way to provide safe, healthy housing for First Nations people. Chief James Marsden of Alderville First Nation put it perfectly when he said: “We are very pleased to establish partnerships like these with businesses and the community because it allows us to create an affordable home for an Alderville First Nation family. Partnering with SFI also allows us to reinforce our respect for land and forests.”

Habitat for Humanity is a fantastic organization, and I am proud we can support them. Their guiding principles – simple, decent, affordable – say a lot about what they represent. And our involvement is a great fit because Habitat is increasing its emphasis on sustainability, and our donated forest products are from responsible sources.

I want to thank all the SFI companies and individuals who have pitched in to promote Habitat partnerships, and encourage you to check out the Habitat for Humanity website to see if there are opportunities to help out in your area.

Attendance was excellent and we had a vibrant exchange of ideas and information on forest certification, illegal logging, carbon markets and new research on the public and industry views of eco-labels. A highlight was the launch of SFI’s new on-product label, which provides clear and concise information.

We had almost 200 delegates at the conference, including representatives from the print, packaging and solid wood supply chain; SFI-certified organizations; loggers; academics; and conservation groups. We took in a lot of information-packed and thought-provoking presentations, including the presentation and video by our Minnesota SFI implementation committee and their project with Habitat for Humanity that left us all a little misty-eyed. You can access all of the presentations here.

The entire SFI team knows that our success is built on the success and leadership shown by SFI participants and certificate holders. That’s why I was especially pleased to recognize the contributions of a number of individuals and organizations involved with SFI. I presented awards to Forest Capital Partners LLC, Harden Furniture Inc., JELD-WEN Windows and Doors, the Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee, National Envelope, Rayonier Inc., Sierra Pacific Industries and Smead Manufacturing Company. We’ve seen media pick up on some of the awards – here is a story about Harden Furniture, which received our President’s Award. Thanks again to our Minnesota SFI implementation committee for being such terrific hosts!