Programs have been started by APP in the province of West Kalimantan in cooperation with the Belantara Foundation and IDH Sustainable Trade Initiatives, also involving several forest plantation companies on multi-stakeholder-based, responsible landscape management on the production forest in the Kubu-Ketapang landscape. In addition, in an effort to prevent peatland forest fires, APP and its suppliers have built more than 5,000 dams on the perimeter canals around its suppliers' plantation area in Indonesia. Of these, 500 dams which were built in West Kalimantan. In addition to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, APP outlined its support for an initiative by the Governor of West Kalimantan in developing renewable energy using the Kemiri Sunan plant (Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw). Kemiri Sunan crop can be used as biodiesel and is a key part of the Government's efforts to reduce the dependence of Indonesia against imports of fuel. This pilot project will take the form of collaboration between West Kalimantan Forestry, APP, Tanjungpura University, and Belantara Foundation.

Stakeholders globally are invited to provide feedback on its compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks by 23 August 2016. France first achieved PEFC endorsement of its national system back in 2000, and now becomes the latest country to have submitted a system for re-endorsement for a third time. The country is home to over 8 million hectares of certified forest, and with over 2000 Chain of Custody certificates, France is the world leader in PEFC Chain of Custody certified companies. PEFC International ensures that national systems are revised regularly in multi-stakeholder processes by limiting the validity of endorsements to five years, after which they can apply for re-endorsement to continue benefitting from PEFC recognition. As part of the endorsement process, PEFC seeks comments and feedback from all interested parties to ensure full compliance of the national systems with PEFC's Sustainability Benchmark during a 60-day global public consultation.

If you want to see just how complicated a supply chain can be, the operations of Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) on Hainan Island, China, gives an idea of what goes into products that we often take for granted. And considering that APP is also an integral supplier to companies around the world, it is easy to see how one wayward employee or lax oversight can land a company in hot water with its stakeholders, particularly environmentalists. In APP’s case, its business on Hainan — from tree seedlings to the finished product — offers a case study on what it takes to evolve into a more responsible and sustainable company. Trees, obviously, are to APP what wheat, soy or palm oil are to other companies. APP’s managed forests in Indonesia combine to cultivate far more raw material for the company than its current holdings in China. But those forests, concentrated in Hainan, offer a sense of the scale APP has developed as the world continues to demand paper. APP’s most recent tour for journalists started from Haikou, the province’s capital and home to 2 million people. Skyscrapers and condominium high-rises eventually give way to a lush landscape of palm trees and plantations that grow just about everything from bananas to mangoes to rubber. After a 90-minute drive, we arrived at a site where eucalyptus trees soar when compared to the stalks of a papaya farm just a few hundred yards away.

On June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a decision that no additional regulations are needed to address storm water discharges from forest roads under the Clean Water Act. In its decision, the EPA recognizes the success of state best management practices (BMPs), which are proven to be effective in protecting water quality. The EPA also recognizes the role of forest certification programs, including SFI, which “have made important contributions to improved BMP implementation through logger training, landowner outreach, and water quality requirements.” The EPA decision specifically points to the SFI Logger Training and Education Program, which “ensures loggers are educated about using and maintaining appropriate forest road BMPs.” Thanks to the logger training requirements in the SFI Standards and the dedication of the SFI community, training was provided for more than 10,000 resource and harvesting professionals in 2015 and more than 170,000 total since 1995 (this total may include individuals who have completed training programs more than once). Ninety-five percent of the fiber delivered to SFI Program Participant mills was delivered by harvesting professionals who have been trained in sustainable forestry practices.

The past six years have shown Cascades that a sustainable development plan can be profitable on a number of fronts. "It is a strategic tool that mobilizes our teams toward achieving clearly defined objectives. Thanks to our efforts, we finished 2015 with strong results: we used 2.7 times less energy and 6.5 times less water than the Canadian industry average 1 , and we achieved the lowest accident rate in our history," said Mario Plourde , President and Chief Executive Officer of Cascades. Suzanne Blanchet , Senior Vice-President, Corporate Development, is in charge of rolling out the sustainable development strategy within the company. In her view, "This third plan is the natural continuation of the work begun in 2010. At the time, we conducted a broad consultation with all of our stakeholders so as to identify priority issues. This dialogue proved to be very revealing in terms of what the different parties expect of us and today allows us to continue to create added value for our shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, and for the communities in which we are present."

Well-managed forests store carbon, clean the air we breathe and the water we drink, provide habitat for a multitude of species and give us products and jobs that are vital to our economic success. They also give us almost unlimited possibilities for recreation. “The more we appreciate how forests touch each of our lives every day, the more we will make responsible choices on their behalf. Our progress report helps get the message out that people in the SFI community care about forests and are doing great things for future forests,” Abusow said. The diverse SFI community includes landowners, land managers, brand owners, academics, community builders, Indigenous leaders, conservationists, youth, government officials, architects and many others. Their stories – and the story of the SFI Program – unfold in the pages of the report, presented this year in an 18-month calendar format. SFI Program Participants are required to complete detailed surveys that allow SFI to present a comprehensive picture of the ways our community addresses environmental, social and economic priorities.

Just a quick scroll through our email inboxes and it won't take long before we come across a statement like; 'Think before you print' and 'Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email?' But these messages are unsubstantiated, misleading and can have a lasting effect on consumer perceptions of print and paper. The print and paper industry is a world leader when it comes to sustainably-managed materials, renewable energy and recycling. Some key facts about print and paper's sustainability: •Between 2005 and 2015, European forests grew by an area the size of Switzerland - that's 1,500 football pitches every day! •Europe recycles 72% of its paper •84% of the industry’s raw materials come from Europe •Between 2005 and 2013, the CO2 emissions of the European pulp and paper industry were reduced by 22% •56% of the industry’s total primary annual energy consumption is biomass-based

While deceptively simple, this sheet is made from cellulose nanofibers and has a layered internal architecture designed to remove viruses from water, according to a news release from Uppsala University on May 18. The paper filter improves upon other methods such as chemical disinfectants, which can produce toxic by-products. “Our goal is to develop a filter paper that can remove even the toughest viruses from water as easily as brewing coffee,” said Albert Mihranyan, who heads the study at Uppsala University. In 2014, the team had described a paper filter that removes larger viruses, and now researchers have their eye on refining the filter to remove smaller viruses.

The Forest Stewardship Council recently developed a new case study exploring how Kimberly-Clark first started sourcing FSC fiber, the logic for putting the FSC label on its iconic products, and how the actions the company took helped reshape its industry. “Sustainability has become table stakes for our types of products,” said Andy Clement, Kimberly-Clark Professional Vice President of Sales, explaining the changes he’s seen. The case study highlights that FSC can be an important part of a communications and marketing strategy, in addition to helping achieve strategy objectives and mitigate supply chain risk. Once the work to source FSC-certified products has been done, it just makes sense to tell customers about the effort and why it matters.

UPM has set new ambitious responsibility targets for 2030 in eleven focus areas that have been inspired by the UN sustainable development goals in economic, social and environmental dimensions and adapted to UPM activities. Among the most challenging targets for 2030, let's highlight: •Zero process waste to landfills or to incineration without energy recovery. Over 90% of UPM's total process waste is currently recycled or recovered. •100 % of wood fibres used will be from certified sources. The certified fibre share in 2015 at UPM was 84 %. •30% reduction in fossil CO2 emissions from a 2008 baseline. •100 % of spend on UPM raw material to be qualified against UPM Supplier Code that includes social, ethic and environmental criteria. •All operations to have a certified OHS system by 2030

Indonesia-based Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) does not always score the most favorable press. Many publications, including TriplePundit, have cast everything from a watchful eye to scathing criticism of the company’s alleged environmental practices — or malpractices. Many NGOs, including Greenpeace, have long accused APP of dodgy deforestation throughout its Southeast Asia operations and have described the company’s words of promise as “greenwashing.” But the evidence suggests that APP, which ranks among the world’s largest pulp and paper companies and one that is important to many companies’ supply chains, is beginning to listen after a decade of withering exposes and censure from the international media. The company’s most recent sustainability report that covered its operations in China claims it has launched a bevy of environmental and social responsibility programs. They include a $140 million investment in environmental protection in 2014, which the company says has boosted its overall spending on such programs to a total of $1.4 billion. Another $5.3 million of the company’s funds have been devoted to education and community development programs.

“Building Shared Value: Sustainability and Competitiveness, PEFC in Latin America” will take place from 4-6 July 2016 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Join our South American PEFC members as they welcome certified companies, procurers, retailers, media and others to share best practices, build capacity, and discuss how to improve market demand and access for PEFC-certified products in the region. The event will kick off with an introduction to how PEFC promotes sustainability for procurers of forest-based products, retailers and media. Some of the largest forest-based products producers and retailers in the region such as UPM (Uruguay), Suzano (Brazil) and Unilever (Argentina) will then share their experiences on how to encourage sustainability at the highest level. On Day 2, the focus shifts to certified companies including printing, packaging and publishing sector and key stakeholders, consultants and professionals committed to sustainability. Workshops on how to implement strategic branding of forest products and on how to integrate sustainability and a safe supply chain in marketing and promotion strategies, will enable participants to benefit from existing best practices and consider opportunities for their own operating environments.

the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). So it is fair to say that the PEFC process for the endorsement and mutual recognition of forest certification system is THE process of our organization. This process is now under scrutiny, as part of our comprehensive Standards Revision process that is currently underway. The responsibility of its revision falls to Working Group 6, which met for the first meeting on 1 - 2 June, in Geneva, Switzerland. The WG members began with focusing on how the effectiveness and efficiency of the endorsement and mutual recognition process can be increased, as well as how we can improve the comprehensibility and readability of the complex assessment reports. The Working Group will now meet in October this year to discuss a first Working Draft document of the revised process.

“We appreciate Sens. Collins and Merkley’s legislative efforts to bring closure to EPA’s six-plus years of uncertainty for biogenic CO2 emissions and ensure federal regulations recognize the atmospheric carbon reducing benefits of biomass-based energy. The Senate Interior Appropriation bill provides a policy framework that uses a practical, science-based approach to achieve this. “The paper and wood products manufacturing industry is the largest producer and user of renewable energy of any manufacturing sector in the U.S., with on average about two-thirds of the energy needed to run our mills being generated on site from biomass. Most of this biomass comes in the form of manufacturing residuals, the use of which avoids approximately 181 million metric tons of CO2e emissions per year – equivalent to removing about 35 million cars from the road.

The “Fédération des producteurs forestiers du Québec” (Quebec Federation of woodlot owners or FPFQ) has released the fourth edition of the “Sound Forestry Practices for Private Woodlots Field Guide,” which is used by small woodlot owners and forest contractors to promote responsible forest management. The updated guide was supported by an SFI Community Partnerships Grant. “This newest edition includes enhanced recommendations covering key themes such as identifying watercourse crossing features and wetlands, forest certification, conservation of wildlife habitat, timber measurement and stacking for transport, sugarbush development and tree-felling safety regulations. The online version of the guide also features videos that illustrate some of the key concepts,” said Pierre-Maurice Gagnon, Chair of the FPFQ.

The Massachusetts State Senate has passed a budget bill that includes language requiring stores to charge at least 10 cents for paper bags. “Why?” you may ask. We are asking that very question. Paper bags are not the primary target of this legislation. In fact, most Massachusetts communities – including Framingham, Harwich and Nantucket – excluded mention of paper in their ordinances when they considered bans or taxes for their communities. Paper bags are a recyclable and sustainable packaging option for consumers who need a carryout bag. Many retailers are choosing to offer paper as the default option in response to consumer demand from the environmentally-conscious. Not only are paper bags made from recycled paper, they are highly recycled themselves and are a fixture in community recycling programs throughout the state and the rest of the country.

On June 15, 2016, FSC International launched the third round of public consultation on the revised Chain of Custody Standard (FSC-STD-40-004) and corresponding Transaction Verification requirements that are proposed in the FSC Standard for Chain of Custody Evaluations (FSC-STD-20-011). Comments will be accepted until August 31, 2016. The main changes in the revision of the Chain of Custody standard include: •Transaction verification •Cross-site accounting proposals for credit and (new) percentage systems •Reduction of labeling threshold for FSC Recycled label to align with FSC mix labeling threshold •Clarification of credit system requirements •Incorporation of advice notes and standard interpretations

This is the first time Hungary has submitted its national forest certification system to PEFC for endorsement, following their acceptance as a PEFC National member earlier this year in January. Hungary is one of the few remaining European countries with a significant share of private forest owners that is yet to have an endorsed national forest certification system. The successful endorsement of the Hungarian forest certification system will enable the country’s forest owners, including the many small- and family forest owners, gain international recognition through PEFC certification. For Italy and the UK, this is the third and fourth time, respectively, that the countries have applied for endorsement by PEFC.

We’re celebrating one of our oldest and most important partners—Earth. Even though astronomers recently found more than 1,000 new planets, we remain committed to ours. Twenty-five years ago HP and its customers joined together in HP Planet Partners to reduce waste by recycling HP printing supplies and any brand’s hardware. Since its creation, HP Planet Partners has spread to 73 countries and territories. With the help of our customers, we’ve recovered more than 3.3 billion pounds of products and recycled more than 682 million cartridges. HP’s closed-loop recycling process diverts millions of pounds of plastic from landfills to make Original HP cartridges—satisfying customer demands and reducing environmental impact.

Germany has become the second country to successfully achieve PEFC re-endorsement of its national forest certification system for a third time. The Malaysian Criteria and Indicators (MC&I) for Forest Plantations standard has also received PEFC re-endorsement. This endorsement not only confirms that they continue to meet PEFC’s globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks, but also ensures that certified forest owners and companies in these countries continue to benefit from the global acceptance of PEFC. The Malaysian Criteria and Indicators (MC&I) for Forest Plantations is a complementary standard to the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS), which includes the MC&I for Natural Forests. The endorsement of this second edition of the MC&I for Forest Plantations, which is designed to assess the management practices for, and enable the certification of, forest plantations, follows the re-endorsement of the MTCS in 2014. “These re-endorsements show both the commitment of our members and underlines PEFC's leadership in the continuous improvement of forest certification," said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International. “We appreciate their continued commitment, as well as the contributions of all the stakeholders who have participated in the standards revision and assessment processes.”

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) today welcomed the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers’ (CCFM) new Innovation Action Plan, calling it an “important step” towards a low-carbon economy. Following an all-day meeting yesterday in Dawson City, Yukon on the future of Canada’s forests and forest products sector, the CCFM announced a renewed commitment to enhance “innovation and industry transformation,” including the Action Plan that outlines how Canadian jurisdictions will better work together on innovation and bio-economy initiatives. Under the three pillars of collaboration, engagement and mobilization, the CCFM’s Innovation Action Plan outlines how jurisdictions will work together to help the forest sector achieve its potential in areas such as bio-products and building with wood, competitiveness and sustainability.

“We are delighted to welcome AEBIOM, CEETTAR, CNVP and WestRock Company as International Stakeholder members,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, following the acceptance of the four new members. “By becoming members, these organizations help and support us in our vital work to ensure the sustainable management of the world’s forests.” With these four new members, we now count 26 International Stakeholder members, as well as 43 national members.

Södra's members are delivering increasingly higher volumes of wood to the company's industries. A focus on improved forest management has led to a steady increase in forest growth. This, in turn, has enabled more harvesting. In southern Sweden, growth is so strong that forest stocks are rising as harvesting operations increase. "Our members are managing their forests so well that forests are now growing better than ever. And, although we continue to harvest more forest, there is still more forest remaining. This is a very positive trend," says Håkan Larsson, President of Södra Skog. There is so much potential for trees as a raw material and we need to use the forest more actively if we want to meet the challenges of climate change and the transition to a fossil-free society." Most of the wood delivered by Södra's members is softwood - pine and spruce. Supplies are delivered in the form of pulpwood and sawlogs to Södra's own pulp mills and sawmills, and as biofuel to external thermal power stations. In 2015, wood deliveries from members rose 4 percent year-on-year, and since deliveries have remained at the same level at the beginning of the current year, the increase seems stable

“While forest certification has been present in Republic of Korea for the last few years, the current models are not well suited to our national conditions,” continued Ms. Lee, explaining the motivation to develop a national forest certification system in line with PEFC’s international requirements. “As voices urging the implementation of their own certification system, which reflects the distinct characteristics of Korean forests, grew among stakeholders, the Korea Forest Certification Council (KFCC) was established,” Ms. Lee explained. The KFCC has since conducted various activities such as the development of national standards and pilot tests. Applying and becoming a PEFC member was an important step towards the submission of the national system to PEFC. “Furthermore, we are going to apply for PEFC endorsement within this year,” Ms. Lee concluded. “We believe that through PEFC endorsement we can promote and spread sustainable forest management throughout Korea.”

We are delighted to announce Japan as the latest country to achieve PEFC endorsement of its national forest certification system. To celebrate this milestone, the Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC) – our National member for Japan – held a special Forest Certification Forum today, attended by a diverse range of stakeholders and honored by the presence of Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado. A highlight of the event came as Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, officially presented the SGEC certificate of endorsement to Satohiko Sasaki, Chairman of SGEC, presided over by Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado.

Ensuring our standards are the best they can be is always a priority for PEFC. As our Standards Revision process gets underway, we are calling on all stakeholders to submit their input and comments on our current PEFC Chain of Custody Standard (PEFC ST 2002:2013) by 3 July 2016. The objective of this revision is to identify the areas where PEFC Chain of Custody could be improved in terms of usability and outcome, and where we need to adapt the standard to better meet today’s stakeholder expectations and market realities. To kick off the process, we have launched a 30 day public consultation to gather your input. We invite all PEFC stakeholders, especially users of the PEFC standards such as certified companies, accreditation and certification bodies and consultants, to submit comments through the PEFC Consultation Tool by 3 July 2016.

We are delighted to welcome Ghana as our latest PEFC National member, becoming our third member in Africa, alongside Cameroon and Gabon. "Joining the PEFC Alliance is a vital step towards gaining international recognition for our Ghanaian National Forest Certification System," said Emmanuel Amoah Boakye from the Working Group on Forest Certification. "Once our system has achieved PEFC endorsement, our country’s forest owners, forestry companies and the whole forestry sector will be able to demonstrate their sustainable forest management practices, here and abroad."

Thailand announces their application to PEFC for membership and we highlight the opportunities of certification in Asia and beyond – Asian Paper Bangkok 2016 was a busy few days! “Accelerating demand for legal and sustainable timber represents both opportunities and challenges for the world's forest's, specifically in Asia,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, as he spoke at the Certification, Environment and Sustainability session on the first day of Asian Paper. “Certification must adapt to the constantly shifting sands of needs of people. We need to ensure that sustainable forest management equally balances the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainability, we need to find common ground between global demand side requirements and local supply side expectations," Mr. Gunneberg explained.

Stakeholders globally are invited to provide feedback on its compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks by 29 July 2016. Sweden was one of the first countries to achieve the PEFC endorsement of its national system back in 2000, and joins Finland (now re-endorsed) and Germany as the only other countries to submit a system for re-endorsement for a third time. There are now nearly 11.4 million hectares of PEFC-certified forests in the country. PEFC International ensures that national systems are revised regularly in multi-stakeholder processes by limiting the validity of endorsements to five years, after which they can apply for re-endorsement to continue benefitting from PEFC recognition.

Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) and the Belantara Foundation last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South Sumatra provincial government, as well as a declaration of commitment with the West Kalimantan provincial government, to support both provincial governments in sustainable landscape management to achieve green growth in their respective region. Both provinces are leaders in this space and have driven the push for integrating environmental protection and economic growth policy in Indonesia. The agreement with the South Sumatra Provincial Government will run until 30 October 2018 and focuses on developing sustainable landscape management, with particular focus on forest fire prevention and protection of peatland. Both APP and Belantara Foundation also commit to be part of donor committee to fund landscape projects in South Sumatra, managed by the Partnership for Landscape Management (KELOLA) led by the Governor of South Sumatra and supported by Zoological Society of London (ZSL).