Repsol and Saica Natur have signed a new collaboration agreement in order to maximize the use of low density polyethylene film (LDPE) waste and take a new step in the transition towards a circular economy. With this project, Repsol and Saica Natur intend to combine their knowledge and skills to achieve new polyolefins that incorporate post-consumer recycled material. With a special goal to ensure quality consistency for more demanding applications, from the technical point of viewwhere recycling has hardly penetrated yet. This way, Saica Natur contributes not only with its expertise as a waste manager but also as a low density polyethylene (LDPE) recycled pellets producer. Repsol, the market leader in polyolefins in Spain and Portugal, provides the capabilities of its Technology Center, as well as its experience in the development of new products for its value chain. This agreement falls under Reciclex project, one of Repsol’s strategic pillars to promote the circular economy of its materials. Click read more below for additional detail.

The Virginia Department of Forestry today announced that it has certified all of Virginia’s State Forests to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and American Tree Farm System standards. These certified forests cover more than 68,000 acres. The state forests system is self-sustaining and receives no general funds, so they must support operations through timber sales like other private landowners. Certification of Virginia state forest lands demonstrates for Virginia landowners how certification can be part of their land management efforts while validating that working forests are sustainable. “The commitment to sustainability within Virginia State Forests began in 1919 with the gift of 588 acres of land in Prince Edward County from Emmett D. Gallion for the purpose of advancing the cause of forestry in Virginia,” said State Forests Manager Gary Heiser. “Since that time, the state forests have grown in acres, productivity and biological diversity through the dedication of many state forest employees committed to responsible forest management.” Click read more below for additional detail.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has today become one of the first signatories of The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment which will work towards eliminating plastic pollution and creating 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable plastic packaging by 2025. Mondi has pledged to increase investment in research and development, and drive deeper collaboration throughout its supply chain to move away from non-renewable and non-recyclable plastic. It will use its expertise in paper-based and flexible plastic packaging to enhance its product design and thereby achieve 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging by 2025. Click read more below for additional detail.

With over 20,000 PEFC Chain of Custody certified companies worldwide, our Chain of Custody standard – in addition to delivering PEFC-certified products to the marketplace - has a tremendous impact on internal management processes of numerous businesses along the timber value chain. This means we must ensure the standard is the best it can be: that it is straightforward to use, that it meets customer expectations, and that it respects the integrity of our requirements and our system. We regularly review all of our standards to integrate best practices, lessons learnt, and stakeholder expectations, and the Chain of Custody standard is part of the current cycle of standards revision. Click read more below for additional detail.

Amcor Chief Executive Officer Ron Delia signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment on behalf of the company’s 33,000 people. The commitment, which is sponsored by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, was announced today at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali, Indonesia. Amcor is a core partner of the EMF’s New Plastics Economy initiative. “Plastic packaging is vital for products used by billions of consumers around the globe,” said Amcor’s Mr. Delia. “It’s highly effective and easy to adapt, so that those products are safe, nutritious and effective. “We’re constantly innovating to make plastic packaging even better, including in protecting the environment.” For example, last month Amcor announced a breakthrough, flexible-plastic film that provides high-barrier protection, can be used in sterilized packaging and is recyclable. Click read more below for additional detail.

Sealed Air Corporation announced a bold sustainability and plastics pledge to design and advance their innovative packaging solutions to be 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025. The company will accelerate its use of recycled materials, expand reuse models for packaging and lead the collaboration with partners worldwide to ensure execution. “At Sealed Air, we strive to leave our world, environment and communities better than we found them by leading innovative efforts to create differentiated, sustainable solutions,” said Ted Doheny, Sealed Air President and CEO. “Our history of sustainability is strengthened through our new sustainability and plastics pledge and, as an industry leader, it’s our responsibility to build a waste-free future, keep our oceans clean and leave a lighter carbon footprint.” Click read more below for additional detail.

UPM Raflatac has signed up to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment among 250 organisations including many of the world's largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs. The Global Commitment and its vision for a circular economy for plastic is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN Environment. The commitment has been officially unveiled at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali today Monday, October 29. By signing the commitment UPM Raflatac wants to demonstrate its commitment to labeling a smarter future beyond fossils. By developing sustainable labeling solutions and partnerships UPM Raflatac supports brand owners in eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging and achieving their target of 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Click read more below for additional detail.

The Forest Management and Wetland Stewardship Initiative (FMWSI), a partnership between Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the forest industry, including Millar Western, has launched new reference materials to assist practicing foresters in minimizing operational impacts on waterfowl, their nests and eggs, also referred to as “incidental take”. The newly released resources comprise Forestry and Waterfowl: Assessing and Mitigating Risk – Technical Report and the companion plain-language Practitioner Guide. The Technical Report provides a detailed rationale and methods supporting the steps of the decision-making approach, while the Practitioner Guide walks forest practitioners through the decision-making process and shares migratory-bird best management practices, all in an accessible format. Click read more below for additional detail.

“We are absolutely delighted that our Chairman, Peter Latham, has been honoured with the TTJ Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International CEO. “Peter has dedicated his working life to the timber industry, and now as Chairman of PEFC, he is leading our organization forward as we begin to implement our new strategy. I couldn’t imagine anyone more deserving.” The annual TTJ Lifetime Achievement Award rewards outstanding achievement in the timber sector. Now in its 22nd year, the TTJ Awards highlight the timber sector as a major, modern and forward-looking industry and recognize its achievements in areas that are vital to business success. Peter Latham OBE, who served as Chairman of James Latham from 2006 to 2017 and is currently the Chairman of PEFC International, received the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his 44-year career in the industry. Click read more below for additional detail.

The packaging leader has had a long-term commitment to making real and measurable progress against its five strategic sustainability priorities of forest, climate change, water, waste and people. Earlier this year, Smurfit Kappa announced that it had met, and in some cases exceeded, its previous sustainability goals in the areas of people, climate change and water with the last two goals achieved three years ahead of their 2020 deadline. While Smurfit Kappa’s paper-based packaging is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, the paper production process itself is resource-intensive so a new set of goals has been outlined to build on the progress already made. These are: Maintaining >90% chain of custody certification of annual customer deliveries; Maintaining 100% chain of custody operating system certification; Assessing energy usage reduction opportunities in converting operations by 2020; Performing water risk assessments for paper mills not yet assessed by 2020; Decreasing water discharge intensity by 60% by 2025 compared to 2005; Decreasing paper mill fossil intensity by 40% by 2030 compared to 2005; Reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill by 30% by 2025. Click read more below for additional detail.

Walmart announced that it has reached an agreement with SunPower to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois. As part of the project, a mix of rooftop and ground-mount solar systems are expected to account for 23 megawatts, with start of construction targeted for the first half of 2019. This commitment moves Walmart closer to its 2025 goal of supplying its global operations with 50 percent renewable energy. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the amount of anticipated annual carbon offset by this initiative will be equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by over 24,000 acres of U.S. forest in one year – the size of Elgin, Ill. Walmart is financing the solar projects through a power purchase agreement (PPA) arranged by SunPower, allowing Walmart to buy power at competitive prices and hedge against future utility rate increases with no upfront capital costs. Click read more below for additional detail.

DS Smith Plastics is doing their best to recycle wasted expanded foam products and with the help of local communities, more foam products than ever have been disposed of properly. One of the struggles with plastic products is that many facilities do not have designated services to dispose of the leftover packaging, this is especially the case when it comes to foam products like expanded polypropylene and polystyrene. In order to combat bad practices in the disposal of used expanded foam DS Smith Plastics, Foam Products is pushing to make it easier for anybody to correctly recycle any waste or littered products in convenient recycling collection posts. In many communities that house a DS Smith Plastics manufacturing facility, there can be excess plastic that communities have used, so to make it easier to dispose of, there are now labeled posts near every site that is checked and collected by the DS Smith Plastics team. Click read more below for additional detail.

Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report 2017 has been included in the top ten sustainability reports globally according to the latest Reporting matters publication by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In WBCSD’s Reporting matters publication, Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report is praised for its disclosure of internal sustainability management processes. The external assurance of the report’s sustainability information also received good feedback as it strengthens the credibility of Stora Enso’s disclosure. “We are proud of our transparent reporting being acknowledged,” says Noel Morrin, EVP Sustainability at Stora Enso. “It is especially encouraging to see that the four-tier reporting structure we use to present the most material opportunities and challenges is recognised as good practice.” Click read more below for additional detail.

Our sustainable forestry practices help ensure we leave the forests we depend on, and the communities we’re a part of, better off for the long term. We work with landowners, conservation groups and others who share our commitment to preserve forestland. These efforts have many environmental and social benefits, including the protection of water supplies, the promotion of biodiversity and the preservation of hunting, fishing and camping grounds. One example is a large preservation project that will protect 32,600 acres of forestland known as Clarion Junction Forest. This land surrounds our Johnsonburg Mill, which is located between Pennsylvania Game Commission lands and the Allegheny National Forest. We purchased the land in partnership with the Conservation Fund’s Working Forest Fund program, and we will sustainably manage it as a working forest and a timber source for the Johnsonburg Mill while also preserving the natural habitat of many species of wildlife. Click read more below for additional detail.

Sustainable forestry and its role in the consumer goods industry is on the agenda for the Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Retail Summit, taking place 25-26 October in Lisbon, Portugal. Zero-net deforestation is a key objective of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and many of its member companies. To achieve it, the CGF has recognized forest certification as an important tool within its sourcing guidelines. Sustainably managed forests provide many of the elements necessary for life on earth — air, water, food and shelter. Moreover, wood is renewable and one of the most environmentally friendly raw materials available, and the great news is, it is used in many of the products procured or manufactured by CGF members. Click read more below for additional detail.

J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI)’s forestry and forest products operations continue to identify ways to reduce and reuse waste, and put to beneficial use within our business and community. Lake Utopia Paper has recently completed a $28.8 Million environmental upgrade. Their new Environmental Treatment Facility takes wastewater and converts the organic material to renewable biogas. It is then converted to steam, which provides energy to the mill. Lake Utopia Paper has seen a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. “This is a brand-new state of the art facility, that will serve Lake Utopia Paper for the long term,” said Rick Wasson, Manager of Technical Operations. “It will provide stability to the environmental system to ensure we are always meeting and extending our compliance obligations.” Click read more below for additional detail.

“We are entering a new age for timber, a new industrial revolution for timber,” said Peter Latham, Chairman of PEFC international, speaking today at the first Malaysian Timber Conference. MTC Peter 2018“This isn’t just a climate-positive story of using a renewable crop, a crop that can still lock in the carbon when at the end of its use; but also one in which certification can demonstrate how we look after our forests, how we cooperate with indigenous people, how we protect worker’s rights, and so much more.” Peter addressed the global supply and demand for forest certification and certified timber, its associated challenges and trends, and the outlook and opportunities for forest certification, during his speech on ‘Certification: opening or closing doors to global markets for tropical hardwood’. “In terms of global fibre consumption, tropical hardwood is a small part, but it is at the top of the pyramid, it is the prestige product,” Peter explained. Click read more below for additional detail.

SCA has filed a formal complaint against ASI, and has also informed FSC about the consequences for SCA due to the fact that important parts in a recent report from ASI is misleading and also was published on their website. SCA has been certified according to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC©) forest management standard since 1999. To confirm that the forest operations meet the FSC-standard, SCA is audited by a third-party certification company, SGS. In August 2017, Accreditation Services International (ASI) evaluated SGS performance during a surveillance audit of SCA forest operations. The report from ASI was finalized and distributed to SGS in July 2018. Click read more below for additional detail.

Paper-based packaging provider Smurfit Kappa is celebrating the first annual European Paper Bag day at its Sangüesa Paper Mill in Spain, to promote the use of paper carrier bags as an alternative to plastic bags. The milestone day was created by “The Paper Bag” platform, Europe’s leading association for kraft paper manufacturers and paper bag producers, to educate consumers about the benefits of opting for paper carrier bags. Less than 1 per cent of the plastic bags used every year are recycled. Smurfit Kappa drew on its high quality paper portfolio to produce an efficient alternative for paper bag producers which is strong, performs well in wet conditions and is safe for food contact. To mark European Paper Bag day, the Sangüesa mill cooperated with the Navarra Government by supplying the paper to produce 130,000 paper bags for distribution through local shops, supermarkets and consumers across the Navarra region. Click read more below for additional detail.

Amazon announced that it will invest $10 million in Closed Loop Fund to support recycling infrastructure in the United States. Amazon’s investment will increase the availability of curbside recycling for 3 million homes in communities across the country, making it easier for customers to recycle and further develop end markets for recycled commodities. The investment will divert 1 million tons of recyclable material from landfill into the recycling stream and eliminate the equivalent of 2 million metric tons of CO2 by 2028—equivalent to shutting down a coal-fired power plant for six months. Roughly half of Americans today lack access to convenient, sufficient curbside recycling at their homes. Closed Loop Fund finances the building of advanced recycling infrastructure and services, bringing this invaluable service to the community while saving taxpayers and municipalities money. Click read more below for additional detail.

“Certifying Trees outside Forests creates a win-win-win situation,” said Thorsten Arndt, Head of Communications at PEFC International, during the International Softwood Conference 2018* in Riga, Latvia, last week. “We can positively impact the lives of small famers and improve the management of trees in agriculture, whilst increasing the amount of wood available to society for products from sustainably managed sources.” “We will also enable cities to certify urban trees and parks, making it possible for them to provide assurances to their inhabitants that city trees are managed sustainably and raising awareness of the tremendous services that trees in cities provide to urban populations,” he added. PEFC is well-positioned to further expand the area of certified forests, explained Mr. Arndt. With the PEFC General Assembly expected to approve the revised sustainable forest management standard in November, trees outside forests will be eligible for certification. Click read more below for additional detail.

Postmark, Inc. has joined Two Sides North America, the non-profit organization that promotes and encourages the responsible production, use, and sustainability of print and paper. “Postmark wants to be a responsible partner in the graphic communications value chain. As an equipment manufacturer, we also want to spread the positive environmental story about print and paper. We look forward to working with the Two Sides network to achieve this,” said Morten Nielsen, President & CEO, Postmark.

We proudly present the last two shortlisted projects for the World Architecture Festival’s Best Use of Certified Timber Prize supported by PEFC: a hotel that revived a historic mountain village in Italy, and a visitor centre in China, that takes its guests back in time. The Zallinger Chalets are located in theZallinger Chalets WAF midst of a UNESCO world heritage site in the Italian Alps, where they revived the spirit of a historic mountain village. Originally consisting of a chapel and seven barracks, the village has changed significantly over the years. Through the traditional construction style, as well as the use of timber as the main construction material, the architects have brought back the charm of the little alpine village of 1850. Located in Hebei, China, and surrounded by Mulan Weichang WAFMongolian grasslands, the Mulan Weichang Visitor Centre was inspired by the shape of the traditional yurt camps of Mongolian nomads. The aim of the architects was to blend the building seamlessly into the surrounding nature. They achieved this by applying techniques from the local architecture and by using local materials, such as stone, wooden beams and rattan. Click read more below for additional detail.

Customers of fast-casual restaurants increasingly value corporate sustainability practices according to a new study released by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), the 2018 Paper & Packaging Consumer Trends Report. More than half of consumers (55 percent) are willing to pay more for fast food products packaged in sustainable materials, with 35 percent agreeing they would pay up to 10 percent more. Moreover, compared to five years ago, the sustainability of food packaging is more important to nearly two in three Americans today (65 percent), holding especially true among Baby Boomers (67 percent) and Millennials (66 percent). “Consumers demand smarter packaging that serves both quality and sustainability functions, so it is crucial for the food industry to adopt recyclable and naturally compostable solutions and phase out disposable food packaging like plastics and polystyrene,” said Ian Lifshitz, vice president of sustainability and stakeholder relations, APP. “As brands,they also have the opportunity to win over consumers who choose companies that place sustainability at the heart of their business.” Click read more below for additional detail.

Visitors to London’s South Bank last month saw a dramatic change to the city’s skyline, all in support of the UK mental health and the anti-stigma campaign, Time to Change. As part of the annual London Design Festival, and designjunction, Head Above Water was a breath-taking, 9 metre high sculpture by British designer, Steuart Padwick. This piece of public art sought to stimulate the discussion to eradicate mental health-related stigma and discrimination. The project used precision engineered, renewable and sustainable PEFC-certified cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels supplied by StoraEnso. Installation was carried out by structural engineering experts Ramboll, making Head Above Water a model of sustainable, smart design and build. Click read more below for additional detail.

Irving Pulp & Paper (IPP) of Saint John will pay a $3.5 Million penalty related to 3 counts of effluent discharges into the Saint John River, subject to court approval October 9. The Crown and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) acknowledge there was no evidence of any fish mortality or environmental harm in the river at the time. However, the company did fail the prescribed test under Section 3 of the Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations (under the Fisheries Act) that requires 50% or more of rainbow trout tested to survive 96 hours in 100% effluent. IPP has worked hard to meet and exceed all environmental regulations. The company pioneered and patented the world’s first reverse osmosis system in a pulp mill in 1998 to meet new environmental regulations at the time. This technology and others were part of an investment of over $250 million to avoid the installation of an effluent treatment facility that the mill’s neighbours did not want. This pollution prevention system collects, treats and discharges effluent within the pulp mill, re-uses treated effluent and minimizes final effluent volume and content. The company was internationally recognized for this effort and the discoveries by research teams, including those from the University of New Brunswick, who determined the positive impacts of the system on fish health. Click read more below for additional detail.

Stora Enso and energy company Gasum have signed a contract to build a biogas plant at Stora Enso’s Nymölla paper mill in Sweden. The plant, built and operated by Gasum, will turn the mill’s wastewater effluent into renewable energy. Gasum plans to upgrade the biogas into Liquefied Biogas (LBG) and sell it as fuel for cars, buses, trucks, and ferries. The expected LBG production of the plant is 75-90 GWh per year, equivalent to the amount of fuel needed annually for more than 200 average long haul lorries in Sweden. Production is expected to start during 2020. “We are happy to be part of a project that will turn waste into valuable renewable energy,” says Michael Lindemann, Mill Director at Nymölla Mill. “For Stora Enso, substituting fossil-based fuels in our society with renewable solutions is a vital way to combat global warming. The cooperation with Gasum is a good example of the collaborative efforts Stora Enso is taking to do this.” Click read more below for additional detail.

“No economic growth is good for a country if it stays in the hands of the few. The same applies for forestry,” said Tiina Huvio, Chair of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) Steering Committee, and Programme Director for the Finnish Agri-agency for Food and Forest Development (FFD). “To build sustainable wealth, you need to include smallholders in the value chain. Steps taken towards group certification, allowing small-size forest owners to participate, are also steps towards a stable society.” Click read more below for additional detail.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for UPM's possible Kotka Biorefinery in Finland has been completed and given to the authorities for their final conclusions. The UPM Kotka Biorefinery would produce approximately 500,000 tonnes of advanced biofuels made from sustainable raw materials for use in the road transport, marine and aviation sectors. The biorefinery's products could also be used for replacing fossil raw materials in the chemical industry. The renewable and sustainable raw materials and efficient processes of the possible Kotka Biorefinery enable significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil-based fuels and products. Click read more below for additional detail.

We have launched an initiative aiming to increase cup recycling within the UK. Our Specialty Cup range of single wall hot cups and paper vending cups now have a brand new, modern design with a QR code and a message to ‘please recycle this cup’. The QR code can be scanned by a mobile phone which will lead the consumer to a web page which contains details of the growing numbers of cup recycling sites and schemes across the UK. “We were renewing our single wall and paper vending cup offering and wanted to bring in new, modern colors. In addition to focusing on the cup aesthetic and functionality, we also wanted to do more to help to communicate the recycling message”, says Becci Eplett, Marketing Manager for Huhtamaki UK. Click read more below for additional detail.

Since Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited, or APRIL, a leading pulp and paper manufacturer, adopted a sustainable forest management policy in 2014, its stakeholder advisory committee has played an important role in advising and monitoring the implementation of the company's commitment across the social, environmental and governance spheres, as well as engaging regularly with nongovernmental organizations to listen to their views. The committee, which by its constitution is independent of the company and comprised of national and international experts on forestry, social issues and business, meets three times a year. It also appoints an assurance provider to evaluate APRIL's sustainable policy implementation. In its 2018 report, the stakeholder advisory committee reviewed the full four years of APRIL's efforts in responsible fiber supply, landscape-level conservation and restoration of natural forest, reduction of forest fires, transparency and supplier compliance with the sustainable forest management policy. Click read more below for additional detail.

Paper or plastic? It’s a debate that has raged for years about a variety of goods, including grocery bags, food packaging materials, lollipop sticks, personal care items and other single-use products. The latest item to make headlines is the humble straw. Plastic drinking straws are ubiquitous, but they may soon take a backseat to paper drinking straws. A series of highly publicized California rulings has sparked a growing movement to ban plastic drinking straws in the United States, with proponents citing environmental concerns. One of the newest laws on the California books makes it illegal for restaurant servers to give guests plastic straws unless asked. Several California cities have followed suit by enacting local ordinances that ban the distribution or sale of plastic drinking straws in some food-service establishments. And it’s not just in California. Several major U.S. cities are putting laws in place to discourage the use of plastic drinking straws and stirrers. Amidst the growing debate, public pressure has also driven businesses — from Starbucks and Bon Appétit to SeaWorld and Disney — to announce their own plans to eliminate plastic drinking straws. Click read more below for additional detail.

Sustainably grown renewable wood fibre is Finland’s most significant natural resource. Wood-based biomaterials are already being used to manufacture competitive, environmentally friendly products, and their use will increase in the future. To introduce these possibilities, Metsä Group presents the world’s first biodegradable film production – Intelligent Fibre. With its rich forest resources, Finland is the world's No. 1 country in bioeconomy. Metsä Group is a Finnish forest industry company leading the way – we base our business on the resource-efficient use of renewable natural resources and recyclable materials. The current welfare society is a product of the fossil economy, but we see that the unsustainable consumption can no longer continue. The core idea behind bio and circular economy is that every part of a tree and all fractions are used for purposes that create the highest added value. The Intelligent Fibre campaign reveals the future use of wood: all featured objects – the shoe, the headphones and the scale model of the bioproduct mill – are made of biodegradable materials. Click read more below for additional detail.