Clearly, the number one priority in the global Amazon crisis is to put out the fires in Brazil and Bolivia. But once this is done, what should we do? Will the placement of military forces for an indefinite period solve the problem? While this form of command and control action is important, FSC believes it will not be enough to end deforestation. FSC believes that part of the solution is sustainable forest management. Another important piece in the puzzle is the implementation of an integrated holistic action plan that involves the Brazilian Ministries of Environment or Agriculture and includes all sectors and levels of government and civil society in the debate.

Get informed about the sustainability of print and paper! We’ve added our latest two fact sheets to our website, addressing key environmental topics. Download them by clicking the links below. Electronic Communication - As global demand for resources continues to grow, a sustainable future will depend heavily on the use of products that are highly recyclable and based on renewable materials and energy, as opposed to non-renewable materials produced with fossil fuel energy. Paper is well positioned given its unique sustainable features. “Go paperless, go green” is a common claim that encourages us to switch to electronic transactions and communications. But are appeals to help the environment by eliminating paper based on sound science or on marketing strategies? The responsible manufacture, use and recycling of print and paper contribute to long-term, sustainable forest management in North America and help mitigate climate change. Print and paper will remain an important element in our media mix, and will also continue to provide social and economic benefits that contribute significantly to the well-being of North American businesses and citizens alike.

The biological treatment plant at Obbola paper mill cleans the mills’ waste water before it’s released to the river. The purification is made in several stages where, among other things, suspended material (particles such as fibre residues, oxygen-consuming substances and biological sludge) is purified. Last year, an improvement project was initiated with the aim of improving the purification in the biological treatment plant. The factory had experienced interruptions in the plant and risked not being able to meet the emission conditions for the next years, if no measures were taken. A cross-functional team worked intensively for 12 weeks to collect data to be able to investigate the root cause of the disruptions at the plant. A number of measures were taken.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) committed in its latest annual progress report to continue advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations by maximizing its efforts in standards, conservation, education, and community. SFI’s 2019 report, entitled “Forests of Opportunity”, recounts the organization’s accomplishments encouraging and certifying the latest best practices in sustainable forest management with all its partners in Canada and the U.S. The report reflects the organization’s belief in the wealth of possibilities for economic growth, job‑creation and community building available by taking advantage of the values, goods and services provided by sustainably managed forests and sustainably sourced forest products. “Forests provide an opportunity to maintain and recover biodiversity and sustain a variety of conservation values, including clean water,” Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI said in the foreword to the 2019 report. “But to seize these opportunities, forests must be sustainably managed and forest products must be responsibly sourced.”

An estimated 32% of all plastic ends up being dumped after just one use, reveals the 2016 New Plastics Economy report. The EU ban on single-use plastics will take effect in 2021. New, tougher requirements will also be introduced for producers of other plastic product categories. “The much-touted new legislation on single-use plastic products will not solve the huge recycling dilemma. Plastics are already a highly regulated product group. They have to be produced using REACH-compliant chemicals, and there is a staggering amount of legislation on recycling. If the EU directives on packaging were fully implemented in all European countries, there would be no need to dump any plastic at all at landfills,” says Vesa Kärhä, CEO of the Finnish Plastics Industries Federation. In Finland, the collection and recycling of consumer plastics is off to a slow start, but gradually catching up with Europe’s leaders, Switzerland and Sweden. “When you look at Europe’s leading recyclers, they have all observed a total ban on landfilling for a long time. In other words, they have totally outlawed a cheap landfill solution. The European plastic industry recommends the same, too. Naturally, it has to be carried out in a way that gives operators enough time to figure out what can be done about the issue. Recycling and energy plants have to be available,” Kärhä notes.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announced that it has become a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative. The company also announced its new sustainability targets through 2025. Key goals include: •Responsibly sourcing materials with sustainable processes or from recycled fibers by 2025, including cotton, polyester, viscose, wool, down and linen •Driving 30 percent water reduction in denim (the company’s highest volume material) production by 2022 •Partnering with its vendor partners on training programs, including human trafficking prevention and health & wellbeing, and capacity building to support the training of 75,000 additional workers by 2022.

Our Outside Voice series highlights the perspectives of stakeholders and leaders on important sustainability topics, such as sustainability reporting. On the particulars, we may not always agree. But we believe in hearing and learning from others who offer valuable insights and a different point of view on issues that are important to us all. Mike Wallace, a partner at BrownFlynn, an ERM Group company, is an internationally recognized expert in sustainability with more than 20 years of experience advising corporations, nonprofits and government agencies on sustainability programs. He’s also interim executive director of the Social and Human Capital Coalition, a global collaboration that helps companies recognize, measure and value the importance of people and communities. Previously, he was a director at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Wallace recently spoke with our Outside Voice team about the evolution of sustainability reporting, new areas of interest for stakeholders and the benefits of transparency to both publicly traded and privately owned companies.

At PEFC, key decisions are not made by one person alone. We ensure that decision-making is done through consensus-driven processes that involve a wide range of parties, and that no single stakeholder or stakeholder group can become too powerful. While the General Assembly, our multi-stakeholder governance body, has the final say on decisive issues, our Board of Directors has an important role to play in support of it. The Board comprises the Chairperson of PEFC International, two Vice-Chairs and two to twelve Board members elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term. From the beginning, the diversity and equal representation of different groups was fundamental for the composition of the Board, as engraved in the original 1999 PEFC statutes:

Sustainability and legality initiatives such as PEFC forest certification and FLEGT VPA are increasingly running parallel in many Asian tropical countries. However, there is still limited coordination between these initiatives within the same country as well as among nation states. Ensuring meaningful coordination and synergies between these initiatives was amongst the key messages promoted at Asia-Pacific Forestry Week 2019 (APFW). The topic was delivered through the PEFC International APFW joint-event 'Development of synergies between PEFC and other initiatives such as FLEGT, utilizing experience in ASEAN'.

The paper and wood products industry uses renewable and recyclable resources to manufacture products that makes people’s lives better. Printing-writing papers, paper-based packaging, pulp, tissue and wood products play significant roles in everyday life by meeting needs for information, product protection, hygiene, housing and more. The manufacture of our industry’s products is customer and market driven. As the global population grows and impacts production and consumption, increasing circularity in our economy would build resilience, generate new business opportunities and provide economic, environmental and social benefits. The paper and wood products industry’s efforts to promote sustainable forest management, do more with less in the manufacturing process and recover products for recycling form the foundation of our contributions to the circular economy.

The federal government is not committing to an environmental assessment of Northern Pulp's plans to pump treated effluent from their plant into the Northumberland Strait. "We're still evaluating whether a federal assessment is necessary," Catherine McKenna, federal minister responsible for environment and climate change told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier. There have been calls from fishermen and First Nations in Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and New Brunswick for a federal assessment on Northern Pulp's plan to pump treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait. The King government is also calling for Ottawa to show strong leadership on the issue. McKenna said she has received those letters from parties worried about effluent potentially being pumped into the Northumberland Strait.

Imagine walking out of work for some fresh air and seeing a couple of bees flying around and then looking up to see a massive hive containing thousands of them. That's exactly what happened to an employee at our Green Bay Broadway mill. After it was reported, the first call was made to pest control to get rid of it. Once pest control identified the species of the bees, it was determined that it would be extremely valuable to the environment to relocate them vs. exterminating them. It turns out that the hive contained over 14,000 bees! Rescuing a swarm can be a difficult process but thankfully the Brown County Beekeepers Association was able to come rescue the swarm. Swarms can be captured in a variety of ways. In this case, the honeybees were removed by using a shop vac and a carrier. Yes, you read that right, the honeybees were vacuumed straight into the carrier that they needed to be transported in—surprisingly, it's a very safe process for the bees.

Our governance is bottom up, which means it is our members who make the key decisions through a balanced voting system. This enables us to build on our national members’ local expertise, complemented by the experiences of internationally active organizations. This unique structure allows for ethical and responsible decision-making that incorporates the combined experiences and knowledge of all stakeholders at national and international levels, including individuals on the ground as they are represented through our national members. Our commitment to participation, democracy and equity is a critical and central element within the governance of our organization. We have three decision-making bodies: the General Assembly, the PEFC International Board and the Secretary General.

Two Sides are pleased to announce the release of their tenth edition of the hugely popular Myths & Facts booklet. The A5 booklet has had a redesign and is filled with up to dates facts and figures regarding the print and paper industry. The Myths & Facts booklet has always been a popular resource for Two Sides members helping to dispel the common misconceptions surrounding the industry making it a great tool for promoting the great environmental story print and paper has to tell. The myths covered include: •European forests are shrinking •Paper is a wasteful product •Paper is bad for the environment •Only recycled paper should be used •Paper production is a major cause of global greenhouse gas emissions •Paper production consumes an excessive amount of water •Electronic communication is better for the environment than paper-based communication •Digital is the preferred means of communication.

Renewable biofuels and plywood offer solid solutions for green transport – without requiring costly investment in new cars or fuel distribution systems. The challenges presented by climate change are a source of deep concern and fierce debate across the globe. The need for decisive action is glaringly visible especially in transport, which is currently a main source of carbon dioxide emissions. In Finland, one fifth of carbon dioxide emissions derive from the transportation sector, 90% of which are caused by road traffic. The Nordic country aims to halve transport greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has calculated that this can goal could be achieved if 30% of all transport fuel were renewable biofuel, and if fossil-based vehicles were to be replaced by 250,000 electric cars and 50,000 biogas cars.

Evergreen Packaging Partners with The Rainforest Alliance, Forest Stewardship Council, and a Consortium of Forward-minded Forestry Corporations to Launch the Smallholder Access Program. Project is designed to protect forests and increase forest certification for smaller woodlands. Evergreen Packaging® is proud to be a founding participant in the Smallholder Access Program (SAP) led by The Rainforest Alliance and the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®-C016043). FSC, supports ecologically responsible, socially conscious forest management, and has worked to transform forestry practices globally for nearly 30 years through rigorous, science-based standards and a third-party certification system. Building off this experience, the Smallholder Access Program (SAP) is a two-year FSC pilot project designed to increase access to forest certification for woodland owners under 250 acres (100 hectares). The SAP will be available to landowners across Southern and Central Appalachia, encompassing parts of Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Nearly 60 percent of the forestland in this region is privately owned, representing a critical resource for the forest products industry.

The scientific community has long since agreed that climate change really is happening and worsening, and that it has been caused by human actions. For example, 89% of Finns consider climate change a serious issue. At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, 195 countries committed to the scientific community’s assessment and signed an agreement that aims to limit global warming to 2°C. To reach this goal, countries will have to reduce CO₂ emissions by 45%, compared to the 2010 levels, by 2030. The change is significant — but the current commitments made by the countries are not enough. The carbon budget calculated for the next hundred years for the earth will run out even if all countries that signed the agreement reach their goals on time or even exceeded them.

We are delighted to present the first two shortlisted projects for the World Architecture Festival’s (WAF) Best Use of Certified Timber Prize, supported by PEFC: A forest tower in Denmark that invites visitors to discover the forest from above, and an airport in the Philippines, whose timber roof makes it both inviting and earthquake-resistant. Camp Adventure Forest Tower is a helical observation tower that invites visitors to climb up above the treetops of the PEFC-certified Gisselfeld Klosters Forest in Denmark. The 45-metre-tall tower forms the culmination of a 900-metre-long boardwalk through the forest, and offers visitors a 360-degree view over the trees, hills, lakes and meadows that make up the natural landscape. Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), the second largest airport in the Philippines, has received a new terminal 2, with a gigantic roof made of PEFC-certified timber. The concept for the terminal was inspired by the local climate, materiality, feel, arts, crafts and industrial skills.

Driven by a passion for wildlife and a desire to leave a different kind of legacy, the Johnsonburg Mill found a perfect use for the nutrient-rich byproducts of the paper manufacturing process. Our land restoration efforts are bringing new life to the natural spaces in our Pennsylvania community. We converted both of the Johnsonburg Mill’s power boilers from coal to gas in late 2016, but our mill has a long history of helping to restore the land from which we once sourced fuel. For more than 20 years, Johnsonburg Mill has been using organic and nutrient-rich wastewater treatment residuals and acid-balancing lime residuals to rejuvenate old mine sites. The benefits of our land restoration efforts are wide-reaching: •We’ve helped improve regional water quality by more effectively treating acid mine drainage. •We’ve recreated the right environment for lush vegetation to grow, providing valuable food and cover for wildlife. •We’ve found a long-term, cost-effective and eco-friendly solution to divert more than 95 percent of the mill’s byproducts from the landfill to more beneficial uses.

PEFC is much more than just the secretariat in Geneva. We are an alliance of national forest certification systems, NGOs, labour unions, businesses, trade associations, forest owner organizations and committed individuals. Together, we work towards our vision of a world that values the contribution of sustainable forests to our planet and our lives. Our members are a vital part of the PEFC alliance. From the 12 founding members, to the current 81 members (51 national and 30 international stakeholder members), representing several hundred national stakeholder groups, we have grown and become global. But how have we got to this point – and how has it changed the very nature of PEFC?

Last year, McDonald's made headlines after it announced that it would be pulling plastic straws from all of its UK locations and replacing them with paper straws. The decision was praised by politicians and environmentalists. Then-environment secretary Michael Gove said it marked a "significant contribution" to helping the environment and that McDonald's was setting "a fine example to other large businesses." But it turns out these straws are not actually so eco-friendly. In fact, unlike their plastic equivalents, they are completely unrecyclable. "While the materials are recyclable, their current thickness makes it difficult for them to be processed by our waste solution providers, who also help us recycle our paper cups," a McDonald's spokesman told the UK's Press Association news agency.

Hearst UK, publisher of Cosmopolitan, Esquire and Good Housekeeping magazines, has pledged to replace plastic bags with paper wraps on all of its subscriber copies within six months. The change will apply across the magazine publisher’s 25 brands, which also include Harper’s Bazaar, Men’s Health, Elle and Red, on copies delivered to subscribers’ doorsteps. Hearst UK is the latest publisher to make the change, with the Guardian and Observer, FT, Times titles and Country Life magazine having all swapped out plastic wrappings for something more sustainable.

Resolute’s success in reducing our carbon emissions and our ongoing efforts to mitigate climate change have earned the company a 2019 Sustainability Award for best Sustainability Initiative of the Year (project) from the Business Intelligence Group . The organization’s Sustainability Awards annually honor people, teams and organizations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice or overall mission. This marks the third consecutive year Resolute has been recognized by the Sustainability Awards for our sustainability leadership, vision and strategic initiatives. In 2018, we were awarded a Sustainability Leadership Award in the Organization category, and in 2017, our vice-president of Corporate Communications, Sustainability and Government Affairs, Seth Kursman, was named a Sustainability Hero.

“We appreciate the EPA’s recognition of the need for sensible NSR accounting procedures that will provide a clear and concise approach to air permitting under the Clean Air Act. Codifying the concepts in the March 2018 PEA memo to allow increases and decreases in emissions to be counted together will exclude minor projects from a burdensome and inefficient permitting process. This NSR rule is part of a broader EPA effort to modernize an antiquated and complicated system and ensure our industry’s global competitiveness. We will continue to partner with stakeholders and decision makers to advance regulatory process reforms such as this to support our industry’s ability to innovate, invest and create American manufacturing jobs.”

Amazon announced the company’s 65th and 66th renewable energy projects. Amazon’s newest renewable energy project in the EU will be located in Cork, Ireland, and will be the second Amazon Wind Farm in the Republic of Ireland. Once complete, the new Amazon Wind Farm will provide 23.2 megawatts (MW) of renewable capacity, with expected generation of 68,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy annually. Amazon’s newest renewable energy project in the U.S. will be located in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and will be the seventh Amazon Solar Farm in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Once complete, the new Amazon Solar Farm will provide 45 megawatts (MW) of renewable capacity and is expected to generate 100,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy annually. Both projects are expected to begin producing clean energy in 2020 and will supply clean energy to the company’s Amazon Web Services datacenters, which power Amazon and millions of AWS customers globally. Additionally, Amazon’s investments in renewable energy were recently recognized in the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) 2018 Solar Means Business Report, which ranked Amazon #1 in the U.S. for amount of corporate on-site solar installed in 2018, and #2 for total amount of solar installed to date. Amazon’s solar projects in the U.S. have offset the CO2 equivalent of more than 200 million miles of truck deliveries. Globally, Amazon has 66 renewable energy projects – including 51 solar rooftops – that are expected to generate 1,342 MW of renewable capacity and deliver more than 3.9 million MWh of clean energy annually.