Top companies in Asia say they are standing behind the Paris climate accord reached last year, regardless of what path the U.S. takes. That includes at least one major producer of palm oil, a product whose plantations are often associated with deforestation and air pollution caused by the burning of land to make way for them. "We will continue to emphasize our priorities and keep climate at the top of the agenda," John Hartmann, chief executive Cargill Tropical Palm Holdings Pte. Ltd., wrote in an email. A number of other corporate leaders, from Australia to Japan, said they also would stand firm on plans to reduce their carbon footprints, even as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has created uncertainty about the climate-change accord formed last year in Paris and now agreed to by nearly 200 nations. Top executives with many big American corporations also have said they would follow through on their plans to shrink their carbon profiles, even with Mr. Trump's skeptical view of some Obama administration environmental policies. click Read More below for additional detail

HP has been identified as a global leader for the actions and strategies it is taking to manage its use of timber products more sustainably by CDP, which named HP one of only eight companies to earn a position on the inaugural CDP “Forest A List” for its deforestation management efforts. HP is the only information technology (IT) company to make this year’s Forest A List. “We are proud to be recognized by CDP for our ongoing efforts to responsibly and sustainably manage our paper-based products and packaging,” said Nate Hurst, Chief Sustainability & Social Impact Officer. “This recognition reflects our commitment to combatting climate change and deforestation by operating a more sustainable business throughout our value chain.”

UPM has become member of RSB, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials. RSB is a global standard and certification scheme for sustainable production of biomaterials and biofuels. It is also an independent multi-stakeholder coalition, which works to support the sustainability of biomaterials. RSB is considered one of the strongest sustainability schemes, verifying that biomaterials are ethical, sustainable, and credibly sourced. It is also one of the EU approved voluntary schemes for biofuels to show compliance with sustainability requirements set for the production of biofuels in the EU's Renewable Energy Directive. UPM sees great potential in RSB and is keen to be part of the future development of the scheme. click Read More below for additional detail

Plastic bags are commonplace in retail. But there’s an alternative that is much better for the climate. “Of the different carrier bags that we studied, the paper bag made by material from BillerudKorsnäs has the smallest carbon footprint,” said Lena Dahlgren from IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute. EU citizens use an average of 200 plastic bags a year, many of which are used in the current Christmas shopping period. Lots of plastic bags are only used once and end up in landfill. A Swedish life cycle analysis carried out by IVL Swedish Environmental Institute has now shown that the carbon footprint of a carrier bag made from recycled plastic is twice that of a paper bag made by material from BillerudKorsnäs. click Read More below for additional detail

SCA has been acknowledged as a global leader for its sustainable use of timber products with a position on the Forest A List for timber by the leading environmental non-profit, CDP. SCA is one of only eight companies to have achieved a commodity A grade. This list features businesses that are on the path to sustainably sourcing or producing timber commodities, which is among the four key commodities linked to global deforestation. click Read More below for additional detail

Metsä Board has achieved Leadership status in the materials sector of CDP’s 2016 Forest Programme for the second year in a row. This follows swiftly on the news that CDP recently recognised Metsä Board’s management of water security and climate change with A-List positions in both programmes. For Metsä Board, a key part of sustainable forestry is forest renewal. “Here in Finland, four new seedlings are planted for each harvested tree. Metsä Group delivers seedlings to forest-owners for planting, and during the past couple of years this has amounted annually to 30 million seedlings, which is an impressive number,” says Mika Joukio, Metsä Board’s CEO. click Read More below for more of the story

Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) has achieved a Gold Recognition Level for sustainability from EcoVadis, placing the company at the top 4% of suppliers in the category of pulp, paper and paperboard manufacturing industry. EcoVadis operates the first collaborative platform for 150 multinational companies enabling them to benchmark and monitor the sustainable performance of their suppliers with easy-to-use CSR scorecards helping procurement teams to monitor their suppliers’ environmental, social and ethical practices across 150 purchasing categories and 110 countries. APP was ranked in the top 5% for environmental performance and in the top 15% for Fair Business Practices and Supply Chain, among other categories. click Read More below for additional detail

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is pleased to announce that a PHD graduate from McGill University, Goeun Sim, has been chosen as the Canadian finalist for the global Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Award, based on her exciting and environmentally leading proposal to advance innovation in the forest products sector. Dr. Sim’s research proposal is based on the novel development of smart multi-coloured wood based fabrics that are free of toxic chemicals using coloured nanoparticles as a dye. The resulting environmentally sustainable textile production would eliminate pollutants and the non-toxic cellulose yarns would be a value-added product for the forest industry. click Read More below for additional detail

Mondi has been recognised as a Sector Category winner in three areas of it’s work: - In the category “Transparency” Mondi was recognised for publishing the forest, climate and water footprint of 92% of our uncoated fine paper brands. - In the category “Best Environmental Performance Paper Brands”, 32 of our uncoated fine paper brands received this award, reaching over 80% of achievable scores. - In the category “Striving for Continual Improvement” our packaging paper brands were recognised for using a proactive approach in assessing the forest, water and climate footprint for internal purposes, using WWF´s Check your Paper Method. click Read More below for additional detail

Sustainability was the second most prioritized section in this year’s Webranking and one in which SCA got the highest score in Sweden, receiving 87% of the maximum score (compared with last year’s 78%). In particular, respondents considered SCA to be most transparent about their sustainability work in their online channels highlighting the presentation of both environmental and social data, as well as clearly communicated targets and follow-up actions.That SCA now has a digital sustainability report, further increased our score. Results also showed that many companies still lag when it comes to sharing their sustainability information on the web. This year the goal achievement was 32%. click Read More below for additional detail

The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) has become the latest national forest certification system to seek PEFC endorsement, and stakeholders globally are invited to provide feedback on its compliance with our Sustainability Benchmarks by 7 January 2017. ATFS is one of the oldest initiatives for certifying sustainable forestry in the world. It was first launched in 1941 as a private initiative to address concerns that America's forests were being cut at unsustainable rates without reforestation. It now represents 74,000 tree farmers sustainably managing more than 7.7 million hectares of PEFC-certified forestland. ATFS first achieved PEFC endorsement back in 2005, and this latest revision of the standard will mark the fourth time the national standard has been submitted to PEFC. click Read More below for additional detail

At the annual meeting of Two Sides Country Managers in London on the 31st October 2016, representatives from Europe, North America, South America, South Africa and Australia determined to renew efforts to stop organisations using anti-print and paper messages in their marketing. Claims like, ‘go paperless, go green’ and ‘go paperless, save trees’, are commonplace as major corporations promote electronic services and products to reduce costs. However, such claims are not backed up by any analysis, they ignore the unique sustainable features of print and paper, and they do not consider the fact that all communication channels have an environmental impact. click Read More below for additional detail

UPM has received the PPI Bio Strategy Award 2016 for its biofuels business in Brussels, Belgium.The PPI Awards are the only global awards that are dedicated to recognizing the achievements of companies, mills and individuals in the pulp and paper sector. The judges were looking for a company that has grabbed the opportunity in using wood, biomass or waste for the creation of bioenergy, biofuels and other non-core products signifying an entrance into the bioeconomy, and has demonstrated that the strategy impacts financial performance. A great example case of this is of course UPM's advanced biofuels production in the UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery in Finland. click Read More below for more of the story

This November 19, on World Toilet Day, Kimberly-Clark renews its commitment to its Toilets Change Lives program, a multi-national commercial program that leverages the power of its well-known brands to educate consumers and help solve the global sanitation crisis. The United Nations General Assembly officially designated World Toilet Day in 2013 to raise awareness and inspire efforts to tackle the global sanitation crisis. A lack of basic sanitation affects more than 2.4 billion people around the world, making 'access to water and sanitation for all' an important platform for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The reality of what this means for so many people is profound. Countless children miss school because of the spread of life-threatening diseases and infection from a lack of basic sanitation. And millions of girls miss school every month because menstruation becomes too hard to manage without access to proper facilities. click Read More below for additional detail

Stora Enso and Volvo Cars officially opened a new hot water pipeline between their manufacturing sites in Ghent, Belgium, on 18 November 2016. The four-kilometre pipeline will take hot water heated using renewable energy from Stora Enso’s paper mill to the Volvo plant, where it will be used to heat buildings and paint booths. The annual reductions in CO2emissions correspond to the heating of 5 000 households. Bart Tommelein, Minister of Energy of the Flemish Government, ceremoniously opened the valves of the pipeline together with the managing directors of Volvo Car Gent and Stora Enso’s Langerbrugge Mill, Eric Van Landeghem and Chris De Hollander. Thanks to the pipeline, Volvo Cars will use substantially lower amounts of fossil fuels for heating – also reducing the plant’s CO2emissions and energy costs. The project will lead to emission reductions estimated at 15 000 tonnes of CO2per year, cutting the Ghent plant’s total CO2emissions by more than 40 per cent. click Read More below for more of the story

This year saw our members smash through past records for new PEFC-certified hectares! In Australia alone, more than 16 million hectares of forest became PEFC-certified – an achievement that won Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) the top prize for growth during our PEFC Forest Certification Week award ceremony. Second and third place did not do badly either, with Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and PEFC Russia adding 8.2 million and 8.1 million hectares of certified forest, respectively – an amount that in previous years would have easily given them first place! click Read More below for additional detail

“We must embrace curiosity and rejoice in the alchemy of innovation to come up with new ideas, products, and solutions to develop different ways to promote our vision of a world in which people manage forests sustainably,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, as he opened the 21st PEFC General Assembly. “As the needs and expectations of the world change, it is vital that we keep up, or better still stay ahead, always thinking how best we can serve our customers, from forest owners, to companies along the supply chain, both now and in the future, in safeguarding the world's forest resources.” “To do this, we need to ensure that we empower our members, that we ensure they can reach their full potential,” Ben continued. click Read More below for more of the story

A new survey finds older generations are more likely to believe that recycling can help the planet and to go out of their way to recycle. The survey[1] commissioned by Plastics Make It Possible® also finds that older adults are more likely to make a daily habit of recycling. For example, people 60 years and older are 15 percent more likely to recycle daily than millennials. Similarly, 44 percent of people 60 and older say they would walk a long way to recycle rather than trash a plastic bottle—more than any other age group. Compared to older Americans, millennials typically are less likely to know that common plastics, such as shampoo bottles, yogurt containers, and milk jugs, are recyclable. And the widely held belief that recycling can do some good and help the planet is softer among millennials. click Read More below for additional detail

Metsä Board has been recognised by CDP as a global leader for its actions and strategies to manage water more sustainably. This is the second consecutive year that Metsä Board has been positioned on the CDP Water A List, where only 4% of the companies disclosing were accepted. The CDP Water A List was announced last year for the first time. Metsä Board was honoured to be one of the eight companies on the 2015 list. This year 607 companies disclosed their water management to CDP, and Metsä Board is one of only 24 global companies to make the 2016 Water A List. “We’re delighted to have again earned a spot on the CDP Water A List among the world’s best performing companies on water security,” says Mika Joukio, CEO of Metsä Board. “Metsä Board’s mills are located in one of the most water rich areas in the world. However, we still use our water resources efficiently and seek continuously new ways to reduce its use. Responsible water management is a vital part in our resource efficiency programme as reduced water use improves our energy and production efficiency.” click Read More below for more of the story

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) recognized Dart Container Corporation with the 2016 AF&PA Leadership in Sustainability Award for Paper Recovery for Recycling for Dart’s Employee Recycling Center. The award was presented at AF&PA’s annual meeting on Friday, Nov. 11 in Cary, North Carolina. “Dart Container is leading by example with their Employee Recycling Center, which has made paper recovery for recycling easier and more accessible for their employees and their families,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. Dart Container opened a drive-through recycling facility at its Mason, Michigan headquarters where employees have access to free, convenient paper recycling. Regular curbside residential recycling services in the area are uncommon, and often require payment. In its first three months, the facility recycled nearly 93,000 pounds of paper products. click Read More below for more of the story

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University have diverted almost six tons of waste from landfills through an innovative recycling program that turns used lab gloves and garments into shelving, flowerpots and lawn and garden furniture. Both institutions were looking for ways to reduce their solid waste streams and enhance their sustainability efforts. They found it in a program called RightCycle by Kimberly-Clark Professional, the first large-scale recycling program for non-hazardous lab and industrial waste. Since its inception in 2011, RightCycle has diverted more than 350 metric tons of waste from landfills. click Read More below for additional detail

Today marks the first day of PEFC Forest Certification Week 2016, the one week in the year when the whole PEFC family from around the world gathers together to discuss not only the future of the organization but the future of forest certification. “This year we came to the vibrant island of Bali, which has already made us feel very welcome,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, on eve of PEFC Week. “We are all looking forward to a challenging but inspirational week, which will culminate in the PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue.” Perhaps the highlight of the week, the PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue is when we open up PEFC Week to the public, focusing in on some of the key issues and future opportunities for both forest certification and sustainable forest management. click Read More below for additional detail

Crown Holdings, Inc. has achieved an "A-" ranking (on a scale from A-F) for the climate change strategy outlined in its first annual CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) submission. This program cycle's evaluation included a total of 2,449 companies globally, with the average program ranking being a "C." Crown's submission reflects data collected from the Company's operations across 40 countries for the period of January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. Crown's ranking places the Company in the "Leadership" tier, the highest level that can be attained. This achievement is based on the Company's excellent performance in the following categories: Governance and Strategy, Risk and Opportunity Management and Emissions Management.

, a nutrient recycling programme from the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, has granted funding for a joint project established by UPM together with the fertiliser and crop nutrition expert Yara Suomi Oy to develop nutrient recycling. Funding has been granted for the years 2017-2018. "The project by UPM and Yara Suomi is a concrete initiative to develop and test fertilisers with clear-cut targets", says Senior Officer Anni Karhunen from the Ministry of the Environment. "I am particularly happy that, for the first time, someone is really looking into the possibilities of reusing nutrients in the side streams of the forest industry. The projects that were chosen for the Raki funding once again include many different companies, so I am confident it will also lead to new business development", she continues. "The joint project by UPM and Yara concentrates on the possibilities for the agricultural reuse of nutrients retrieved from the sludge originating from the pulp and paper mill's effluent treatment plants and the ash from the incineration process", says Esa Laurinsilta, Director of Strategic Partnerships at UPM. click Read More below for additional detail

Climate change means that trees germinating today will be living in a much-altered climate by the time they reach middle age. The expected changes are likely to hit them hard and threaten key forest functions in the decades ahead. However, appropriate management shall enable to increase the forest habitat's adaptability. This is shown by the results of the Forests and Climate Change research programme conducted by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL since 2009.

A steady increase in sea levels is pushing saltwater into U.S. wetlands, killing trees from Florida to as far north as New Jersey. But with sea level projected to rise by as much as six feet this century, the destruction of coastal forests is expected to become a worsening problem worldwide.

Amcor continues to make important progress in developing and delivering packaging that maximizes its benefits and limits adverse effects on the environment – and is determined to be a leader in accomplishing much more. That is the primary message in Amcor’s 2016 Sustainability Review, which covers developments and achievements during the company’s most recent fiscal year and is now available online, at www.amcor.com/sustainability.

Accreditation Services International (ASI) has suspended the certification body Holzforschung Austria from issuing FSC chain of custody (CoC) certificates worldwide. The measure came into effect on 21 October 2016. The suspension will be in place for a maximum of six months and it restricts Holzforschung Austria’s ability to issue new FSC CoC certificates or perform initial certification services globally. However, existing certificates issued by Holzforschung Austria will remain valid and the company can continue to conduct surveillance and re-certification audits for its clients during the period of suspension.

Slimy, slithery creatures take centre stage at Halloween, but they fascinate children all year round. Kids are onto something because these animals are important to the health and biodiversity of Canada’s forests. That’s why the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to support important conservation research on amphibians and their habitat led by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and the Earth Rangers’ School Assembly Program, which leverages kids’ love of nature — even the slimy and slithering kind.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) convened researchers, conservationists, academics and government officials from across North America this week for the first full-scale meeting of the SFI Sounding Board to provide guidance for the SFI Conservation Impact Project. This project, launched by SFI in September at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, is a large-scale effort to quantify conservation benefits of well-managed forests stretching across North America from British Columbia to Florida. Forests certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard cover more than 280 million acres/113 million hectares. Millions more benefit from the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard.

BillerudKorsnäs’ has been recognised for its leadership in response to climate change and has been awarded a position on the Climate A-list by CDP. CDP is a non-profit organisation that works to transform the way the world does business, thus preventing damaging climate change. The CDP Climate A-list was produced at the request of 827 investors representing joint assets of US$100 trillion. A total of 193 companies, or 9% of all companies that submitted its climate disclosures were included on the list, which reflects global leadership in actions to mitigate climate change.

FSC US released a new campaign – One Simple Action – supported by some of the world’s largest consumer-facing companies, such as Kimberly-Clark. This is the first time that global companies work together to promote FSC in the US. HP Inc., International Paper, McDonald’s, Procter and Gamble, and Williams-Sonoma Inc. joined Kimberly-Clark to partner with FSC and WWF, with a goal of showing consumers how One Simple Action - buying FSC-certified products - can help take care of forests for future generations.

While the Stora Enso vessel TransPaper travels between Northern Finland and Continental Europe carrying board and paper to our customers, it is also helping researchers gather climate data from what is one of the world's most sensitive waters, the brackish Baltic Sea. The boat is equipped with an automated device collecting air and water samples at regular intervals for environmental research. It measures, for instance, salinity, chlorophyll, alkalinity, phosphate/nitrate levels, and the concentration of cyanobacterias. In addition, measurement of the sea surface temperature is used for modeling ice coverage in Bothnian Bay.

UPM has been included in the CDP Climate A List. UPM is featured in the CDP's climate change program for the eight years in a row for its climate actions and transparent climate reporting. UPM's Biofore strategy meets the challenges set by climate change on many levels: it promotes sustainable forestry, resource efficient production and the manufacturing of recyclable products that are based on renewable raw materials. "Apart from actions, also the quality of reporting matters. Investors and other important stakeholders use our public data to evaluate how well we tackle global climate challenges and changes in market conditions and comply with related regulations", says Sami Lundgren, Vice President, Environment & Responsibility.

Metsä Board has been identified as a global leader for its actions and strategies in response to climate change and has been awarded a position on the Climate A List by CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project), the international not-for-profit organisation that drives sustainable economies. Metsä Board is among 9% of corporations participating in CDP’s climate change programme to be awarded a position on the list, in recognition of its actions to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change in the past reporting year.

Every October is an exciting time for the industry as we celebrate National Forest Products Week and get to remind the world of the many benefits of choosing paper and paper packaging. At home, school, the workplace and all points in between, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products provide undeniable value to consumers and communities across the country. And the best part of using forest products for everyday use is they are made from a renewable and recyclable resource. In 2015, the industry recovered 66.8 percent of paper and paperboard in the U.S. And we achieve continuously high recovery rates through the voluntary, market-driven recovery system. Compared to other recyclable commodities, the recovery rate of paper and paper-based packaging from municipal solid waste streams is very high. Promoting increased paper recycling is an integral part of our industry’s sustainable practices. Since AF&PA instituted the first paper recovery goal, the industry has worked with partners to promote increased paper recovery in communities, on college campuses, in schools, and businesses. click Read More below for more of the story

As the world’s leaders head to Marrakech this November for the latest climate change talks, PEFC is gathering its stakeholders in Bali to explore how we can amplify the essential role that forests and trees play in providing solutions to some of the world’s most complex challenges. 7 billion people live on our planet, this means that demands for food and fiber are continuing to mount. Agriculture, conservation, development and other land uses all compete for space. We already know that forests have a vital role to play, a role that has been further reinforced within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Accord. And we hope, as the Conference of the Parties meet again, that forests will once again be a high priority. click Read More below for additional detail

The paper recycling rate in Europe reached an impressive 71.5% as announced by the European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) in their final monitoring report for 2015. Compared to 2010, collection and recycling has increased by almost one million tonnes of paper. This is due in part to the excellent work of the ERPC. The 2015 European paper recycling rate of 71.5% is 1.5% higher than the target set by the ERPC in the 3rd European Declaration on Paper Recycling for the period 2010-2015. We are proud to report on the impressive work completed, following the pledge it first made in 2000 to expand paper recycling in Europe. click Read More below for additional detail

SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company, has joined the Circular Economy 100 (CE100), an Ellen MacArthur Foundation program established to enable organizations to develop new circular opportunities. The transition to a circular economy – powered by renewable energy and in which resources and energy are used as effectively as possible – is the core of any low-carbon society. The CE100 membership will help accelerate SCA’s circular economy ambitions and further enhance SCA’s ability to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and Goal 13: Climate Change. click Read More below for additional detail

For 24 years, the Clemson University community has come together to build a Habitat for Humanity home for a local family during the 10 days leading up to the homecoming football game. As an orange wave of pride in Clemson Tigers football surged across campus, a new home for a local family came to life on Bowman Field on Saturday. The project was supported in part this year by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant program in partnership with the South Carolina SFI Implementation Committee. The grant provided funding and wood products certified to SFI. Wood was donated by Kapstone Paper and Packaging, Norbord provided subflooring, and Huber contributed roof and wall sheathing — all of which are SFI Program Participants and committee members. click Read More below for more of the story

Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) recently recognized International Paper with an FSC Leadership Award for forest certification commitment and program innovation. The FSC Leadership Awards celebrate organizations and people who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to responsible forest management and FSC. Winners were selected by a jury panel of professionals, FSC staff, and board members and were announced at the FSC Leadership Awards ceremony on Oct. 5, 2016 at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. International Paper was recognized for its innovative U.S. FSC certification strategy to increase the amount of FSC certified fiber used in packaging, pulp, and paper products. One of the ways International Paper increased the amount of FSC certified fiber was the development of its own FSC forest management group - Certified Forest Management LLC (CFM LLC). CFM LLC is managed by International Paper's fiber supply team and has become a cost-effective means for small private landowners to become FSC certified. click Read More below for additional detail

For the first time, six publicly traded companies – some of which are competitors – have come together to promote the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) directly to consumers. The companies are HP Inc., International Paper, Kimberly-Clark, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. All sell FSC-certified products. Launching today with a video titled "One Simple Action," the campaign represents an unprecedented corporate-NGO partnership, which includes FSC and World Wildlife Fund. The goal is to encourage consumers to purchase products bearing the FSC label, which means the forests the products came from were managed responsibly. click Read More below for additional information

The majority of students today live in urban environments and have limited opportunities to explore and become familiar with a forest and how forest products are made, including paper. Helping teachers and students increase their understanding of complex environmental issues, with a particular focus on the forest, is the goal of our most recent Fact Sheet: Teacher Resources Related to Paper, Forest Products and the Environment, a comprehensive list of websites that provide useful teaching resources. The list includes links to materials for all educational levels about trees, sustainable forest management, biodiversity, wildlife, recycling and much more in the form of lesson plans, power points and videos that can be used in the classroom, outdoor activities, data analysis tools, contests and interactive games as well as teacher’s tours and workshops about sustainable forestry across the U.S. and Canada. click Read More below for additional information

Don’t be afraid to use paper and packaging, just make sure they are PEFC-certified! This is set to be the key message of the 1st PEFC Sustainability Fair in Chile later this month. Join the Chilean Sustainable Forest Certification System, CERTFOR, and PEFC International, in Santiago, Chile on 26 October, as we seek to raise awareness of sustainable forest products and promote the use of paper and packaging certified by PEFC, the world’s leading forest certification system. Responsible procurement is a concept that has not only grown in importance for consumers. Today, it is also part of public policy in Chile for the purchase of paper and furniture, and a cornerstone in programs of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for many organizations around the world. click Read More below for important details

The Atlantic Forest that hugs the coastal areas of Brazil is one of the country's most environmentally threatened biomes. UPM Raflatac is pleased to announce it will be contributing to the protection of this vital ecosystem by partnering on a one-hectare reforestation project of the Jaguari River. UPM Raflatac has teamed up with the Prefeitura Municipal de Jaguariúna, Ambev, The Nature Conservancy, Associação Mata Ciliar, Embrapa-Meio Ambiente, Agência das Bacias PCJ and Agência Nacional de Águas (ANA) for this reforestation project along a Permanent Protection Area of the Jaguari River in the city of Jaguariúna, where UPM Raflatac Brazil is headquartered and operates a terminal supporting the South American market. The project will kick-off on Wednesday, October 5 with a special tree planting event to be attended by UPM Raflatac employees and local students. Part of the city of Jaguariúna's "Programa Bacias Jaguariúna," which creates partnerships with companies located there, the Brazil Reforestation Project will create a riparian buffer zone along the Jaguari River, which supplies 95 percent of the water supply to the nearby city. Riparian buffers help improve water quality by preventing pollutants from reaching a river or stream, and by planting 1,666 native Mata Atlantic species trees, construction of fences along the recovered area, and continued maintenance, the river will flow cleaner than ever before. It is expected the project will last for two years, due to wildfire prevention, soil treatment, irrigation, and growth of the planted trees. click Read More for additional detail

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone who lives off the land just got along? If farmers could grow crops without irreversibly damaging the soil or cutting down forests to grow monocultures? If conservationists could ensure the biological diversity in the same area? If the chocolate factory could purchase enough cocoa for the foreseeable future without depleting the natural resources? And if the government could reach its goals of moving poor people out of poverty? Well, that wouldn’t be just nice, that would be perfect. So it has to be unrealistic. Maybe for now, but it doesn’t hurt to be aspirational, says Terry Sunderland, Team Leader Sustainable Landscapes and Food Systems at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). click Read More below for more information

Operating across two time zones and two Canadian provinces, with a combined area the size of continental Europe, hasn't stopped the Central Canada Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Implementation Committee from setting a new standard for community building, partnerships and member participation. In recognition of this outsized effort, the committee received the SFI Implementation Committee Award at the SFI 2016 Annual Conference. "The committee has established an extraordinary range of partnerships and signed 15 memorandums of understanding (MOUs). The central Canada committee is the first Canadian committee to win this award. The fact that they managed to stand out in such a competitive competition, among 34 SFI Implementation Committees, speaks volumes about the good work they are doing to promote SFI and spread responsible forestry," said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. The committee's partners come from government, NGOs, universities, Indigenous groups and industry. "I was deeply impressed by the level of commitment, participation and attendance at their meetings," said Mike Sullivan who sat on the award evaluation committee. Sullivan is a member of the SFI External Review Panel and a Director at the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources. "The committee's enthusiasm for spreading responsible forestry is contagious and their hard hat sticker campaign is engaging frontline harvesting professionals." click Read More below for the rest of the story

The brownish water and dead seabeds are gone. This year Iggesund Paperboard, manufacturer of the paperboards Invercote and Incada, can look back on a century’s unique performance record on sustainability. Iggesund Mill opened its first pulp mill in 1916, which was expanded to become an integrated pulp and paperboard mill in 1963. I’m proud to have the privilege of working for a company whose environmental efforts are characterised by both a long-term approach and a sense of responsibility,” comments Anna Mårtensson, Environmental Managerat Iggesund Paperboard’s Swedish production facility, Iggesund Mill. “Today our environmental impact is almost non-existent compared with the situation just over 50 years ago.” When Iggesund built its first pulp mill in 1916, environmental legislation did not exist and companies were basically free to release fibre waste and chemicals into the air and water. During the mill’s first 50 years this caused a significant negative effect on the local environment. The first emissions limits were set in 1963, symbolically the same year that biologist Rachel Carson’s famous book about the influence of pesticides on nature, Silent Spring, was published and became the alarm clock that laid the foundation of today’s environmental movement. Click Read More below for additional detail.

2015 Highlights include: Less road building (40% reduction); Operate on less of the landbase – less fragmentation of the forest; No increase in the percentage of clear cutting; Zero 3rd party certification non-conformances in independent annual (2015) audits of 145 forest sustainability indicators (FSC, SFI & ISO 14001); 3,400,000 trees planted; Worked with 30 commercial outfitters offering outdoor experiences in our woodlands; 228 voluntary conservation sites. Click Read More for additional detail.

Millar Western’s 2017-27 Detailed Forest Management Plan (DFMP) for its Forest Management Agreement (FMA) area is nearing its final phase. In development for more than two years, the plan will guide forest management operations in the FMA area for the next 10 years. To ensure that the DFMP reflects local interests and priorities, Millar Western has sought public input at various junctures during its development. Starting October 4, it will begin its next and final consultation, beginning with a presentation of the draft Preferred Forest Management Scenario (PFMS) to Millar Western’s Public Advisory Committee. The next day, Millar Western will hold an open house at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre in Whitecourt, Alberta, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, to present the draft PFMS to all interested parties. “The PFMS is the result of an intensive back-and-forth process, whereby we use computer models to achieve the best balance among environmental, social and economic objectives on the land base,” said Chief Forester Bob Mason. “Whereas earlier consultations were focused on determining forest values — the features stakeholders deem important and wish to preserve on the landscape — the PFMS has accounted for those values and proposes harvesting volumes, locations and timeframes for the plan period.”

Two Sides North America, Inc. confirmed that over 65 leading North American companies have removed inaccurate anti-paper claims as a result of the group’s efforts. The list includes several Fortune 100 companies in the financial, telecom and utilities sectors who have engaged in a dialogue with Two Sides and modified their marketing messages to consider the social and environmental benefits of print and paper, as well as the life cycle of sustainable forests and paper products. “The ‘go green and save trees’ claims are misleading and false for many reasons, and they are a form of greenwashing that needs to be corrected,” said Phil Riebel, President of Two Sides North America, Inc. “The claims don’t consider the renewability of paper, or the numerous social, environmental, and economic benefits of well-managed North American forests, which in the U.S. have grown by 58% in wood volume over the past 60 years.” click Read More below for the rest of the story

Twin Rivers Paper Company is pleased to announce the company has achieved PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™) Chain of Custody certification. The certification supports the Company’s commitment to sustainable fiber sourcing principles. “The addition of PEFC certification is important both domestically and for its international reach. The standard enables our customers to have confidence the products they use from Twin Rivers are produced using practices that are consistent with their global procurement and sustainability initiatives,” said Dave Deger, Vice President, Strategy & Marketing. This rigorous international third-party standard ensures the wood and fiber used to make the Company’s lightweight specialty paper and dimensional lumber products originate from sustainable, well-managed forests.

A book You don’t want to put down! In partnership with Dr. Theresa Dankovich from Carnegie Mellon, WATERisLIFE introduced The Drinkable Book™, the first-ever manual that provides safe water, sanitation and hygiene education and serves as a tool to kill deadly waterborne diseases by providing the reader with an opportunity to create clean, drinkable water from each page. We are working on a variety of languages, teaching methods and ways to share the message through training, storytelling and discussions in communities and schools worldwide where there is a desperate need. Each book can provide a user with clean water for up to four years. WATERisLIFE has introduced a campaign to move into full production of The Drinkable Book™, and with your help, we can distribute the books as part of WATERisLIFE’s integrated water, sanitation and hygiene program to save lives and transform communities, as well as make the books available for global partner distribution. Please DONATE to help provide funding for research and development of The Drinkable Book™ to get it into the hands of those in desperate need of clean water.

Xerox has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for the first time and the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for the third consecutive year. In the categories of corporate code of conduct, corporate governance and environmental management and reporting, Xerox exceeded the average score of DJSI World Members. Xerox was one of nine companies in the IT and software services sector to make the DJSI industry list and scored higher than most of the other industry members on all DJSI dimensions (economic, environmental and social). "To be recognized as a leader in sustainability is validation of our long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility that is core to our business, operations, products and solutions throughout the world,” said Flor Colon, Xerox Corporate Social Responsibility council chair.

"We are proud that our commitment to advancing sustainable forest management, specifically the progress we have been making in Asia, is being recognized by the prestigious TTJ Award," said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, following the announcement that PEFC was shortlisted in the Environmental Achievement category. "This sends an important signal to the many organizations and people involved in our various projects in Asia that their work is highly relevant and appreciated."

FSC is calling on certificate holders and trademark service licence holders to participate in its 2016 Global Market Survey. We would like to thank those who have already completed the survey – your feedback is really appreciated. This year, we are extending the invitation to take part in the survey also to FSC trademark service licensees. The survey results will help us plan our strategic work and fine-tune our service delivery. The Global Market Survey is one of the main tools we use to understand market needs and receive feedback on our tools and services. Respondents have an opportunity to participate in a prize draw to win free advertisement space on FSC Marketplace. The winners will be announced on the FSC International website.

Technology advancements are expected to continue to drive down the cost of wind energy, according to a survey of the world's foremost wind power experts led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Experts anticipate cost reductions of 24%-30% by 2030 and 35%-41% by 2050, under a median or 'best guess' scenario, driven by bigger and more efficient turbines, lower capital and operating costs, and other advancements.

Water quantity and quality concerns have been steadily rising in the last several years. Arguably, the crisis in Flint, Michigan has caused the country to focus on water issues more than it ever has before. While that focus, appropriately, is on drinking water infrastructure, water use and quality issues are and will continue to be of concern in many regions and communities. In those areas, AF&PA members are taking the steps necessary to be part of the solution. Through our Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 initiative our members have committed to reduce water use in their pulp and paper mills by 12 percent from 2005 to 2020. In 2014, they are more then half way there, having reduced water use by 6.5 percent. They are making progress toward achieving this goal by taking simple, routine steps, such as upgrading to more efficient technologies, as well as more innovative projects. click Read More below for additional information

UPM has been listed as the forest and paper industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index (DJSI) for 2016-2017. "We believe that customers, investors and other stakeholders value our responsible operations that keep risks under control and create business opportunities. Innovations such as lighter publication paper grades, renewable diesel or biochemicals e.g. for medical end-uses create benefits to our stakeholders and the society, and thereby increase the company value. Being listed as the top company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in Europe shows that we have been succeeding in our actions and engagement and that the results are also noted outside", says Pirkko Harrela, Executive Vice President, Stakeholder Relations.

BillerudKorsnäs has been included in one of the world’s most prestigious sustainability indices; Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index. In addition, the company was named Sustainability Leader in the Containers & Packaging category. BillerudKorsnäs is the only European company in its category to be included. BillerudKorsnäs scored particularly high in the field of environment, eg. climate strategy, environmental management system and environmental reporting. Ethical guidelines and supplier management were also given high scores, among others.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Inc. announced today that the SFI 2015-2019 Forest Management Standard has again met the rigorous third-party assessment of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). This is SFI’s fourth PEFC assessment. The SFI Program was first endorsed in 2005. PEFC is an umbrella organization that endorses national forest certification systems developed collaboratively by diverse stakeholders, tailored to local priorities and conditions. “SFI makes important contributions that address the unique needs of North America’s forests and communities, and is a valuable national member working with PEFC to elevate the role of responsible forestry,” said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC. “Only forest certification standards that meet our rigorous meta-standard and that are developed in an open, transparent manner through a multi-stakeholder process are endorsed by PEFC.” PEFC’s sustainable forest management criteria are founded on internationally recognized criteria and indicators developed by government agencies around the world. The SFI Program was re-endorsed by PEFC after a 60-day public comment period, a detailed examination and third-party assessment against nearly 200 criteria by a PEFC-approved assessor and a review by the PEFC Panel of Experts.

With over 18,000 PEFC Chain of Custody certified companies worldwide, our Chain of Custody standard 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 easy to use and meets customer expectations, while also respecting the integrity of our requirements and our system. As a result, our Chain of Custody standard is one of the areas under review as we continue our standards revision process. The responsibility for this revision falls to Working Group 4, which got together for their latest meeting in July. click Read More below for additional information

The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship programs for UPS (NYSE: UPS), announced it will award more than $2.6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations focused on environmental sustainability initiatives. This includes a significant grant to twenty-five year partner, The Nature Conservancy, a global organization that works to preserve ecologically important land and water resources through conservation. Other grants will support programs that advance environmental research and education, carbon reduction and energy conservation – all vital to economic growth and community stability. The Nature Conservancy grant includes a partnership extension for UPS’s Global Forestry Initiative, a program designed to plant, protect and preserve trees in urban and rural areas and forests worldwide. The grant will enable The Nature Conservancy to continue reforestation efforts for at-risk or eroded ecosystems throughout the U.S., Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico and Tanzania. click Read More below for additional information

Below is a list of conferences being held by Two Sides and our member associations. We hope to see you there! Specialty Papers US - Sept. 21-23 (Chicago, IL) - Check out the Two Sides presentation on "Dispelling Myths about Paper and the Paper Industry" - Sept. 22nd at 10:30 am. TAPPI PEERS - Sept. 25-28 (Jacksonville, FL) - Check out the panel on "Nonwood Fiber Paper Marketing - Do's and Don'ts to Avoid Greenwashing" - Sept 26th 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. Two Sides Annual Seminar co-located at GraphExpo 2016 (Orlando, FL) - Sept. 27th 10:00 am -12:00 pm. Join us for an update on print and paper advocacy campaigns, including the major How Life Unfolds™ consumer campaign. Power of Print Seminar (London, UK) - Nov. 1. This is the Two Sides and Print Power Europe annual conference held at Stationers' Hall in London, England - a must see if you can make it! Print Media Conference (Naples, FL) - Nov. 15-18. Two Sides will be part of the sustainability panel on Thursday, Nov. 17th at 1:45 pm.

Worker safety continues to be a top priority for AF&PA members. Their commitment to safety is demonstrated in a variety of ways: through worker training programs, increased automation, adopting a host of injury-preventive measures and safeguards, and developing new equipment to keep workers safe. Because any injuries to our industry’s employees are not acceptable, AF&PA members adopted a visionary Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 goal of working towards zero injuries and measuring progress toward that vision by further improving our incidence rate by 25 percent from 2006 to 2020. Between 2006 and 2014, the incidence rate for member companies declined by 40.8 percent to 1.56. The 2014 incidence rate for manufacturing at large was 4.0 in 2014, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, more than double the rate of AF&PA members. (The incident rate measures the number of recordable cases for 100 people working 40 hours a week for 50 weeks.)

To help understand the full "label life" of their products, from the extraction of raw materials to delivery of finished label stock to customers, UPM Raflatac has collaborated with leading Brazilian converter Baumgarten on a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of label material release liners, with exciting results to report. These two frontrunner companies in the label value chain have adopted this voluntary guidance to assess - and reduce - their impact on the environment. The study will be publicly available at Labelexpo Americas in Chicago from September 13-15. Baumgarten began its LCA efforts with a foundational study comparing glassine (landfilled) and PET (recycled) release liners for a product it produces with UPM Raflatac label stock. Although PET liners are manufactured from petrochemicals, they are easier to recycle in Brazil than glassine liners. Additionally, because PET liners are thinner, they can yield more labels per roll and offer fewer roll changes on-press, allowing printers, converters and end-users to achieve greater productivity.

Scandinavia celebrated its first building awarded with PEFC project certification as Mäihä, a wooden apartment block, was unveiled at the Seinäjoki Housing Fair in Finland this July. Lakea Oy, the company responsible for the construction of the building, received their PEFC certificate at a special ceremony before the start of the Housing Fair. The certificate was issued by DNV GL, an independent certification body responsible for verifying the origin of the materials throughout the construction project, from the start to the finish. “With it being the first PEFC-certified property in the Nordic countries, this building project has been both interesting and challenging,” said Pia Tilli, DNV GL's Sales and Marketing Manager, during the certificate giving ceremony at Seinäjoki. click Read More below for the rest of the story

A new study compares the environmental costs of plastics vs. alternative materials by using accounting methods that measure and value environmental impacts. A new study by Trucost finds the environmental cost of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging is nearly four times less than if plastics were replaced with alternative materials. The study is based on natural capital accounting methods, which measure and value environmental impacts—such as consumption of water and emissions to air, land, and water—which are not typically factored into traditional financial accounting. Previous reports, such as “Valuing Plastics” (2014) by Trucost and “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics,” (2016) by the World Economic Forum, only examined the environmental costs of using plastics. Trucost’s latest study, “Plastics and Sustainability: A Valuation of Environmental Benefits, Costs, and Opportunities for Continuous Improvement,” builds on earlier research by comparing the environmental costs of using plastics to alternative materials and identifying opportunities to help lower the environmental costs of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging.

CertforChile and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), our National members in Chile and North America, have both successfully achieved the re-endorsement of their national forest certification systems. This endorsement not only confirms that they continue to meet our 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 first endorsement of the Chilean system back in 2004 was particularly significant as, alongside Australia, it became the first non-European country to be recognized by PEFC. Since then, almost two million hectares of forest have been certified in the country. The SFI program became a PEFC National member in 2001, with the SFI Forest Management Standard achieving PEFC endorsement for the first time in 2005. The SFI program has now grown to cover more than 100 million hectares of forest area in both the United States and Canada – nearly 40% of all PEFC-recognized certified forest worldwide.

AF&PA recently released our 2016 Sustainability Report, which documents the industry’s progress in working toward achieving each of the goals in our Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability initiative. Among the goals showing progress in the report is the paper recovery rate. In 2011, AF&PA set a goal to exceed 70 percent paper recovery for recycling by 2020. In May, AF&PA announced a record paper recovery rate of 66.8 percent in 2015. That is up from 65.4 percent in 2014 and nearly double the paper recovery rate in 1990,when the industry set its first paper recovery goal. The recovery of paper and paper-based packaging for recycling has fostered a dynamic marketplace that allows recovered paper to find its highest-value end use as feedstock to manufacture new products. And that is very important to the industry. click Read More below for the rest of the story

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has announced that it will disassociate from Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) and the subsidiary company Sabah Forest Industries (SFI). This decision comes after a lengthy review process of the conclusions by an independent complaints panel that conducted a thorough investigation into the complaint filed by Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) in March 2015. The complaint alleged that SFI refused to uphold the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Core Conventions on Freedom of Association (Convention No. 87) and Collective Bargaining (Convention No. 98).

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced that it, along with Serres Toundra Inc, has entered into a definitive agreement with CO2 Solutions Inc. to deploy leading enzyme-enabled carbon capture technology at Resolute's Saint-Félicien pulp mill. The C$7.4 million project involves the capture of up to 30 metric tons of CO2/day (tpd) from Resolute's softwood kraft pulp mill, the majority of the CO2 being transported to Serres Toundra's neighboring world-class vegetable greenhouse. By improving the performance of the greenhouse, while at the same time reducing the carbon emissions of the pulp mill, the reuse of the captured CO2 will provide tangible benefits to both Resolute and Serres Toundra. "We are pleased to host this innovative, first-of-its-kind project in the pulp and paper industry," stated Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer of Resolute Forest Products. "Through our participation, we will reduce the carbon emissions from our Saint-Félicien mill, as well as support the scale-up of a low-cost carbon capture technology with the potential for broader deployment."

Graphic Packaging International was recognized with a North America Award for Sustainability at the Kellogg Company's Supplier Recognition Event held in June 2016 in Battle Creek, MI. This inaugural award recognizes suppliers that have demonstrated excellence in corporate responsibility. Graphic Packaging received the award for their key understanding and support of a Kellogg Company core objective, which is to provide consumers with more sustainable products and easily recyclable product packaging. Recyclable paperboard packaging provides the content and graphics space the Kellogg's branding team needs in their communication of important sustainability stories to the consumer.

Every year the SFI Annual Conference is the must attend event for those who want to engage in discussions with some of the foremost thought leaders in the forest sector. SFI brings together people passionate about strengthening the vital links between sustainable forests, responsible purchasing and thriving communities. Network with people from the conservation, community and economic sectors who care about the future of forests. Past attendees include CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, conservation and community practitioners, tribal and aboriginal leaders, forest managers, university faculty and students, government representatives, and many more.

With some climate predictions warning that river water temperatures will exceed safe thresholds for river fish, the Keep Rivers Cool (KRC) campaign is calling for more riverside tree planting. Fish in Britain's rivers are under threat from warmer waters. Cold-water species such as Atlantic salmon and brown trout, are struggling to cope as climate change brings significant increases in temperature. Today there's a call for urgent action to Keep Rivers Cool by planting broadleaf native trees alongside river banks, creating dappled shading and stopping water from warming up.

“The European Commission (EC) recently released its proposal to integrate the land use and forestry sector (LULUCF) into the European Union’s 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. The EC’s proposal, released on July 20, reiterates its current accounting practice for bioenergy, with emissions related to biomass use reported and accounted for under LULUCF, i.e. biomass use in the energy sector is zero rated, to avoid double-counting. “This proposal reinforces the need for the U.S. to appropriately recognize the benefits of biomass energy. The uncertainty caused by EPA is putting the U.S. out of step with the rest of the world, and puts our American workers and job creators at a competitive disadvantage.

AF&PA’s Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 purchased energy efficiency goal is a great example of a sustainability goal that furthers all three pillars of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. Using energy more efficiently reduces companies’ overall energy costs, thereby improving profitability; frees up resources for other more productive investments in mills and communities; and, reduces environmental impacts. It also complements our goal to reduce water use in AF&PA member mills by 12 percent, as reducing water use has the added benefit of reducing mills’ energy consumption. On average, AF&PA members meet about two thirds of their energy demand from self-generated renewable biomass. Striving for the most efficient energy consumption is important to companies small and large because our industry remains energy intensive.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is pleased to announce its annual request for proposals for the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. Grants from SFI contribute to understanding the critical linkage between forests and communities across the range of American and Canadian forests, and represent SFI’s long-standing commitment to forest research. These projects provide the science-based data needed by resource professionals to improve forest management and to assess conservation values. SFI community grants build engagement at the intersection of sustainable forestry, responsible procurement and thriving communities. “With more than a quarter billion acres/100 million hectares certified to SFI, representing the breadth of our diverse forests across Canada and the United States, and millions more positively impacted by SFI Fiber Sourcing, SFI has the necessary scale to directly influence the future of our forests. This new grant cycle focuses on helping to quantify the impacts of well managed forests on water, biodiversity, and mitigation of climate change impacts.” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. “Our community grants will build more partnerships with community organizations that work to link communities to our future forests, and help people understand the relevancy of forests in their lives.”

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the European Commission's recent proposal to integrate land use and forestry sector into its Climate and Energy Framework. “The European Commission (EC) recently released its proposal to integrate the land use and forestry sector (LULUCF) into the European Union's 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. The EC's proposal, released on July 20, reiterates its current accounting practice for bioenergy, with emissions related to biomass use reported and accounted for under LULUCF, i.e. biomass use in the energy sector is zero rated, to avoid double-counting. “This proposal reinforces the need for the U.S. to appropriately recognize the benefits of biomass energy. The uncertainty caused by EPA is putting the U.S. out of step with the rest of the world, and puts our American workers and job creators at a competitive disadvantage.

Catalyst Paper Corporation announced that it will invest approximately $2.7 million (U.S.) in two projects at its Biron, Wisconsin mill that will improve operational efficiency and lighten its environmental footprint. One project will convert the fuel source of Biron's #4 boiler from high-sulphur coal to natural gas. The second project will modify the TMP reboiler to reclaim unused waste steam from the thermo mechanical pulping process to heat fresh water supplying the paper machines, decreasing the demand on both coal and natural gas. These projects offer significant environmental benefits. They will substantially reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, while achieving major reductions of particulate, nitrogen oxide and greenhouse gas.

Klabin, Brazil’s largest paper producer and exporter and the leading manufacturer of corrugated board packaging and industrial bags, has published a public summary of its 2016 Forestry Stewardship Plan for Santa Catarina on its website. The plan presents the Company’s initiatives for managing its forests, its social and environmental actions in the region, as well as social and sustainability policies. The Public Summary describes Klabin’s forest areas in Santa Catarina using geo-climatic, topographic, geological and hydrological data. It also sheds light on wood forestry stewardship, covering different areas and operations such as research, planning, forestation, harvest and forestry transportation, in addition to non-wood forestry stewardship practices.

Private forest owners in Latvia have reason to celebrate as the private forest association MA Krāslava becomes the first in the country to achieve PEFC sustainable forest management certification through PEFC Group Certification. Thanks to this, 23 individual forest owners have been able to certify their forests – together covering 417 hectares. “We are extremely happy that the first forest owners have begun to benefit from the possibilities offered by PEFC Group Certification,” said Martins Ailts, Board member of PEFC Latvia. “PEFC certification enables them to demonstrate sustainable forest management, gives them access to the certified timber market, and provides them with the possibility to attract some support from the government,” Mr. Ailts continued.

“We had a big sustainability goal as we set out to make the most of our rolling laboratory by driving 1 billion clean miles in alternative fuel vehicles – that’s the equivalent of well over 4,000 trips to the moon,” said David Abney, Chairman and CEO, UPS. “While attaining this goal is new, our commitment to seeking out alternative fuels actually dates back to the 1930s when UPS tested electric vehicles. With more than 100,000 drivers logging more than 3 billion miles per year, our future depends on our ability to meet the growing demand for global trade while reducing our impact on the environment.” UPS deepened its commitment to alternative fuels in 2012, when it set the goal of reaching 1 billion miles driven with alternative fuels by the end of 2017. Shattering that goal one year early, about 12 percent of the conventional diesel and gasoline fuel previously used by UPS’s ground fleet is now being replaced by alternative fuels including renewable natural gas and renewable diesel. click Read More below for details

As boiler operations are crucial to paper and wood manufacturers' ability to generate energy, American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement in response to the District of Columbia (D.C.) Circuit Court decision to vacate key parts of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule. “We are disappointed that after years of back-and-forth the D.C. Circuit Court has ruled against reason in vacating certain key standards and remanding other portions of rules that, by most accounts, are reasonable and achievable despite the extensive technically sound information and test data provide to and relied upon by the EPA. We will continue to provide sound information and data to the EPA as it responds to the remanded and vacated portions of the rule.

Appleton Coated is one of the 100 Top Partner companies recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week for its use of Green Power. Appleton Coated has been a Partner with the EPA Green Power Partnership® since 2011 and named to the National Top 100 in 2014 and 2015. Appleton Coated’s Green Power is matched with Green-e® certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Appleton Coated is one of only 2 paper mills on the list alongside other Top 100 members Apple®, Pearson®, Starbucks®, and University of Wisconsin. Appleton Coated CEO Doug Osterberg comments, “We are very pleased to be recognized by the United States EPA for our efforts. At Appleton Coated our commitment to sustainable practices includes the products we make and the power we use to make them. We want to make it easy for all of our customers – including many who are also Top 100 partners - to choose environmentally responsible paper products. We want to assure them that they are working with a mill partner that prioritizes sustainability practices internally and in the market place.”

Without serious intervention against corruption, it will be impossible to address the problem of illegal timber trafficking in Europe. Presenting its findings in Rome, the TREES project has successfully shed light on the role that bribes play in encouraging the illegal timber trade in Europe. “Corruption is strongly connected to the illegal timber trade, but at the same time appears to be a ‘victimless crime’,” said Antonio Brunori, Secretary General of PEFC Italy, a TREES partner. Identifying corruption It is traditionally very hard to identify corruption, as it is based on an agreement between several parties, all involved with mutual benefits. Moreover, the corruption (at least formally) produces documents that hide the irregularities - when all the documents appear to be legal and correct, it is extremely difficult to detect the crime. “It is vital that we act to minimize this type of criminal activity occurring within the forestry sector, in order to minimize the damage to the environment and the enterprises that work legally,” Mr. Brunori continued. “The findings from the TREES project will provide an important starting point.” click Read More below for additional information

RETEC Technologies has joined Two Sides North America, the non-profit organization that promotes and encourages the responsible production, use, and sustainability of print and paper. “Our team has developed RF3 as a substitute for Wax and Polyethylene coatings so that the material can be repulped, recycled and composted. Our Founder, Francois Dandenault, has perfected this Repulpable Fast Film Formation (RF3) Technology and it is now available to the Packaging and Printing markets. We are very excited to join Two Sides North America, to promote the responsible production, use and reuse of fiber,” says Dan Hoffman, Business Development Manager, RETEC Technologies.

The meaning behind seven of the most recognized sustainability labels, including the PEFC label, was the focus of ALDI SOUTH’s “in the footsteps of the 7 seals” campaign. ALDI SOUTH is a leading German retailer with almost 5,300 stores globally. With its ‘Seven seals’ campaign, ALDI SOUTH presented its customers in Germany with seven important sustainability seals from the ALDI SOUTH product range in an extensive information campaign for the first time. “Many of the everyday products in the food trade are marked with a sustainability label,” said Ralf-Thomas Reichrath, Deputy General Manager in the Central Purchasing (field quality control) at ALDI SOUTH in Germany. “However, while organic or fair trade labels are recognized quickly, there are still uncertainties surrounding the meaning of many other labels. We want to change this with our 7 seals campaign,” Reichrath explained.

Results from a recent U.S. consumer survey suggest that the majority of Americans agree that print and paper can be a sustainable way to communicate when produced and used responsibly. In fact, it seems many people distrust and are not swayed by corporate green claims used to promote online services over paper. See below for my five favorite results from the June 2016 Toluna survey. 1. 88% agree that when forests are responsibly managed it is environmentally acceptable to use trees to produce products such as wood for construction and paper for printing (81% of 18 to 24 year olds). This is my favorite one! It tells me the large majority of Americans accept the use of trees as a renewable resource to make forest products - as long as it is done responsibly, i.e. by using sustainable forest management and best practices. Great news! It’s no wonder that “go paperless – save trees” claims may be lost on most consumers, even millennials. Not only are these type of claims misleading (for more on that click here) but I would also argue that they are an ineffective marketing startegy. In fact, they probably make most people skeptical or cynical of the real corporate goal…see stat below! - click on Read More below for the rest of the story

Crown’s 2020 sustainability goals are as follows: By the end of 2020, reduce energy consumption by 5% per billion standard units of production from 2015 levels. By the end of 2020, reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 10% per billion standard units of production from 2015 levels. In addition to these reduction goals, Crown continues to drive environmental improvements by investing in a variety of energy efficiency projects each year. During 2015, Crown finalized 105 different emissions reduction initiatives that are anticipated to save over 10,000 metric tonnes of CO2 each year.

In order to gain more insight into these three vital areas, three Task Forces have been created to analyze the specific challenges in detail, and feed their findings and recommendations back into the working draft of the standard. Each Task Force is made up of members from Working Group 1– the group responsible for the revision of the sustainable forest management standard, alongside additional experts to support the work. All three groups met for the first time in June and will provide preliminary concepts and ideas to the WG in October.

As the world of communication continually shifts towards digital, many consumers are being given a message that this is better for the environment. This latest Two Sides survey provides an insight into how consumers view these initiatives, including the environmental impacts of digital versus paper-based communications, and how they perceive and use paper in their daily lives. Organisations and governments are increasingly driving communications online and either withdrawing paper-based documents such as bills and statements, charging consumers who wish to receive them, or making paper more difficult to access. Carried out by international research company Toluna in June 2016, the survey questioned more than 7000 consumers worlwide (528 of them in the UK). Among the findings, the survey reveals that many consumers want to retain the choice of using print and paper, at no additional cost, and that many question or feel misled by "go paperless - go green" and similar greenwash claims - believing cost savings to be the primary driver for organisations looking to phase out paper-based communications. Although there are concerns about the environmental impacts of print and paper, many respondents prefer paper-based communications to digital options for a variety of reasons including ease of reading and a lack of internet access. A large majority recognise that paper-based communications can be a sustainable way to communicate when produced and used responsibly, including recycling. More education is needed to raise awareness about the industry’s positive environmental message related to sustainable forest management and recycling. For example, despite European forests growing in size (44,000 square kilometres - an area bigger than Switzerland in the past 10 years or the equivalent of 1,500 football pitches a day), 65% of UK respondents perceive that European forests are shrinking. The majority of respondents do not know that paper is one of the most recycled products in Europe with recovery rates of 72%. There is a preference for print on paper in all age groups, indicating a more fundamental and more human way that we react to the physicality of print on paper. Compared to the 2011 Two Sides surveys, the following positive trends are apparent showing that messages from the industry are gaining traction: •79% agreed that print on paper is more pleasant to handle and touch when compared to other media (compared to 70% in 2011) •73% agreed that paper is based on a renewable resource (65% in 2011) •16% believe that our forests have either stayed the same or increased in size (vs. 10% in 2011) •31% believe that the paper industry has a higher than average recycling rate (25% in 2011) •14% have seen adverts related to the effectiveness and sustainability of print and paper (vs. 8% in 2011), and a large majority rated the ads as credible and useful. To read the full report, please click the download link below.

We are delighted to announce that the 2016 Collaboration Fund will support projects in Italy, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Thailand and the US. “Through the selected projects, we will be helping the development and implementation of national systems in Africa and Asia, supporting small- and family forest owners gain access to certification through innovative new tools, integrating the rubber sector into forest certification, advancing certification at the landscape level, and working to inspire the fashion world to utilize forest products,” said Sarah Price, Head of Projects and Development at PEFC International. “This year we had a fantastic range of projects submitted to the Collaboration Fund. It was extremely exciting for us dive into such well-developed proposals, and to see the breadth of solutions and innovations that our members and forest partners are putting forward and willing to deliver.”

Developing a national forest certification system for India is a big job. The country is vast, the forests are diverse, and with a population of over 1.2 billion, there are a lot of stakeholders to involve! Taking on this monumental task is the Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF), our National member in India. India has a rich heritage of forest, with breathtaking diversity in terms of species, ecological zones, forest types and sub types, as well as a diversity and range of forest goods and services. NCCF is working to ensure that all these aspects are taken into consideration as the national standard for sustainable forest management is developed.

Corduroy is back in fashion with foresters and conservationists who want new ways to conserve wetlands crossed by resource roads. The earliest days of Canada’s timber trade featured wetland crossings made of logs lined up in rows, which resembled corduroy fabric. Road building gradually became more permanent, sometimes affecting water flow in wetlands. Putting a modern spin on corduroy roads is one of the recommendations in a new field guide just released by FPInnovations and Ducks Unlimited Canada. The guide, “Resource Roads and Wetlands: A Guide for Planning, Construction and Maintenance,” developed in part with funding from the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant program, offers best management practices to mitigate the impacts of roads on wetlands in Canada’s forests.

On a cool spring day in 2014, graphic designer Justin Ahrens and photographer Brian MacDonald found themselves clad in Spandex, knee-deep in a muddy pond outside of Sturbridge, MA, diving through the muck in a panic as a SteriPEN ever-so-slowly drifted out of sight. It was an unusual way for a designer and photographer to spend their day. But Ahrens and MacDonald are a little different. The two were riding their bikes 1,200 miles from Boston to Chicago to raise funds for Lifewater International, which provides safe drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people throughout Africa. They dubbed the effort Wheels4Water.

Economic, lifestyle changes and the focus on sustainable packaging will drive market growth by 5.4% annually during the period 2016 to 2021 to $44.8 billion, according to “The Future of Labels and Release Liners to 2021,” a new report by Smithers Pira.
 Smithers Pira’s analysis shows label market growth is being driven by economic, social, demographic and lifestyle changes, brand owners’ increasing focus on source reduction and sustainable packaging, consumer demand for convenience food, and the growing presence of large retail chains. Another growth factor in label market demand is the relatively low cost with which labeling can be replaced or changed; and a continuing need for barcodes and other secondary packaging applications that support food safety and pharmaceutical compliance issues.

Green-minded consumers have long been exhorted to "reduce, re-use, recycle" to cut down on the amount of waste they send to landfills. Now, one company is taking the concept a step further, using a strategy dubbed "pre-cycling" to help e-commerce retailers operate more sustainably and burnish the corporate eco-image. Running a green business used to mean simply choosing recyclable materials for packaging and shipping. However, retailers can gain a bigger return if they consider an item's entire supply chain journey before they pick a packaging solution, according to Sealed Air Corp.

It’s no surprise that perhaps one of the most important ingredients in the food and beverage industry is water. Because it is such a precious resource in everything from product processing to facility operations, many in the food and beverage industry are finding new ways to wring maximum value and efficiency from every drop. Amid rising prices and growing water scarcity, food manufacturers around the world are finding ways to increase their system-wide water efficiencies through recycling programs and other initiatives.

The I Want To Be Recycled campaign, a national initiative between Keep America Beautiful, Stamford, Connecticut, and the Ad Council, with offices in New York City and in Washington, have announced a new partnership with Best Buy, Richfield, Minnesota, designed to remind consumers to recycle shipping and product packaging during the winter holiday season. The initiative will include customized packaging design that emblazons "I Want To Be A Pizza Box. Recycle Me." on all orders shipped from BestBuy.com and drives consumers to learn how to properly recycle at www.IWantToBeRecycled.org. The boxes that incorporate this messaging will be used to ship Best Buy products nationwide starting in November 2016. Best Buy also will promote this partnership with Keep America Beautiful across social channels upon launch. The I Want To Be Recycled campaign is designed to educate and engage people to understand the how, what, where and why of recycling, demonstrating in an array of ways and through varied platforms that individuals can “Give Your Garbage Another Life.”

PEFC-certified companies are now recognized as automatically meeting the due diligence requirements in Australia’s illegal logging regulation. Under Australia’s Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation 2012, importers of regulated timber products, and processors of Australian harvested logs, are required to establish and maintain a documented due diligence system. The due diligence system sets out the process by which the importer or processor will carry out due diligence and meet the requirements of the regulation. Australia’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resource has determined that under PEFC (including AFS, Australia’s PEFC-endorsed national forest certification system) Chain of Custody standard, certified businesses are required to maintain an equivalent due diligence system.

With a committed government, engaged local stakeholders and a new PEFC support office, Viet Nam is well on the road to developing its own national forest certification system in line with PEFC international requirements. “It is fantastic to be here and see the strong desire from the national government and local stakeholders alike to develop the Vietnam Forest Certification Scheme (VFCS),” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, during his visit to the country. “The progress they have made so far, and the sheer potential for uptake of forest certification, is impressive.” The government’s commitment to establishing the Vietnam Forest Certification Council (VFCC), which will take on the role of running the national system, was once again reiterated by Mr. Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as he met with Ben for a one-on-one meeting.

J.D. Irving, Limited’s (JDI) tree improvement program started almost 40 years ago. The tree improvement process included selection of the best individuals in the region’s forests for qualities like rapid growth, tree straightness, and freedom from insect and disease problems. Traditional methods of grafting and planting these trees for quality seed production began at the Parkindale Seed Orchard. This process continues today, allowing for cross pollination among the best trees to produce well-adapted genetically-superior seed for use in the nurseries. Regular seed production is wind pollinated – trees in the orchard cross-pollinate as pollen is released into the air and lands on the receptive female flowers of another tree. JDI also produces seeds with two known parents for testing across the region. These trees also form the basis for the next generation of tree improvement.

"Our vision is to lead the world in essentials for a better life. From the products we make to help moms care for their families to having the proper regard for the environment, this vision inspires us to care for the communities where we live and work," said Tom Falk, Kimberly-Clark Chairman of the Board and CEO. "In 2015, we achieved or surpassed our 5-year sustainability goals and will continue to set aggressive goals for ourselves to make a positive impact in the world around us." To achieve its 2015 goals, Kimberly-Clark collaborated across its teams and with key customers, suppliers, business partners and nongovernmental organizations. The company expanded its socially- and environmentally-focused programs and made great strides to reduce its environmental footprint while delivering programs to enable positive social impact. "We're proud of the progress we've made in finding ways to grow Kimberly-Clark sustainably," said Sandra MacQuillan, Chief Supply Chain Officer. "As technology evolves and as we learn more about what we can do, it is possible that we could have a footprint that gives back, rather than takes - an aspiration we are all excited by."

Today, HP Inc. announced a commitment to achieve zero deforestation by 2020. All HP brand paper and paper-based product packaging 1will be derived from certified and recycled sources by 2020, with a preference for virgin fiber from certified sources of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This pledge is one of several 2016 goals outlined in the company’s latest Sustainability Report released today. HP’s new goal reinforces its leadership position among global companies. According to Forest500 2, only 8 percent of companies have an overarching zero or zero-net deforestation commitment. This goal highlights HP’s ongoing efforts to help customers make responsible printing and purchasing decisions that lower the environmental impact of their operations. This zero deforestation pledge also reflects the breadth of actions the company is taking to address the effects of climate change.

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).

At the heart of PEFC is our ambition to enable smallholders to access forest certification, independent of region and socioeconomic condition. But there is more than can be done. This was highlighted last week at the first meeting of Standards Revision Working Group 2, responsible for the revision of PEFC's Group Certification Standard and the development of a set of requirements for certification bodies operating audits in forest management. The importance of strengthening the management system approach and of clearly describing the interaction between group members and group management was emphasized by representatives from the accreditation community. While the current standard already responds to these issues, their further development will support the use and expand the application of the standard.

Prof. Stefan Doerr and Dr Cristina Santin from Swansea University’s College of Science carried out a detailed analysis of global and regional data on fire occurrence, severity and its impacts on society. Their research, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, examined a wide range of published data arising from satellite imagery, charcoal records in sediments and isotope-ratio records in ice cores, to build up a picture of wildfire in the recent and more distant past.

Most living organisms adapt their behavior to the rhythm of day and night. Plants are no exception: flowers open in the morning, some tree leaves close during the night. Researchers have been studying the day and night cycle in plants for a long time: Linnaeus observed that flowers in a dark cellar continued to open and close, and Darwin recorded the overnight movement of plant leaves and stalks and called it "sleep". But even to this day, such studies have only been done with small plants grown in pots, and nobody knew whether trees sleep as well. Now, a team of researchers from Austria, Finland and Hungary measured the sleep movement of fully grown trees using a time series of laser scanning point clouds consisting of millions of points each.

Forest conversions and trees outside forests: two of the nine areas to be given specific consideration during the revision of the PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. This is one of the key outcomes of last week’s meeting of the Standards Revision Working Group 1 – the Working Group (WG) responsible for the revision of our Sustainable Forest Management standard. Taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, 35 participants from around the world and covering all relevant stakeholder groups contributed their knowledge and experience as we kicked-off of the standard revision process. The group discussed what they expect a future Sustainable Forest Management standard to deliver over the next years, as well as carrying out a detailed analysis of the existing requirements.

The work has included development of a new depot in Snodland, the installation of new balers at its Snodland, Blackburn and Glasgow depots and an additional weighbridge in Nottingham to ease traffic flow into and out of the depot there. The new Snodland depot in Kent is processing locally-sourced paper and cardboard for recycling at the Group’s new Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook mill on the same site, which operates a state-of-the-art 5m lightweight paper machine producing approximately 250,000 tonnes of quality containerboard material per year. The depot will also supply recycled paper grades not used at Townsend Hook to other mills. Smurfit Kappa Recycling has constructed the new depot on part of the mill site freed up by its redevelopment, installing a new Bollegraaf HBC 120 baler in a new facility designed to operate efficiently and safely.

Starting last summer, staff at the Sonoco Recycling facility in Savannah took a hard look at its business operations, in terms of both cost and sustainability. Working together, the team realized that by diverting dry waste material from their normal waste streams and taking it to a waste-to-energy service provider every month, they could save money and lessen their environmental impact. Now, only wet or bulky waste goes in the Dumpster, and all other waste is converted to energy via hauling trips that are often combined with normal hauling operations to optimize freight cost and lessen the facility’s carbon footprint. “This process change is a first for a Sonoco Recycling location,” said Mike Pope, general manager and president, Sonoco Recycling. “The plant is doing a great job capturing a large amount of waste for recovery in waste-to-energy programming, and their improvements have positive implications for both sustainability and cost savings.”

Forests close to urban areas, like all other types of forest areas, need to be properly managed in terms of both production and environmental considerations. One problem is that local residents have not known what is being done. In the Höör forestry operations area, Södra is now opening the door to improved dialogue. The aim is to provide information about planned activities, and to explain why various measures are carried out. In addition, local residents and other interested parties will be able to express their views and ask questions. "An unannounced change can often be perceived as something undesirable, especially when it affects the local area. Forestry measures are undertaken with a purpose and they lead to change, sometimes in several stages. By explaining why the measures are being carried out, the outcome will be more positive," says Johan Johnsson, Area Manager of the Höör forestry operations area.

“While a number of uniquely different forest certification systems are used around the world they: 1- have much in common; 2- share many basic objectives; 3- provide an additional measure of commitment to sustainable forestry; and, 4- are effective tools for supporting a responsible marketplace.” Two Sides, the initiative exploding the myths and setting out the facts about print media's sustainability in a clear and concise manner, has brought together facts from a variety of sources illustrate just these points. See below for a snapshot of some of their findings: “There are dozens of forest certification programs around the world. Two programs – the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) - account for the vast majority of certified forests and chain-of-custody certificates. These two programs operate around the world.”

Cascades is proud to announce that by the end of its 2013-2015 Sustainable Development Plan, the company gave a second life to 76% of the residual materials generated by its plants, exceeding its target of 71%. Over this three-year period, a total of 1.4 million tonnes of residuals were recovered. "Cascades was founded with the aspiration to re-imagine commodity product manufacturing by prioritizing the use of recycled fibre. This business model allows us to divert millions of tonnes of used paper and cardboard from landfill each year. For us to have the smallest ecological footprint possible, we also chose to focus on giving a new lease of life to our own residual materials," explained Mario Plourde , the company's President and Chief Executive Officer. The bales of used paper bought by Cascades to serve as raw material can contain up to 10% of contaminants (plastic, metal, glass, etc). The company must therefore manage a large amount of diverse residual materials. Other categories of residuals are also derived from Cascades' manufacturing process: mixed sludge and deinking sludge. These two by-products are now used for different purposes: animal bedding, liming material for land farming, fill layer in cardboard production, restoration of damaged sites and capping material for sanitary landfill sites.

A dramatic exception to the rule played out Thursday as the council considered the adoption of a 5-cent fee on paper and plastic bags at most stores. The 28-20 vote to approve the bill came only after a fierce debate centering on lofty themes of regressive taxation, income inequality and environmental policy. “This is a very, very expensive place where people are struggling to survive,” Councilman Mathieu Eugene, a Brooklyn Democrat whose district includes parts of Crown Heights and Flatbush. Councilman Barry Grodenchik, a Queens Democrat, called it “one of the most regressive pieces of legislation to ever come before this council.”

The Myths covered are: •European forests are shrinking •Planted forests are bad for the environment •Paper is bad for the environment •Paper production is a major cause of global greenhouse gas emissions •Only recycled paper should be used •Print and Paper is a wasteful product •Electronic communication is more environmentally friendly than paper-based communication •Digital is always the preferred means of communication •Packaging is wasteful and unnecessary Some of the key facts about paper's sustainability highlighted are: •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

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today announced that 66.8 percent of paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2015. U.S. paper recovery rate statistics are available at http://www.paperrecycles.org/statistics. “Industry efforts, the voluntary, market-driven recovery system, and the millions of Americans who make the decision to recycle every day have helped to keep U.S. paper recovery at continuously high levels,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman.

It's a common assumption: if paper comes from trees, then using paper must be bad for forests, right? Wrong. American-manufactured paper actually benefits our nation's forestland and is a driving force in maintaining it for future generations. "It may seem counterintuitive, but the responsible production and use of paper is sustainable and helps keep forest land in the U.S. as forests," said Kate McGlynn, Product Environmental Steward for Boise Paper. "Using wood-based products like office paper actually gives American landowners incentive to sustainably manage their forests." If you're striving to "go green" this Earth Day, here's some good news: your office paper is green, as long as it comes from a responsible producer. Here are a handful of ways that paper use and production can support a healthy, forested landscape for future generations.

Holland Litho Printing Service has joined Two Sides North America, the non-profit organization that promotes and encourages the responsible production, use, and sustainability of print and paper. “We welcome Holland Litho Printing Service to the growing network of Two Sides member companies and our team looks forward to working with them to help spread the positive word about the sustainability of print and paper,” says Two Sides North America President, Phil Riebel.

The Canadian forest products industry is pledging to help Canada move to a low-carbon economy by removing 30 megatonnes (MT) of CO2 per year by 2030 — more than 13% of the Canadian government’s emissions target. The “30 by 30” Climate Change Challenge was issued today by the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), making the forest sector the first to voluntarily contribute to the federal government’s climate goals. Canada has signed the Paris agreement on climate change and is now promising to reduce emissions by 30%, the equivalent of cutting 225 MT of CO2 a year by 2030. The forest sector has a solid record of reducing greenhouse gases from its manufacturing processes. Since 1990 for example, Canada’s pulp and paper industry has reduced GHG emissions by about 66%.

Fischer Paper Products has joined Two Sides North America, the non-profit organization that promotes and encourages the responsible production, use, and sustainability of print and paper. “It’s a well-known fact that many retailers and communities are switching from plastic to paper bags for environmental reasons. Fischer Paper Products is a provider of such paper products and we are very proud to have them as a new members of Two Sides. We look forward to helping them promote the environmental features of paper,” says Two Sides North America President, Phil Riebel.

Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, has announced the release of its 2015 Sustainability Report. The report showcases Sappi's industry leading sustainability performance. "Each year, we look forward to reporting our progress against the five year goals we set to ensure that Sappi North America continues as a thriving, sustainable, re-investable company," said Mark Gardner, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We have an eye to the future and are committed to make those decisions which best position our company in the changing business environment."

Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) welcomes FSC’s announcement of the start of stakeholders consultation phase on the draft roadmap to end disassociation. The stakeholders consultation is now being conducted after FSC and APP agreed on a draft Roadmap for Ending Disassociation which outlines the commitments that APP needs to fulfil before the FSC Board of Directors will consider ending its disassociation. The stakeholders consultation is opened from April 4th until May 31st 2016, and will consist of a series of informational webinars as well as regional consultations.

UPM supports a school project called "Local waters". Originally launched in schools in the city of Rauma, the project will expand to other UPM mill locations in Finland in 2016. The project aims to improve grammar and encourage secondary school students to become more interested in natural sciences-particularly natural science related to water-by exploring the natural waters in the vicinity of the schools. In addition to UPM, the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Raumanmeri Rotary Club and the organisation puhdasvesi.fi are also involved in the project. Schools involved in the project will receive equipment needed for water studies. Pupils will solve water-related tasks using information from various school subjects, and the findings are transmitted digitally to teachers via smartphones. The project is aimed at 5th and 7th graders. UPM will expand the project to other locations in Finland this year, particularly to Jämsä, Kuusankoski (Kouvola), Pietarsaari, Valkeakoski and Lappeenranta where UPM's mills are located.

Last week, USA Today published a column entitled “Paper may be bad for trees, but it is good for people” by Tal Gross, an assistant professor at Columbia University (@talgross https://twitter.com/talgross). Here at Two Sides we could not agree more with the findings and statements related to the benefits of paper for education and learning. Mr. Gross outlines research showing the following: •Students that read on paper versus screens score better in comprehension tests. •Those that take notes on paper versus a laptop learn more from lectures. •Those that doodle on paper (versus sitting still) while listening to a recording performed better in memory tests. Neuroscientific experiments have shown that there is a stronger emotional connection with print and paper versus screens, and our fact sheet Print and paper play a key role in learning and literacy highlights the tremendous social benefits of print and paper. We also have more good news for Mr. Gross, as outlined in the facts below, regarding the environmental sustainability of paper.

The leadership and personal commitment of the Algonquin Park Forest Advisory Group has been rewarded with the 2016 PEFC Canada Stewardship Award. “The Algonquin Park Forest Certification Advisory Group is one of many dedicated multi-stakeholder public groups in forest communities across Canada that provide advice on locally-adapted measures of good forest management,” said John Dunford, Chair of PEFC Canada. The Algonquin Park Forest Advisory Group is a forest certification advisory committee working with the Algonquin Forestry Authority on sustainable forest management within Algonquin Provincial Park in south-central Ontario. “There are many demands placed on public forests that influence how they are managed. These advisory groups help balance these forest values within the context of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) sustainable forest certification standard,” John continued.

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and other forest groups around the world welcome the official signing of the United Nations agreement on climate change that was reached late last year in Paris. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is among world leaders in New York for the signing ceremony. The global forest products industry has a highly significant role to play in Canada achieving its targets outlined in this deal, says Derek Nighbor, CEO of FPAC. “Canada’s forest products companies have made it clear that we intend to step up to the plate and help in the transition to a low-carbon economy here in Canada and elsewhere around the world,” he says. ”The global forest products industry has made significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint, stocking carbon and generating greenhouse gas removals—all helping to mitigate climate change,” said the President of the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations, Elizabeth de Carvalhaes of the Brazilian Tree Industry.

Designed to bust myths about paper production, and about other forest products, the new infographic reveals that in North America less than 36% of the annual timber harvest is directly used for paper and paperboard. In fact, most trees are harvested to make lumber and other solid wood products essential for construction, such as building homes and furniture. The infographic spotlights other key facts about paper, recycling, and other forest products, including: •Every year, North America grows many more trees than are harvested. •Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world with recovery rates of 65% and higher in North America. •About 35% of our paper products use recovered fiber as a raw material. Other key raw materials are sawmill residuals leftover from lumber manufacturing. •Forest products, such as paper, are based on a highly renewable and natural raw material – wood from sustainably managed North American forests.

The substantial impact of PEFC on promoting responsible forest management globally and locally, and the close alignment of our activities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): these are all clear to see in the 2015 PEFC Annual Review ‘Seeing the Bigger Picture’, released today by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), the world's leading forest certification system. This Annual Review captures just a few of our activities and those of our members in 2015, but it already demonstrates that sustainable forest management is much more than just an environmental issue. It equally addresses the social, economic and cultural dimensions of sustainability at the core of the 17 SDGs.

It's a common assumption: if paper comes from trees, then using paper must be bad for forests, right? Wrong. American-manufactured paper actually benefits our nation's forestland and is a driving force in maintaining it for future generations. "It may seem counterintuitive, but the responsible production and use of paper is sustainable and helps keep forest land in the U.S. as forests," said Kate McGlynn, Product Environmental Steward for Boise Paper. "Using wood-based products like office paper actually gives American landowners incentive to sustainably manage their forests." If you're striving to "go green" this Earth Day, here's some good news: your office paper is green, as long as it comes from a responsible producer. Here are a handful of ways that paper use and production can support a healthy, forested landscape for future generations.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has been granted membership in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an organization devoted to helping the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environmental and development challenges. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with almost 1,300 government and NGO members and more than 15,000 volunteer experts in 185 countries. “We are so pleased to join this network of conservation-minded organizations. Biodiversity conservation is central to both IUCN’s and SFI’s mission. SFI is committed to quantifying the conservation impact of certified forests and responsible sourcing of forest products through programs such as the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard. Membership in IUCN will give us access to important tools and expertise to help this work,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc.

Weyerhaeuser Company plans to commit up to 3 million acres of private timberland in Washington and Oregon to support a variety of conservation efforts focused on reintroducing the North American Fisher (Fisher) throughout the West. The Fisher reintroduction and conservation effort is being led by a variety of partners including: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), state wildlife agencies, conservation organizations and private forestland owners, like Weyerhaeuser. Today, the USFWS took a constructive step by recognizing the positive benefits of working forests when it determined the Fisher is not warranted for listing as a threatened or endangered species in the Northwest. Instead, it will cooperatively work with private landowners to encourage Fisher conservation. "Weyerhaeuser's working forests are perfect partners for wildlife conservation efforts because they are continually managed," said Rhonda Hunter, Weyerhaeuser's senior vice president for timberlands. "Private timberlands held by companies like Weyerhaeuser are attractive habitats for animals, like the Fisher. Sustainability is a core value at Weyerhaeuser, and we're proud to be part of this program." The Fisher is one of the larger members of the weasel family and is found only in North America's boreal and temperate forests. Fisher populations in Washington and Oregon were reduced dramatically in the 1800s and early 1900s through trapping, and predator and pest control.

Smithers Pira has published a new report entitled, The Future of Tissue Manufacturing to 2021, which provides an in-depth, long-term assessment of the rapidly evolving tissue manufacturing processes. Operating environment trends and diverging product performance levels will push alternative manufacturing technologies. Tissue manufacturers occupying economy segments compete primarily on price. This requires increased focus on productivity and cost control. Premium level product performance will drive increased adoption of structured sheet technologies supported by chemicals and fibres. Changes are well underway as the standardisation of crescent former configurations and sizes have allowed machines to be built in auto assembly line fashion in workshops at much lower costs than the traditional engineered custom machines. Steel Yankee assembly is rapidly joining this disruptive approach to machinery sourcing.

RenFuel and Nordic Paper have signed an agreement to build a production test facility in Bäckhammar in the region of Värmland, Sweden in order to test-manufacture an advanced biofuel based on lignin. The project has been granted 71 million SEK by the Swedish Energy Agency. The Swedish bioenergy research firm RenFuel has developed and patented a method to refine the lignin from black liquor, a renewable byproduct from the production of paper pulp, into lignin oil. The oil, called Lignol, can replace fossil oil and be used as raw material in the production of renewable gasoline and diesel. Using the black liquor also leads to an increase in production capacity and profit in the paper pulp industry. “Our product Lignol is the key to reaching the goal of a fossil free vehicle fleet in Sweden by 2030. We are very pleased to finally being able to put the product into large scale testing, as a result of the cooperation with Nordic Paper and the financial support from the Swedish Energy Agency,” Sven Löchen, CEO of RenFuel said.

UPM Raflatac has cooperated with leading Italian wine producer Cielo e Terra on a life-cycle assessment (LCA) to study the environmental impacts of wine bottles. The comprehensive study took into account the full life cycle of the wine bottle and related packaging elements, and was performed in accordance with ISO 14040/44 standards. The study will be presented in a congress organised in connection to Vinintaly, international exhibition on wine and spirits, on 12th April 2016. "Our aim is to better understand the environmental impacts related to our products and, together with our suppliers, find new ways to reduce them. The impacts of our recent investments in renewable energy are clearly visible in the results of the LCA study," says Giampietro Povolo, Finance and Operation Manager, Cielo e Terra. "When comparing the years before and after the investments, we can identify reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of 10% and water consumption of 24% during the life cycle of a wine bottle."

GreenBlue, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to the sustainable use of materials in industry, has launched an updated version of the Environmental Paper Assessment Tool, EPAT 3.0. EPAT (www.epat.org) is an innovative, web-based tool that allows buyers and sellers of paper products to work together to evaluate the sustainability of their paper products. For paper buyers, EPAT provides a customized analysis to measure key environmental performance indicators in their supply chain and work with suppliers to meet sustainability criteria. This latest version of EPAT builds on this the collaborative aspects of the tool and makes it even easier for buyers to gain transparency into their supply chains, including historical data, to look at improvement over time. For paper suppliers, EPAT offers a single, consistent framework for reporting environmental data.

Scandinavia is soon to welcome its first PEFC Project certified building as Mäihä, a wooden apartment block, is unveiled at the Seinäjoki Housing Fair in Finland this July. Through PEFC Project Certification, the building constructors will be able to demonstrate the project’s contribution to environmental conservation and economic sustainability. “We are pleased that the first Nordic PEFC construction project will be in Finland,” announced Auvo Kaivola, Secretary General of PEFC Finland. “There have already been several good examples of PEFC Project Certification, including Kingsgate House, a certified apartment block in the UK, and the Winter Universiade in Italy.” Mäihä will be built from modules made of PEFC-certified cross laminated timber (CLT) assembled in Stora Enso's mill. The modules are prefabricated in Hartola mill, and ready for assembly in the construction site. The prefabricated elements include windows, doors and kitchen units.

The green building movement – from architects and builders to specifiers and planners - can now benefit from an expanded range of responsibly sourced timber and forest products eligible for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has just issued an Alternative Compliance Path (ACP). The ACP rewards building projects that use "wood products from certified sources as defined by ASTM D7612-10", which includes internationally recognized voluntary forest certification standards such as PEFC (including its North American based members ATFS, CSA and SFI) and FSC. The ACP will apply to all LEED v4 rating systems including Homes v4 and to all LEED 2009 rating systems. “Sustainable, PEFC-certified timber provides architects and the construction industry with great opportunities,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International.

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) applauds today’s news that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will now recognize wood and paper products certified by a variety of authorities. The USGBC has previously recognized only sustainable forest management certification from a single standard. But the USGBC says builders and architects can now get credit for the use of wood and paper products certified by a number of standards authorities. For Canadian forest products companies, this change will mean increased market access for some products, wider recognition of the value of some Canadian forest products, and, potentially, increased revenue and employment for the forest products sector.

Average recycled content of newspapers in 2015 was 71 per cent - ahead of the voluntary target agreed between newspaper publishers and the Government, according to a report compiled by independent auditors for the Newspaper Industry Materials Committee. Newspaper industry body NIMC provides a forum for the discussion of matters of mutual interest with regard to production materials used in newspaper publishing. On a biannual basis, publishers commission an audit to establish whether recycling targets are being achieved. The auditors comment that the results have been affected “fairly dramatically” by a singular event, namely the closure of Aylesford Newsprint in the early months of 2015 and the resulting loss of some major domestic recycled newsprint capacity.

An editorial, “Pushing back against progressive bullies,” which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on March 18, 2016, provides an interesting synopsis of the events between Resolute and Greenpeace and concludes: “Greenpeace has tried to contain the Resolute case and ensure it only affects its Canadian operations, but Justice Fitzpatrick wisely understood that it is one global organization. Now the Divisional Court in Ontario is considering the issue and if Greenpeace loses again, the outfit could soon be coughing up the internal documents behind its various campaigns of fear and intimidation world-wide.”

Two Sides, a global initiative by companies from the Graphic Communications Industry including forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, pre-press, press, finishing, publishing, printing, envelopes and postal operators, recently released a new upbeat animated video that busts more myths about print and paper. It’s packed with great facts you don’t want to miss.

The UPM BioVerno renewable diesel project reached a significant goal when the product was launched onto the market at the beginning of May 2015. Finnish energy company St1 has been selling UPM BioVerno as part of their Diesel plus fuel at its filling stations in Finland for almost a year now. St1 confirms that an important share of its diesel customers use Diesel plus containing UPM BioVerno on a daily basis as there are over 100,000 Diesel plus refills in a day.

Danny Kennedy, managing director of the California Clean Energy Fund and co-founder of Sungevity, will explore the imminent explosive growth of solar when he headlines the April 6 "The California Renewables Rush" conference, hosted by Penton‘s The Energy Times. As an internationally recognized clean-technology entrepreneur and environmental activist, Kennedy will reflect on the journey to push our economy towards renewables and what it will mean for those involved in the transformation.

FSC reached 30,000 certificates in the supply chain – an impressive milestone that couldn’t have been achieved without the support of all our members and stakeholders. “We are incredibly proud of this landmark achievement, and all the hard work that has gone into transforming FSC into a globally recognized, and used, market tool over the past 22 years,” commented Director General, Kim Carstensen. FSC has the highest number of chain of custody certificates of any forest certification scheme. The number of certificates is a clear way to measure FSC’s market growth, and impact on the market. However, behind that number there are roughly 50,000 independent companies and organizations that buy, manufacture, trade or sell FSC-certified material and products.

A comprehensive review of Motions 29 and 36 from the 2014 General Assembly, FSC Global Strategic Plan, and all stakeholder feedback was carried out by FSC and the technical working group during a meeting in February 2016. This review established that in order to adequately address the motions and balance the feedback from the consultation, we need to know more about both consumer understanding of the FSC labels and the potential impacts of these changes on certificate holders. Therefore, we need to take more time to further investigate these aspects. While this research is conducted, we will continue to move forward with improving and streamlining the other components of the standard. We intend to combine the results of our research with other revisions into a second draft of the standard. The second draft will be opened to public consultation by the end of 2016, with the aim to approve and publish the final standard in 2017.

The Foodservice Packaging Institute introduces a free toolkit that offers step-by-step guidance for implementing an in-store recycling and/or composting program. The newly launched Foodservice Packaging Recovery Toolkit, from the Foodservice Packaging Institute, provides free resources for recovering foodservice packaging, thanks to a multi-year effort with input from many stakeholders. “Recovering cups, containers, boxes, bags, and other foodservice packaging is a topic of intense interest not only for consumers but also for the foodservice packaging supply chain and those in the recycling and composting industries,” says Lynn M. Dyer, President of FPI. “We’ve created this toolkit to respond to the questions and needs of many different stakeholders involved in the recovery process.”

Low gasoline prices and continuing performance issues have slowed the growth of electric car sales. But that has not stymied progress in electrifying larger vehicles, including garbage trucks, city buses, and medium-sized trucks used by freight giants like FedEx. The clang of garbage cans will still probably wake people way too early in the morning. But in Santa Rosa, California, at least, the roaring diesel engine will be quiet, replaced by a silent, electric motor.

Finland was one of the first countries to achieve endorsement of its national forest certification system back in 2000, and today most of Finland’s forests are PEFC-certified. Recognizing the scale of Finnish forest sector, Ben and Fabienne Sinclair, responsible for marketing, travelled out to meet with the country’s numerous stakeholders. “This visit was an excellent opportunity for us to get an update, and I am very pleased with the strong progress that PEFC is making,” said Antti Sahi, Secretary General of MTK, which represents farmers, forest owners and rural entrepreneurs in Finland.

Klabin, Brazil's largest paper producer and exporter and the leading producer of paper and board for packaging, corrugated board packaging and industrial sacks, is participating as a signatory to the Cities for Water Coalition. The initiative created by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and its partners was launched in November 2015 with the goal of improving water security in 12 metropolitan areas of Brazil and contributing to the recovery and conservation of priority areas for water production.

“As the first International Day of Forests since the COP21 agreement and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is great to see forests being put into the spotlight,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International. “As a grassroots organization working in the forest and with forest-dependent communities, we directly contribute to most, if not all, of the 17 SDGs. From improving life on land, to poverty alleviation, food security, good health and education, sustainable forestry has a vital role to play as we look to meet these challenging targets.” Ben was speaking at the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) organized International Day of Forests dinner in Australia earlier this week, sharing the speakers’ platform with Senator Anne Ruston, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources.

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is pleased to see today’s federal budget put strong emphasis on climate change initiatives, innovation and research and development. The budget tabled by the Minister of Finance, Bill Morneau, included a $1 billion fund over four years to support clean technology for the forest sector as well as other resource industries. The budget is also heavily investing in climate change and clean technology initiatives including $2 billion over two years for a Low Carbon Economy Fund and $40 million to integrate climate resilient changes to building codes.

“The real work begins now,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, while speaking at a special event at the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF). “Achieving PEFC endorsement of New Zealand forest certification system was the first step, but now the work begins to run the system, engage with stakeholders, promote PEFC/NZFCA certification, and get those forests certified.” Ben, who is currently travelling around Japan, Australia and New Zealand, headed to Auckland on Thursday 17 March to speak to NZIF members, updating them on new developments at PEFC, but also stressing the importance of their continued involvement in the country’s national system.

A study undertaken late in 2015 by Leger the Research Intelligence Group asked international buyers of wood, pulp and paper in the United States, Europe and Asia about their perceptions of forest products and environmental issues. (fpac.ca/leger) The results are comparable to a similar survey done by Leger two years ago. “Once again the Canadian forest products industry is getting top marks when it comes to our environmental credentials,” says Derek Nighbor, the CEO of FPAC. “Our sector has worked hard to reduce our environmental footprint and we are committed to continual improvement. This survey shows international customers feel confident when they source forest products from Canada.”

Covering more than 400 million acres – and representing 25 percent of the world’s remaining intact forest – the Canadian boreal forest is larger than many countries. There are more than 500 indigenous communities in the boreal and 400,000 Canadians rely on the forest for their livelihoods. It is also the source of huge quantities of wood and fiber for customers in Canada and the US. In short, the Canadian boreal forest is an important place that delivers a wide range of values, some hotly contested. First Nations recognize the boreal forest as their ancestral lands. Forest managers see opportunities for economic development and jobs. Environmentalists focus on the vast swaths of intact forest and habitat for many species, including woodlands caribou. On the surface, these interests may seem to be in opposition. In reality, they can be aligned if the forest management respects environmental and social values. But this alignment does not happen by accident; it is the product of hard work among parties to find solutions in the common interest.

UPM builds its climate change mitigation and adaption actions on three main pillars. We aim to ensure that our most important raw material - wood - grows in sustainably managed forests, which, again, act as carbon sinks. We promote high biodiversity value ecosystems that are less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Resource efficient operations and constantly increasing use of renewable and low emission energy are our key drivers in production. On top of all, our products are renewable, recyclable and act as carbon sinks. They are also an endless innovative source for new businesses and products that can replace non-renewable materials with renewable. "We updated our 2030 responsibility focus areas and targets in 2015. On the climate agenda we aim to reduce the fossil CO2 emissions from own combustion and purchased electricity by 30% and the acidifying flue gases by 20%. On the forest 2030 agenda we have set a target to use only certified wood in our production," Salpakivi-Salomaa lists concrete actions.

Banks, credit card companies, and other businesses are aggressively pushing consumers to receive their monthly statements electronically, but a new report by the National Consumer Law Center warns that these efforts can create more harm than good for consumers. The report notes that millions of Americans -- particularly lower-income, less educated, older, and households of color -- are on the other side of the “digital divide,” lacking home broadband Internet access. According to a recent Pew Research study: •59% of households with incomes under $20,000 and 53% of those with less than a high school education do not have home broadband Internet access. Even those with access may have older computers, slow connection speeds, or may lack a printer or money to afford expensive ink to print statements. •About half of Hispanics (50%) and African Americans (46%) lack access to home broadband Internet. •Over half (55%) of Americans 65 years or older lack home broadband Internet. Even if they have access, older consumers may be less comfortable with electronic statements or find them risky. Paper statements can be critical for family members who are trying to piece together financial records for an older consumer who is incapacitated or has passed away. The report also notes that mobile devices aren’t a substitute to home computers because of their smaller size and formatting and unsuitability for record keeping.

The need for collaboration and cooperation to expand forest certification in Japan was the resounding conclusion to the SGEC Forest Certification Forum, held last week in Tokyo. “Our bottom up approach to forest certification, which gives national stakeholders control in the development of their own national standards, is the perfect fit for the Japanese context,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, during his keynote speech at the forum. SGEC, the Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council, is our National member for Japan. After submitting their system to PEFC last year, the country’s national forest certification system is expected to achieve PEFC endorsement later this year.

In a pioneering move to promote forestry conservation, a group of Filipino advocates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will move the country towards the establishment of a national forest certification system. “We need a bolder and more ambitious transformation of stakeholders to embrace sustainable forestry, and the very structure of the forestry sector, ranging from governance to industry, through a national forestry certification system,” said Sec. Neric Acosta, Presidential Adviser for Environment Protection, during his opening speech. He also went on to challenge the forestry sector to contribute to the country’s sustainable development.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Center for Corporate Climate Leadership recognized Kimberly-Clark with one of only 17 Climate Leadership Awards given nationwide for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The awards acknowledge the voluntary work organizations do to manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain. Kimberly-Clark received the Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management "Goal Achievement Award" for reporting and verifying organization-wide greenhouse gas inventories and achieving publicly-set aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals. "We're proud of the progress we've made in finding ways to grow sustainably," said Sandra MacQuillan, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for Kimberly-Clark. "We are increasing efforts to educate, excite and engage employees around sustainability by demonstrating how it connects with our vision and values as a company."

“The world needs more wood. And in the crowded landscapes of Asia, this wood won’t be coming from conventional large-scale plantations, but from millions of dispersed smallholders,” remarked Stephen Midgley during the opening session of PEFC’s Stream Event at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW). “But how can we connect the markets and investment that private sector provides to smallholders in a way that addresses their barriers – such as providing competitive prices for wood compared to other crops?” Mr. Midgley continued. PEFC’s event was designed for this question; exploring the interface between large-scale private sector and smallholders in the Asia region.

Sonoco (NYSE:SON), one of the largest global diversified packaging companies, has expanded its fiber certification program into Brazil and Mexico, as of mid-February 2016. Although most of the raw material used in our mills is 100 percent recycled fiber, this certification also requires that Sonoco select suppliers of virgin fiber and virgin fiber components that avoid trading or sourcing raw material that is: a) illegally harvested, b) harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights and c) harvested where global conservation priorities are threatened. “Fiber certification is a demonstration of Sonoco’s commitment to recycling, healthy forests and responsible resource management,” said Laura Rowell, global sustainable packaging manager.

As part of the country’s continuing fight against illegal logging and promote responsible forestry, Filipino stakeholders are working with the government as they push to establishment a national forest certification system. With the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week taking place last week in the Philippines, we travelled out to the country to meet with policy makers as they embark on the development process. Both PEFC International representatives and our National members from the region were on hand to give their advice and guidance.

In conjunction with Natuur en Bos, Sappi HQ's Employee-led Tree-Planting Initiative resulted in a further 4,000 saplings planted in the Forêt de Soignes in Belgium on 26th February 2016. This brings the total number of trees replanted by the group to over 16,000 since the initiative started 6 years ago. Jens Kriete is the Environmental Manager at Sappi Europe, "Our mantra at Sappi is that to make sustainability a success, we have to involve our people. This is a great example of where Sappi employees have taken the lead by regularly getting together to plant trees in a local forest." Sappi's tree-planting initiative also has a strong community dimension, engaging in and with our local environment.

With the deadline just over two weeks away, we encourage anyone who was not yet applied for the 2016 Collaboration Fund to send us their proposals for new and innovative projects. The last day for submitting your proposals is 18 March 2016. Interested in getting involved? Through the Collaboration Fund we seek to support efforts to advance sustainable forest management and forest certification around the world by our members and partner organizations. Any new and independent projects which embody and stand to deliver on the Fund’s objectives while be considered.

Graphic Dimensions has joined Two Sides North America, the non-profit organization that promotes and encourages the responsible production, use, and sustainability of print and paper. “We have observed the great work that Two Sides has accomplished for many years. We are excited to become a member of this organization. The knowledge base that they have amassed and continue to provide is very impressive. Being that we are dedicated to the growth of the print industry our association with this organization is a perfect fit,” said Bill Reid – Graphic Dimensions VP of Sales and Marketing.

We have had a fantastic response to the call for nominations for our Standards Revision Working Groups. Regarding both the competence and background of the nominees, as well as the number we received, the nominations are impressive. We would like to thank all the nominees for their interest in PEFC’s work and their willingness to contribute to the further improvement of our standards. We are now evaluating all available nominations. We will come back to the nominees in the next three weeks with further information about the acceptance or rejection of the nomination. In case of acceptance, the nominees will receive more detailed information about the further process.

UPM Raflatac and WWF Poland, one of the world's largest organizations for environmental protection, have signed a three-year contract to continue the cooperation on the 'Rivers for Life' project. The project embraces efforts towards the conservation and restoration of natural river ecosystems in Poland, and has been supported by UPM Raflatac since 2012. "The private business sector can have an enormous impact on the condition of nature, positive or negative. As the Biofore company, we want to lead by example, raise awareness and find ways to improve our environment together with various stakeholders," says Jani Konkarikoski, General Manager of UPM Raflatac Poland.

Viet Nam has taken a big step towards the development of a national forest certification system in line with PEFC requirements, following the approval of Decision 83 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), which establishes a Vietnam Forest Certification Scheme (VFCS) Program. The government-approved VFCS Program aims to implement sustainable forest management and forest certification in the country over the period 2016-2020, and appoints key organizations with the required authority and resources to lead implementation.