From 12 to 81: the story of PEFC membership & governance

Our commitment to championing the environmental merits of print, paper, and paper-based packaging remains steadfast. The Love Paper campaign, focussed on improving consumer perceptions of our products, reached a milestone in 2023 with over 2,000 advertisements featured in national newspapers and magazines. This initiative reaches more than 240 million consumers, communicating the sustainable story of magazines, newspapers, and all paper-based products. We are reaching more consumers every year. Across Europe, the problem of Greenwashing continues, with companies making misleading messages that portray digital communications as better for the environment. Slogans like “Go green, go paperless” not only misguide, but pose a significant threat to our industry. Two Sides actively engages businesses, brands, and organisations, urging them to refrain from making such deceptive statements regarding print and paper.

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

Despite challenging economic conditions and the drop in China's overall imports, Europe's leading recovered fiber exporter — the UK — still succeeded in shipping out larger volumes last year, according to latest figures from the country's Confederation of Paper Industries and HM Revenue & Customs. Combined, UK exports of all grades climbed 4.4% to 4.436 million tonnes in 2014 from 4.248 million tonnes in the previous year. Overseas shipments of corrugated and kraft edged 2.1% higher to 2.458 million tonnes while mixed paper deliveries to customers abroad soared 29.2% to 1.414 million tonnes. These gains more than offset steep declines for the high grades (-34.5% to 103 802 tonnes) and for newspapers and magazines (-21.6% to 460 199 tonnes).