Forestry and Forest Products Sector Releases Global Sustainability Progress Report
The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) released its biennial Sustainability Progress Report which demonstrates progress in seven key areas of sustainability. The 2021 report also highlights the forest products sector’s global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key progress on ICFPA’s sustainability performance indicators include: *In 2019, 52.6 percent of procured wood fibre came from third-party certified sustainably-managed forests, a 41 percentage point increase from the 2000 baseline year. *Greenhouse gas emission intensity decreased 21 percent from the 2004/2005 baseline year. *The energy share of biomass and other renewable fuels increased to 64.9 percent, a 12 percentage point increase since 2004/2005. *Sulphur dioxide emission intensity from on-site combustion sources decreased 77 percent from the 2004/2005 baseline year and 38 percent from the previous report. *Water use intensity decreased 12.5 percent from the baseline year. *Investment in health and safety interventions yielded a 30 percent reduction in the global recordable incident rate from the 2006/2007 baseline with the number of recordable incidents falling to 2.88 per 100 employees annually. *In 2019, 59.1 percent of paper and paperboard consumed globally was used by mills to make new products, marking a 12.6 percentage point increase in the global recycling rate since the year 2000.