The WWF has published a ‘Timber Scorecard’ report assessing over 100 companies’ performance in terms of sourcing sustainable timber and timber products. Pearson was given a ranking of ‘two trees’ out of a possible three in the scorecard. This indicates Pearson has made a very good start on the sustainability journey through the commitments the company has made to source FSC, PEFC and recycled products as well as establishing control mechanisms over the way it uses timber products.
Peter Hughes, Sustainability Director at Pearson said: “At Pearson, our commercial success goes hand in hand with a focus on operating sustainably and responsibly. This is the right thing to do and positions us strongly to succeed in a fast-changing global environment.
“We have been members of WWF’s Global Forest and Trade Network for over a decade and understand the importance of sustainable sourcing and efficient usage of paper. We’re pleased with the WWF scorecard rating, but will continually look at ways of improving our impact on the environment.”
Julia Young, Manager of the WWF Global Forest and Trade Network in the UK said: “Pearson shares their performance on responsible sourcing of paper for their supply chains through their commitment to our programme, and have reinforced this with their support for the forest campaign. Its great to see them working hard on this journey, looking for opportunities to source better and they have built a depth of understanding of the critical issues affecting global forests, which sets them well on the path of success to meet their commitments.’
Pearson is committed to the sustainability agenda and is a business signatory to the WWF-UK #saveforests campaign to cut out the illegal and unsustainable trade in timber. Pearson’s commitments as a company are to:
•Publish its purchasing policy on the corporate website. This includes a commitment to prevent illegal timber from entering the supply chain
•Systematically verify that the products entering Pearson’s supply chain are legal. Pearson is a founder member of the Publishers’ database for Responsible Environmental Paper Sourcing. This database includes information on the country of origin of the wood fibre and how forest sources are been managed and certified as well as information on carbon and water management practice
•Work with organisations like WWF and suppliers on a journey towards sourcing from certified, sustainably managed forest sources
•Be transparent about reporting on progress on sustainability goals. Pearson publishes a standalone paper report as part of its corporate responsibility reporting
The release of the WWF-UK report is a reminder that business plays a vital role in ensuring forest resources are well managed. We can all do more to improve our practice and to publicly share what we are doing to prevent the UK’s trade in timber and wood-based products from contributing to global deforestation.
Pearson has recently been recognized with a rating of 95% in Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility Index, 2015. This aims to raise awareness of and promote best practice in corporate responsibility issues in the UK.
https://www.pearson.com/news/announcements/2015/july/pearson-receives-two-trees-rating-in-new-wwf-timber-scorecard.html