Public consultation: Spanish forest certification system

Global apparel retailer Gap Inc. announced a new partnership with its longtime sourcing and franchise partner in India, Arvind Limited, to drive industry-leading solutions that address global water scarcity. The apparel industry is one of the most intensive users of water in the world and, in India, 54 percent of the population faces high to extremely high water risk. The two companies will open a new innovation center to promote the adoption of proven techniques and technology that reduce water use by the textile manufacturing industry. Further, Arvind and Gap Inc. are also investing in a new water treatment facility that will eliminate the use of fresh water at Arvind’s denim mill in Ahmedabad, India. The facility will save three billion liters of fresh water by the end of 2020 and preserve the local community’s vital freshwater resources. As water becomes increasingly scarce due to climate change and growing human needs, the apparel industry is facing pressure to reduce its demand for fresh water. When it opens in 2020, the new center will be an innovation hub for apparel companies, manufacturing suppliers and vendors, sustainability experts, academics, and other environmental stakeholders to advance and scale water stewardship across the apparel sector. The 18,000-square foot space will feature: installations that showcase water management best practices and recycling technologies; a library; lab space to develop water management solutions as well as classroom training and conference space. Once completed, the center will generate scalable solutions that can be replicated at other mills and laundries. Click Read More below for additional information.

AptarGroup, Inc. is proud to announce its science-based targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Aptar’s targets approved by the SBTi are: *Aptar commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 28% by 2030 from a 2019 base year (well-below 2°C) *Aptar commits to increase annual sourcing of renewable electricity from 57% of total consumption in 2019 to 100% by 2030 *Aptar also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 14% by 2030 from a 2019 base year (in-line with 2°C)

FSC’s Global Strategy identifies “Streamlining policies and standards towards outcome orientation” and “Scaling up benefits for Indigenous Peoples, communities, smallholders and workers” as priorities. One of the ways we are achieving these goals is by updating the FSC Forest Management Group Standard, which allows groups of individual properties to be certified under a single certificate. The result is to reduce the costs and administrative barriers to FSC Forest Management certification for family forest landowners and group managers. Group managers develop and maintain rules, policies, procedures, and other essential tasks. Recently, the Forest Management Group Standard changed in several ways, with the introduction of risk-based decision making, sharing standard requirements across a group, and other efficiencies.