Rainforest Alliance Partnership Promotes Biodiversity Conservation
For 16 years, Domtar has collaborated with the Rainforest Alliance to preserve the integrity of North American forests and promote biodiversity conservation through responsible paper production and fiber sourcing.
The relationship began in 2000 when Domtar forestlands in New York’s Adirondack Mountains were awarded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood Program. Domtar and the Rainforest Alliance have since partnered on a number of initiatives that advance sustainable land use and forestry.
The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability. It assures consumers that products come from responsibly managed forests that benefit communities, wildlife and the environment — the same ideals set by Domtar’s Sustainable Forestry Principles.
After just four years of certification work, Domtar was presented with the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Standard-Setter and Green Globe awards, which honored Domtar as a significant contributor to sustainability and environmental and biodiversity conservation. Soon thereafter, the Rainforest Alliance supported the launch of Domtar’s EarthChoice line of socially and environmentally responsible papers. All FSC-certified EarthChoice products proudly bear the seal of the Rainforest Alliance, the FSC trademark and Domtar EarthChoice logo.
Nearly 10 years ago, the Rainforest Alliance announced a commitment at the 2005 Clinton Global Initiative to work with Domtar to increase the use of wood from responsibly managed forestlands certified to the FSC standards in Domtar products. Since then, we have celebrated the sale of the millionth ton of FSC-certified and Rainforest Alliance-certified products. Today, all of Domtar’s facilities are FSC-certified, and we are continuing to pursue FSC certifications for all the forests we own, operate and manage.
Domtar, along with corporate partners like Staples, Kimberly-Clark and Avery Dennison, is also a major contributor to the Appalachian Woodlands Alliance, a project led by the Rainforest Alliance that seeks to improve forestry and promote biodiversity conservation in the Appalachians. Launched in 2015, the three-year project aims to improve the productivity and health of forests in the southeastern United States by fostering sustainable practices among private landowners.
“We team up with partners like Domtar and on-the-ground forest-based communities and small landowners to ensure that forest management and logging are conducted responsibly, and that ecosystems are protected,” said Richard Donovan, senior vice president and vice president of forestry at Rainforest Alliance.
In 2017, Domtar and the Rainforest Alliance will team up to expand responsible forest certification on the ground and spread awareness about sustainable land use and biodiversity conservation, starting with their Follow the Frog campaign, which begins Jan. 30. You can also hear from Domtar on the Rainforest Alliance’s The Frog Business Blog.
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