SFPNA Sustainability Report 2012: Sustainable Forestry

We are members of the Forest Stewardship Council® as well as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative®— two of the world’s leading independent nonprofit organizations that are responsible for developing sustainable forestry certification programs.

With less than ten percent of the world’s forests certified to a credible standard, we support inclusive policy positions based on multiple standards. Furthermore, we strive to expand certification across the supply chain with an emphasis on growing certified land in the regions that provide fiber to our mills. Developing access to certified wood in close proximity to our manufacturing plants provides multiple benefits, such as reducing transportation costs from forests to mills and lowering the consumption of fossil fuels, all while supporting the economic well-being of our local community.

Certification SFPNA currently holds chain-of-custody certifications from FSC®, SFI® and PEFC, the leading independent entities developing standards for forest management in our industry. These chain-of-custody certification programs provide assurance that wood-based products have been procured from well-managed forests and are legally harvested. Our suppliers’ forest management plans are designed and implemented to protect biodiversity, wildlife habitat, soil and water quality and forests with exceptional conservation value.

SFPNA was the first pulp and paper company in North America to be granted a group forest management certificate by the Forest Stewardship Council®. Through this certificate, small landowners who agree to enter as a member of our forest management group have their land certified in accordance to the FSC® standard. At the end of September 2012, 19 landowners with 11,600 acres of land were under management through this program. Based in part on the successful implementation of our program, several other pulp and paper companies have recently been granted group certificates, primarily in the southeast, and are working to further grow FSC® certified land in that region.

SFPNA is a founding member of GreenBlue’s Forest Products Working Group (FPWG). The group is committed to science-based solutions by bringing together multiple stakeholders to address unmet challenges in the forest products sector. For its inaugural project, the group is designing a set of guidelines to aid the responsible procurement, use and recovery of paper products. Work is also under way to identify and address some of the barriers to expanding the growth of certified forests.

Beyond Certification SFPNA’s wood procurement group is staffed with licensed foresters with a breadth and depth of knowledge that enables them to take an active and important role that extends well beyond procurement and certification efforts. While Sappi does not own any forestland in North America, we do provide active forest management services for landowners within our mills’ procurement zones. SFPNA foresters and other employees are also involved in multiple activities ranging from local community outreach to participation in state and national advisory boards. We also have a strong commitment to research activities that are aimed at improving forest practices.

Over half of our fiber comes from third-party certified sources and we have an expressed goal to increase the certified content of our wood and fiber. It is important to note that 100 percent of our fiber meets state and federal laws including the FSC® Controlled Wood standard as well as the requirements of the SFI® Fiber Sourcing standard. The FSC® Controlled Wood standard aims to avoid the use of wood products from “unacceptable” sources in FSC® labeled products. The SFI® Fiber Sourcing standard also prohibits fiber from controversial sources—such as illegal logging and logging from areas without effective social laws. In addition, there are several criteria that must be met when buying fiber that is not from a third-party certified forest (see sidebar). Healthy and abundant forests are critical to the long-term viability of each of our core businesses. Wood supplies the bulk of renewable energy that drives our mills; cellulose fibers comprise the primary ingredient in our paper and pulp products. We also recognize that the demands of forests extend beyond the wood products industry—from providing clean air and water to outdoor recreation. As such, we are fully dedicated to playing our role to help meet society’s demands for forest products while keeping forests healthy and productive.

To read the full report, please download a PDF from our website link: 2012 Sustainability Report.