A responsible purchasing program for forest products should aim to improve the environmental and social performance of the supply base by ending the purchase of forest products from illegal or controversial sources and by continuously increasing the proportion of those products purchased from credibly certified forests.
An environmental policy should make reference to the following:
Policy Statement: Alberta Environment will produce all Ministry publications on materials made of the highest practical content (minimum 30 percent) of recycled and/or post-consumer materials, and will give preference to printing companies who can produce publications on materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Goal: By the end of the 2006 fiscal year, Alberta Environment will:
- Produce all internal and external publications on paper that is FSC-certified and contains the highest practical content of recycled and/or post-consumer materials - Display the recycled content logo on all of its publications - Ensure that all publications ordered through the Visual Identities Office (Public Affairs Bureau) contain recycled and/or post-consumer materials and routinely display the recycled content logo in addition to the Alberta Environment logo - Ensure that all the Ministry’s Requests for Proposals routinely state that any written reports or publications to be submitted to Ministry officials are printed on the highest practical content of recycled and/or post-consumer materials
Scope: These Guidelines will apply to all of the Ministry’s internal and external publications. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Official letterhead, envelopes, and other stationary products - Employee business cards - The Ministry’s program/educational/promotional brochures and posters
Where available at a reasonable cost, Alberta Environment will produce publications on 100 percent recycled and/or post-consumer content materials.
Excerpt from 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Report;
Responsible Procurement:
"Since 2008, paper purchased fo all administrative operations, billing, and marketing is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified or it contains a minimum of 25% post-consumer recycled fibres.
Click here to view policy.
November 2005: "Any wood originating from forests where the sustainable management is certified by independent institutions according to internationally recognized criteria."
Click to view full policy (French only)
Excerpt from The Body Shop International Values Report 2009:
Wood and Paper Products:
"...We are committed to making sure that our wood use does not contribute to deforestation and strive to buy wood that is certified as coming from well-managed sources by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
We buy small volumes of wood-based products, in ranges such as our eye-pencils, massagers, and diffusers. Sourcing from FSC sources means that forests are managed to ensure long term supplies while protecting the environment and the lives of forest dependent peoples.
The move to retail wooden articles to fully FSC-certified sources by 2010 is well underway, with the number of non-FSC articles dropping by half from 30 in 2007 to 15 in 2008.
The 8 remaining non-FSC articles in our line up ordered in 2008 were all Diffusers. These are all either seasonal or due to be discontinued in 209, and therefore will not be ordered in 2010. This means that all commercially sourced wood will be from a FSC source by 2010.
Click here to view full policy (Current as of March 2010)
Excerpt from City of Madrid Procurement Policy:
"In the public municipal contract, an order of preference for accredited certificates and documents will be established, prioritizing those that offer more information about the environmental characteristics of the products, the sustainability of production and extraction, as well as the social criteria required through the accreditation process. The order of preference from best to worst is:
Click here to view the policy. (Spanish only)
Environmental Purchasing Policy:
Forest Conservation
C.1. To the greatest extent practicable, Minneapolis will not procure wood products such as lumber and paper that originate from forests harvested in an environmentally unsustainable manner. When practicable, Minneapolis will give preference to wood products that are certified to be sustainability harvested by a comprehensive, performance-based certification system. The certification system will include independent third-party audits, with standards equivalent to, or stricter than, those of the Forest Stewardship Council certification.
C.2. The City of Minneapolis encourages the purchase or use of previously used or salvaged wood and wood products whenever practicable.
Excerpt from the "Dell Forest Products Stewardship Model":
'In FY 2005, we developed a Forest Products Stewardship Model that we continue to use. [The Dell Model specifies use of 25% FSC-certified fibre by 2010]
Our commitment to progress toward our paper stewardship goals is reflected by the following actions:
In 2008, Dell set a goal to achieve 10% FSC-certified content for their catalogs in 2009. By the end of 2009 Dell was able to achieve 38% FSC-certified content.
'In FY 2010 we will continue to lead in achieving forest products stewardship goals and expand our efforts across all regions. Key areas of focus are to:
Click here to view the full procurement policy (Current as of March 2010)
In Fiscal Year 2006, we increased the number of brands using renewable and recycled source materials:
To view the full CSR Report, click here.
January 2, 2008, excerpt from Paper Procurement Policy: "The Globe and Mail will demonstrate purchasing preferences for virgin wood fibre by independent, third party certification schemes, and will support Forest Stewardship Certified wood fibre as the preferred option."
Click here to view the policy
June 2006, excerpt from Green Building Policy: "All building projects covered by this policy shall achieve a minimum of a Silver rating under the Canada Green Building Council’s 'LEED® Canada NC Version 1.0 Green Building Rating System for New Construction and Major Renovations'."
Click here to view Sustainability Development Act
August 2008, excerpt from Government of Ontario Environmental Registry: "The Ministry of Government Services will implement a new procurement policy that requires 100% of all virgin bulk paper purchased by Ontario government ministries and select agencies must be certified by one of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)...with at least 30% of all virgin bulk paper acquired being FSC certified.
In addition, the Ontario Government will work with the printing industry to ensure the printers supplying the Ontario Government are FSC certified by 2012 and will work towards increasing the level of recycled content in printed materials to 50% by 2012."
Click here to view policy (Current as of March 2010)
Excerpt from Wood Purchasing Policy: One of the certification standards is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent organization based in Bonn, Germany. We sell more FSC certified wood than any retailer in America and at the same time we have transitioned more vendors to FSC certified wood than any other retailer in America. We began to give preferential treatment to certified products in 1999. In addition, we have shifted buying wood from questionable sources to companies that practice responsible forestry. Implementing the policy meant making minor changes to our wood supply chain and rewarding companies that practice responsible forestry. In the spirit of the Wood Purchasing Policy, we have:
Click here to view the full policy (Current as of March 2010)
FSC-certified products are available in Home Depot stores across Canada and the United States.
February 2009, Excerpt from the Environmental Paper Policy:
Improving Forest Practices
Certification of Forest Management "..For paper products where virgin fibre is a component, Indigo will preference products that are eligible for labeling according to FSC's standards. Paper and books that qualify for FSC labels are recognized under the Indigo paper policy.
Indigo Operations We will encourage our suppliers to aggressively pursue FSC certification for all "on-the-ground" operations and will encourage paper suppliers to include increasing amounts of FSC pulp in our paper products, where virgin fibre is required."
To view Indigo's Environmental Paper Policy, click on either: (English) (Francais) (Current as of March 2010)
Limited Brands is a parent company to Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, C.O. Bigelow, The White Barn Candle Co., La Senza, & Henri Bendel
Forest Certification: Limited Brands is committed to increasing the amount of certified fiber in paper and forest products and, in particular, will give purchasing preference to products endorsed under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification program, where such products are available and appropriate to Limited Brands’ needs and where certification is consistent with this policy’s provisions on conservation of endangered forests and biodiversity. Limited Brands does not give exclusive preference to any single forest certification program, and will evaluate the claims of different certification programs based on demonstrated contributions to positive conservation outcomes for forest species, sites and landscapes.
Limited Brands is committed to:
2010, Excerpt from L.L. Bean Paper Procurement Policy:
Sustainable Forest Management:
"L.L. Bean will source all paper from responsibly managed forests. To verify that best practises are employed, we seek third-party certification. We recognize that there are multiple certification systems in place and not all certifications are right for all situations. We give preference to fiber certified under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards when feasible, based on market conditions. More broadly, we look for forest management standards that are based on continuous improvement."
Excerpt from Lowe's Forest Products Purchasing Policy commits Lowe's to:
Click to view full policy (Current as of March 2010)
Nike’s Forest Products Policy, adopted in 1998, reads:
April 2010: Renewable Electricity Plan
Forest biomass used to generate renewable energy must comply with the following requirements:
Click to view full policy.
Excerpt from UK Paper Procurement Policy:
Paper procurement
We support The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the leading international forest certification association and make every effort to ensure that the papers used in our books are made from trees that have been legally sourced from well-managed and credibly certified forests.
All Random House Group titles that are printed on FSC ancient forest friendly paper carry the FSC logo.
Paper procurement – policy standards
We make every effort to ensure that the papers used in our books are made from trees that have been legally sourced from well-managed and credibly certified forests. Our preference is for FSC certified wood fibre.
Excerpt from RONA's 2008 Wood Products Procurement Policy:
"Because RONA seeks to provide to its customers sustainable wood forest products, RONA supports certifications that integrate both the environmental and social aspects linked to forest management. RONA specifically recognizes the importance of solid and respectful relationships with indigenous communities and the conservation of biodiversity, two factors that are clearly identified as priorities in the FSC standard. RONA also recognizes that differences in this regard exist between the various certifications and that FSC certification shows higher standards in this matter. Therefore, RONA will give preference to wood certified under the FSC standard, subject to availability and price competitiveness."
Excerpts from RBC Environmental Blueprint
Paper Use- RBC is committed to:
"ensuring that the paper we purchase contains recycled fiber and/or ensuring that, where available, the paper we use is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, Canadian Standards Association or equivalent, indicating that it has been harvested from sustainabily managed forests."
Clients and Transactions- RBC will:
"as that large corporate clients in the forest product sector be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, Canadian Standards Association or acceptable alternative, or be committed to achieving certification within five yards;"
Excerpt from Paper Procurement Policy:
"Scholastic Inc. is dedicated to responsible stewardship of the environment in all of its paper procurement practices. We endeavor to produce quality products in a responsible manner from design to material specification to finished goods.
By year-end 2008, we will expect all paper manufactured for Scholastic product to be free of unacceptable sources of fiber as described by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) controlled wood standard.
By 2012, Scholastic’s goal for publications paper purchases will be for 30% to be FSC-certified."
Scotiabank Environmental Paper Policy 2008 "Scotiabank prefers paper products that contain a significant mix of fiber certified to sustainable forestry standards and will increase its purchase of Forest Stewardship Council (or similarly recognized) products for its paper purchases..."
Objectives: 2008-2010
Excerpt from Sun Life Financial's 2008 Public Accountability Statement:
"FSC-certified paper:
In 2008, we continued to source all paper used in the printing of reports such as this Public Accountability Statement, our Annual Report, Quarterly Reports and other industry publications, from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified vendors."
Click to view full report (Current as of March 2010)
In July 2007, Sun Life Financial released a statement regarding their group retirement and savings plan member statements:
"As part of Sun Life Financial's focus on sustainability, paper for the envelopes and statements will be FSC-certified. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a special designation that ensures the manner in which trees are harvested and sustained for the future meet criteria for environmental sustainability."
Click to view full statement
"By using the socially and environmentally certified FSC paper containing 30% post-consumer recycled content, the magazines will preserve about 3,000 trees- a reduction of about 30% over conventional paper. The FSC 30% recycled paper will also reduce greenhouse gases and energy requirements. About 2.4 million copies of the magazines are printed annually."
"The use of the FSC-certified paper is a major environmental advance for our publications and aligns us even more closely with the expectations of consumers and advertisers for responsible use of resources. The magazine-offset paper maintains our high quality standards at the same time as improving the environment." - Sheryl Humphreys, Associate Publisher of Town Media part of the Sun Media network.
To view the press release, click here
TD's 'Operational Footprint-Green Procurement' Paper purchases:
"We strive to use certified paper that comes from well-managed forests. For example, 78% of all company envelopes purchased in 2007 were Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified. Customer deposit envelopes at our ABMs consist of 100% recyclable material, with 50% of that being post-consumer waste. TD letterhead is composed of 20% FSC-certified fibres (elemental-chlorine-free) and 80% post-consumer fibres (process-chlorine-free).
In 2008, we are looking to increase our usage of certified papers or papers with a higher ratio of post-consumer content."
To view the entire statement, click here. (Current as of March 2010)
Excerpt from 'Building Trust' 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report:
"Also noteworthy was a company wide decision made in May to print all internal publications, as well as customer bills, on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper and to use FSC certified printers, whenever possible, for the production of marketing and promotional materials. From June to year-end, Toronto Hydro used 2.8 million FSC envelopes, resulting in the diversion of 18, 440 kilograms of solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions savings of 36, 313 kilograms.
Click here to view full policy.
Unilever Sustainable Paper and Board Packaging Sourcing Policy:
"As mentioned in our policy, Unilever will give preference to sourcing FSC certified virgin paper or board wherever available and viable to do so. Unilever also recognises the FSC certification scheme as the most comprehensive Forest Management Scheme globally."
Unilever's sustainable paper and board sourcing. (Current as of July 2010)
Present UK Government policy is set out in a statement made by the then Environment Minister on 28 July 2000. The statement binds all central government departments and agencies “actively to seek to buy timber and timber products from sustainable and legal sources.” The statement refers to sources certified under the FSC scheme as an example of ‘legal and sustainable’ sources. The statement also binds each central government department to report annually on its timber purchases and to explain what steps it is taking to pursue this objective; the quantity and types of its purchases; and what assurances it has received that the source of timber is sustainable and legal....
...It is the Contractor’s responsibility to produce documentary evidence, in respect of these requirements, that will enable the Authority to verify the authenticity and credibility of the claims being made. The Contractor shall, if requested by the Authority, obtain independent verification of the claims being made and shall meet the full costs involved in so doing. In this context “independent” means a body or organization that is accepted by the Authority as having the competence and capacity to provide an objective assessment of the evidence presented and as having no interests that would conflict with their duty to provide impartial advice. One way in which the Authority will accept that the Contractor has met his obligations in proving the source of his timber and wood products is if those products are certified, by properly accredited organizations, as meeting the standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council or such other standards set by such other bodies as are listed in the Contract Specification.
"Our suppliers already have or are actively seeking certifications from bodies accredited by the internationally recognized Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), or are working closely with environmental, indigenous, and social interests to develop FSC standards or comparable standards where none exist. [...] we anticipate to be able to attain 15% FSC certification by the end of 2006."
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