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 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Report;
Eco-responsible paper:
"In 2007 we adopted a Fine Paper Policy. Paper used for billing, publicity, and administration activities now has a certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or 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." Download as .pdf (in French only)
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.
Effective October 2007. Excerpt from the "Dell Forest Products Stewardship Model":
Sourcing Forest Friendly Paper — Dell’s Forest Stewardship Model 2007 To ensure that Dell continues to make progress on its paper stewardship goals, Dell has:
During fiscal year 2007, Dell continued to engage with various stakeholder groups regarding paper consumption in an effort to strengthen relationships with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Forest Ethics. They met with several current and potential paper manufacturers to ensure that they keep up with the supply and demand of compliant papers to meet Dell’s increasing goals for recycled content and certified fiber. In 2007, Dell was able to increase their catalog fiber, from FSC-certified sources, by 50% and increase their catalog and inserts, sourced from FSC-certified sources, by 20%. For 2008-2009 Dell’s outlook remains positive, “Although several long-term challenges will require monitoring, the outlook for attainment of fiscal years 2008 and 2009 goals remains excellent. Several new supply sources have been identified for paper that is both FSC-certified and contains post-consumer content. There is evidence that the availability of FSC certified wood sources continue to increase and expand. Additional printers have attained FSC chain-of-custody certification, which increases the reliability of the forest-to-consumer supply chain.”
Click here to view the full procurement policy
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"
Click here to view policy
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
FSC-certified products are available in Home Depot stores across Canada and the United States.
2006 Social Responsibility report excerpt: IKEA forest projects ”The IKEA Group participates in a number of forestry projects with external organizations in order to contribute to the development of responsible forestry practices and policies in countries where we work. The IKEA Group's forestry projects focus on responsible management practices, building capacity for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, combating illegal logging and forestry research and education.”
Minimizing the use of resources Emission of fossil carbon dioxide per average catalogue must be limited. Logistics and traceability of fibre for the paper used in the production of the IKEA catalogue is studied on a yearly basis. Today, 14% of the fiber used for the IKEA catalogue comes from FSC certified forests.
FSC certification scheme The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme is currently the only certification standard which is recognized by IKEA. The FSC sets international standards for responsible forest management, and appoints independent third party organizations to certify forest managers and forest product producers to FSC standards. For a company to be able to advertise and sell their products as being FSC certified there must be an approved system used for tracking the wood flow through the entire supply chain. In addition, a chain of custody certificate requires the sawmill, trader or factory to have a documented and organized way to control all wood that is used. This system also calls for each owner of the raw material, from forest to end-producer, to have their own chain of custody certificate in order to sell their goods as FSC certified.
Click here to view Ikea's Social Responsibility Report
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)
To view Indigo's Environmental Paper Policy, click on either: (English) (Francais)
Excerpt from the Forest Products Procurement Policy: "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"
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:
"L.L.Bean will source all paper from responsibly managed forests. To verify that best practices 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."
Click here for more information.
"Lowe's forest products purchasing policy commits Lowe's to: Aggressively phase out purchases coming from endangered forests as these areas are identified and mapped (working with WRI);
In October 1997, Minnesota DNR Aitkin County Forestry and the Aitkin County Land Department became the first forest managers in the State of Minnesota, and the second public land forest managers in the United States, to receive SmartWood certification (an international program of the Rainforest Alliance) for meeting stringent international forest stewardship standards. This independent certification program, initiated by the international Forest Stewardship Council, evaluates forest management practices, including long-term forest management planning, biodiversity protection, economic viability, and community relations. It is anticipated that this process will provide a model for certification and planning in other Minnesota DNR Forestry offices in the future.
www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/forestry/aitkin/index.html
A local law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York in relation to the city contracts involving the purchase of wood products and materials. City Council Speaker Peter Vallone introduced legislation that would encourage the procurement of environmentally preferable and socially responsible building materials and require the procurement of third- party certified building materials instead of non-certified wood products whenever practicable.
Introduced on July 27th, 2000, the bill defines environmentally preferable building materials as recycled products, reclaimed wood and biobased materials (agricultural residues and on-purpose crops). While the bill has obvious environmental benefits, it also promotes socially responsible procurement. By encouraging recycling and agricultural-based products businesses and jobs are created for America’s struggling urban areas and America’s farmers who are also facing difficult economic times. Similarly, the use of FSC certified wood products ensures the consumer that social principles including core labor standards and indigenous and community rights are recognized.
Click here for more information
Nike’s Forest Products Policy, adopted in 1998, reads:
Paper Procurement Policy excerpt: "The only standard that is currently broadly endorsed by NGOs is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Other schemes that meet broad NGO endorsement will also receive preferential treatment. Until that time, we intend to use FSC certified papers and promote the FSC logo in our marketing materials and will continuously increase our use of FSC fiber. Toward that end, we are pursuing the following goals:
Project Purpose:
The Contractor will deliver 1,500 bags of seasoned, split firewood to the Georgian Bay Islands National Park office at 2611 Muskoka Road 5, Honey Harbour, Ontario. Delivery will be in three (3) equal shipments of 500 bags per shipment between the period of June 1 to August 3, 2006 & three (3) equal shipments of 500 bags per shipment between the period of May 30 to August 2, 2007. The Contractor will provide documentation (i.e. an FSC Chain of Custody number) proving the wood was harvested in an FSC-certified forest.
Responsibilities of the Contractor:
It is the responsibility of the Contractor to:
Responsibilities of the Project Manager:
It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to:
Ensure personnel meet the Contractor at the Georgian Bay Islands National Park office at 2611 Muskoka Road 5, Honey Harbour, Ontario to accept the bagged firewood.
Excerpt from Paper and Printing Services Acquisition:
"The Ontario Government has approved new standards for the acquisition of paper and printing services.
The Ministry of Government Services will implement a new procurement policy that requires that 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), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) with at least 30% of all virgin bulk paper acquired being FSC certified.
The Ontario Government will also make double-sided printing/copying the standard for in-house printers and copiers.
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."
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."
To view RONA's procurement policy click here
Excerpt from RBC 2008 Environmental Objectives:
“We are targeting paper reduction in all our operations, moving towards full use of recycled and FSC certified or equivalent paper. We introduced paperless and electronic banking options to our clients for a number of banking services. In Canada, 1.2 million clients have chosen e-statements for Personal Deposit Accounts, RBC Royal Bank Visa, Royal Credit Line and the RBC Homeline Plan, with more e-statements and paperless banking options to come. “
To visit the procurement policy, visit www.rbc.com/environment/our-environmental-priorities.html
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
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."
To view the statement, click here.
"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.
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.
To view the report, click here.
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.
The statement was followed in August 2000 with the guidance “Timber: Buyers’ Questions Answered”. The guidance recommends that government bodies “purchase sustainably produced timber (and timber products such as joinery, fittings, furniture and veneers) by, for example, specifying in orders and contracts that suppliers provide documentary evidence (which has been, or if necessary can be, independently verified) that it has come from sustainably managed sources. That is, the timber has been lawfully obtained and has come from forests and plantations which are managed to sustain their biodiversity, productivity and vitality, and to prevent harm to other ecosystems and any indigenous or forest-dependent people. The documentary evidence asked for might take the form of a certificate issued under a credible, preferably independent, verification scheme, or other documents which demonstrate the operation of an environmental management system incorporating forest management criteria that conform with internationally recognized principles such as the Helsinki Guidelines.” Buyers are also required to ensure that timber procurements are in accordance with international agreements such CITES.
UK Model Contract Specification Clause Timber and products containing wood supplied under the Contract
The Contractor shall ensure that no timber or wood contained in any product it procures shall have derived from any species of tree that is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) unless the supplier can prove, by producing official documentation, that he has complied with the CITES requirements that permit trading in the particular species of tree so listed under that Convention.
All timber and wood, other than recycled timber and wood, supplied to the Contractor shall derive from trees or other plants that have been harvested and exported in strict accordance with the applicable law or laws of the country in which the trees or other plants grew. The Contractor shall require the supplier to obtain documentary evidence to prove such legality and to prove that the evidence does in fact match the products supplied by establishing a chain of custody from the source of the timber and wood through to delivery of the final product.
The Contractor shall ensure that only timber and wood that derive from trees or plants that were grown in forests or plantations that were managed to (a) sustain their biodiversity, productivity and vitality and (b) to prevent harm to other ecosystems and any indigenous forest-dependent people is used. The Contractor shall obtain documentary evidence to demonstrate that this requirement has been met.
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 organisation 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 organisations, 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."
Find FSC-certified Printers
Find FSC-certified Wood Products
Look up a certification code
FSC Label & Logo Use
National Boreal Standard Revision
Controlled Wood Information Matrix
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