At Gap Inc., we’re on track to achieve 100% renewable energy across our globally owned and operated facilities by 2030. Check out this snapshot of how we’re putting into action our commitment to protecting the environment for the safety and wellbeing of families and communities for future generations. For even more, read our just-released 2018 Global Sustainability report. For details go to: https://www.gapincsustainability.com/sites/default/files/Gap%20Inc%20Report%202018.pdf

In conjunction with the start of National Forest Week, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) announced that the Forest Management Wetland Stewardship Initiative (FMWSI) would be renewed for a second three-year term. FMWSI is a unique partnership between DUC and Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Canfor, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Millar Western Forest Products Ltd., Tolko Industries Ltd., West Fraser, and Weyerhaeuser Company. The initiative grew out of a shared desire among partners to pool resources and tools, to advance wetland stewardship in the working forests of Canada’s boreal region. In its first term, FMWSI focused on addressing knowledge gaps in the industry by developing guiding principles and best management practices for forest practitioners operating in or near wetlands. Now complete, these resources are available for free download or purchase from the DUC website. The second term will build on the accomplishments of the first, with a greater emphasis on knowledge transfer.

UPM Raflatac’s Biofore Site™ concept engages factory employees and fosters a culture of sustainability in line with UPM’s 2030 responsibility targets. For many years, UPM Raflatac factories have operated ISO 14001-compliant, third-party certified environmental management systems to ensure continual environmental performance improvement. The Biofore Site™ concept expands on this foundation by including economic and social aspects. Since the 2017 pilot, each factory has created a unique path to improve its scorecard performance. A multi-parameter Biofore Site scorecard based on UN Sustainable Development Goals is used to monitor each factory’s progress.

Stormwater runoff is the rain the doesn't soak into the ground and picks up pollutants as it passes down the roofs of homes and buildings, through the gutters, across the ground and into storm drain inlets. Unfortunately, this stormwater runoff does not go to a waste-water treatment plant and can end up in local creeks and rivers. The various pollutants that can be picked up along the way can include metals, oils, chemicals and bacteria. Stormwater runoff is a leading cause of water pollution. What Can You Do? While we certainly can't stop the rain from falling, we can recognize and prevent stormwater pollution to protect ourselves and our wildlife. One excellent rule of thumb is, “If you wouldn't want to swim in, don't put it in the drain.” Here are a few other ways to prevent stormwater pollution: •Dispose of and store trash and chemicals properly. Some of the most popular items that can be stored or disposed of the wrong way are: paint, garbage, mislabeled containers, uncovered chemicals, detergent, leaves and medications. •Never apply pesticides immediately before rain is forecasted and try using organic rather than synthetic fertilizers. •Recycle motor oil and maintain your vehicle to prevent leaks. •Place rocks or shrubs across a slope to interrupt water as it flows downhill. •Remove visible debris from draims. •Don’t empty ashtrays in parking lots or other areas besides their proper containers.

Carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced, and more carbon must be captured. Fossil raw materials must be replaced with renewables, and biodiversity must be fostered as a prerequisite for all life. As the world’s most important ecosystem, forests play an important role in all this. PEFC forest certification ensures that forests are managed and used sustainably. PEFC stands for the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. Its purpose is to ensure ecologically, socially and economically sustainable forest management and use. Globally, more than 60% of all certified forest hectares are certified in accordance with the PEFC. The PEFC requires profitable and socially sustainable forestry to maintain forests’ biodiversity and cultural and recreational value. PEFC forest certification sets stricter sustainability criteria for forest management than legislation, which determines the national minimum requirements. In Finland, the first Forest Act came into effect as early as 1886. Today, for example, the Forest Act still requires that the growth of a new generation of trees is ensured by planting new seedlings.

Chicago-based Mid America Paper Recycling, one of the largest independent brokers, processors and exporters of recovered paper in the Central U.S., is launching an initiative focused on tracking and increasing the value of the recycling waste streams generated by large commercial printers and paperboard converters. “The folding carton industry, for example, shipped about 5 million tons of product last year,” says Paul Pirkle, president of Mid America Paper Recycling. “We work closely with these operators and all companies that recycle waste paper to create a continuous improvement process that helps them identify where waste is generated, establish key collection procedures, and set objectives that will continually improve their waste stream’s revenue contribution to the business.” According to Mid America executives, the manufacturing operations of a typical paper or containerboard plant can generate thousands of tons of preconsumer, high-grade recyclable paper, production trim waste and paperboard waste annually, which in turn, can generate significant revenues for the company.

As an iconic Silicon Valley company, HP has long been a leader in its sector. This leadership is apparent in the company’s commitment to responsible use of forest products, including its long-standing preference for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified materials. The company released its first sustainable paper and wood policy in 2008, which set it on a course focused on support for responsible forest management, increased materials efficiency, waste reduction, low carbon production, and protection of human rights. HP further solidified its commitment to responsible forest management when it became a member of Forest Stewardship Council in 2011. In 2016, HP announced its commitment to achieve zero deforestation in its HP brand paper, packaging and wood use, stating a preference for FSC certification. At the time, HP set a goal of at least 50% of HP brand paper as FSC certified or post-consumer recycled by 2020.

The woods in our lives have never played such an important role as it they do today. From their natural beauty, to their functional strength, to their ability as nature’s air and water filters. They help with the air we breathe, habitat for plants and animals, the trails we enjoy with family and friends, and clean water. Our foresters understand the importance of a healthy forest, it's our passion and our business. They understand that to have a healthy diverse forest, all the parts of the forest must also be healthy. We use advanced technology to ensure even the smallest streams and wetlands are identified and protected. The technology we use, LiDAR provides us with a digital 3D model of the forest floor and is accurate within 3 cm. This allows us to locate small streams and wetlands so we can ensure protection of them in the working forest.

As a big consumer of imported materials, Singapore is being encouraged to become a centre of influence, committed to responsible procurement from the Asian region’s forests and plantations. This was the message from Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International CEO, speaking at a Roundtable and Lunch at Grand Copthorne Hotel on 19 September. The event was attended by 50 representatives from government agencies, think tanks, industry bodies, certification bodies, private sector companies and media. It also marked the launch of PEFC’s Chain of Custody certification scheme, now recognised by the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC), which is managed by Enterprise Singapore.

Today, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Global Optimism announced The Climate Pledge, a commitment to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early. Amazon today becomes the first signatory of this pledge. The Climate Pledge calls on signatories to be net-zero carbon across their businesses by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Accord’s goal of 2050.

A new study shows that, contrary to widespread belief within the solar power industry, new kinds of solar cells and panels don’t necessarily have to last for 25 to 30 years in order to be economically viable in today’s market.

The pulp, paper and print industry is one of the lowest contributing industrial sectors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at only 1% of emissions worldwide,[1] but consumers don’t know it. A recent consumer survey commissioned by Two Sides showed a disconnect between consumer perceptions and the facts about the industry’s impact on global GHG emissions.[2] The survey showed that 29% of Americans believe that paper production is a major contributor to global GHG emissions. However, the U.S. pulp and paper sector is one of the lowest emitters of GHG emissions among major U.S. industrial sectors at 1.2% of total U.S. industrial GHG emissions (Figure 1).[3]

Today in Ottawa, Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) launched its Forestry for the Future campaign as it works to put issues facing Canada’s forestry workers and communities front and center for federal election candidates across the country.

FI’s vision is a world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests. The SFI Annual Conference brings together thought leaders and influencers to learn about the opportunities that forests provide — from helping consumers identify sustainably sourced products, to conservation benefits on certified lands, to economic opportunities for local communities, to how students can become forest stewards.

American Forest & Paper Association Executive Director of Packaging Terry Webber issued the following statement regarding California recycling legislation (SB 54 and AB 1080) which failed to advance in the 2019 state legislative session: “The American Forest & Paper Association is pleased SB 54 and AB 1080 will not advance out of California’s 2019 legislative session. While we agreed with the goals of the legislation to support recycling and reduce waste, it is not ready to become law. These bills would have created an unrealistic regulatory framework for an implementing agency already facing challenges fixing troubled recycling programs.

June 1992 was a month I will never forget: the Danish people voted no to the EU Maastricht Treaty, Denmark won the European football championship for the first and only time and I took part in the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the Danish government delegation. A unique month!

American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of finalization for step one of the Waters of the United States repeal rule. “Paper and wood products manufacturers welcome EPA’s move to provide certainty around the implementation of Clean Water Act regulations across the United States. Stakeholders, including forest products manufacturers and state and local governments, deserve clarity as they work to ensure our nation’s waters are clean. As one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the nation with a successful record of implementing sustainable manufacturing principles, we consider EPA’s action a step in the right direction for the environment, economic growth and job creation.”

Certification demonstrates responsible forest management, and key to its success are companies along the supply chain sourcing, manufacturing, and selling sustainably-sourced materials and products. Forest certification does not stop at the forest gate, its true potential comes to live through the commitment of companies procuring certified material. In turn, these companies benefit from expanded access to international markets with a preference for certified products. This was one of the key take-aways from the workshop “VFCS/PEFC certification for timber and non-timber forestry products: Opportunities and actions for enterprises”, which took place at the end of August in the Binh Duong province in Vietnam.

California lawmakers recently rejected a bill meant to ban paper receipts. The proposal would have required businesses to ask customers if they wanted a paper receipt before printing one, and businesses would have been forbidden to print coupons or advertisements on receipts unless requested by the customer. Assembly Bill 161 by Assemblymember Phil Ting of San Francisco stalled in the state’s Senate Appropriations Committee as the legislature pared bills before the final two weeks of the session. Advocates of the California bill to ban paper receipts, dubbed Skip the Slip, suggested it would reduce paper waste in the state. The bill initially would have required businesses to provide customers electronic receipts unless a paper printout was requested. After an outcry about privacy concerns related to digital receipts and what it would cost small businesses to use new payment software, that provision was dropped. The move to ban paper receipts also faced strong opposition from the California Restaurant Association and the California Retailers Association.

Sonoco announced it has been awarded the How2Recycle®’s (H2R) “Check Locally Recyclable” status for its paper-bottom EcoSeal™ rigid paper container. This marks an exciting milestone as the Company continues to make strides in creating more sustainable packaging. The EcoSeal paperboard container joins Sonoco’s growing EnviroSense™ family of sustainable packaging. To meet our internal EnviroSense standards, Sonoco considers multiple attributes related to sustainability. The EcoSeal paperboard container is recyclable, uses recycled content, meets responsible fiber sourcing guidelines, and includes bio-based material. As shoppers grow increasingly aware of their environmental impact, they’re looking for natural and sustainable products and packaging. According to Mintel, close to 40% of consumers agree how ethical, environmentally friendly and socially responsible a product is often influences their product choice.

DS Smith has announced it has been granted funding from Hubbub’s #TheCupFund initiative, the UK’s largest grant fund to support ambitious projects that boost paper cup recycling across the UK. DS Smith’s Coffee Cup Drop Box is the only national scheme to have been chosen as part of the initiative. The grant will support the roll-out of DS Smith’s specially designed Coffee Cup Drop Box scheme, in partnership with Associated Vending Services (AVS). Each box holds around 700 cups and once full is collected by Royal Mail and returned to DS Smith’s paper mill in Kemsley, the UK’s largest, to be recycled back into new paper packaging products. As part of the development of the Coffee Cup Drop box DS Smith partnered with AVS to trial the service with its members. AVS members operate tens of thousands of vending machines at locations throughout the UK.

MRF operators, brokers and others recently discussed why fiber is still “the elephant in the room” in municipal recycling conversations. During a recovered fiber session at the 2019 Resource Recycling Conference and Trade Show in New Orleans, stakeholders from throughout the paper recycling sector discussed where the market is and where it’s headed. Fiber is the “elephant in the room” as far as the value of the residential mix that municipalities receive, said Dave Claugus, vice president of Pacific Northwest MRF operator Pioneer Recycling Services. Paper is the “main event” at a MRF, said Claugus. In the Pacific Northwest, paper makes up 75% of the material that comes onto the tip floor Monday through Friday. “That means that paper moves the price of whatever the processor can pay or needs to charge the municipality,” Claugus said. For example, if paper moves by $10 per ton, it is going to influence the combined value of recyclables by $7.50 per ton. If PET moves by $10 per ton, on the other hand, that would influence the combined value of the recycling stream by just 25 cents per ton due to its smaller volume in the stream.

Small- and family forest owners – the little guys – are important stewards of the world’s forests. From our very beginnings, we have had their needs at heart. All over the world, smallholders are managing their forests sustainably, yet certification remains out of their reach – simply because they don’t have the means to obtain it. PEFC was founded by small- and family forest owners, and from early on, we were aware that the costs and procedures of forest certification can be a significant obstacle for them. While we never compromised on sustainability – our requirements must be met by everyone, independent of size – we wanted PEFC certification to be attainable for all forest owners, including those with limited financial means. The solution is group certification, a mechanism we established almost twenty years ago. It allows smallholders to organize themselves in groups and pool their resources to achieve certification.

Stora Enso will be the presenting sponsor for FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2021 in Oberstdorf, Germany. The sponsorship builds on the experiences from previous ski championships to contribute to the sustainability and circularity of a large-scale sports event. The company will showcase its renewable and recyclable solutions in numerous applications. Throughout the event, Stora Enso will increase awareness of the benefits of renewable products and innovations together with the Oberstdorf local organising committee. Stora Enso’s products made from wood fiber provide a climate-friendly and lower carbon alternative to many products made from fossil-based materials. During the World Ski Championships, a variety of products based on renewable raw materials will be available at the event, such as wood for temporary buildings and carton board for packaging.

The benefits of wood construction include the material’s lightness and fast construction. The most relevant aspect where climate change is concerned, however, is the unique ability of wood structures to store carbon in themselves for their entire life-cycle. For example, an average Finnish single-family house built from wood stores roughly 30 tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide within its wooden structures. This is equal to the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the average miles driven by one person over a period of 10 years. The biggest growth opportunities of wood use lie in industrial construction, as well as in the construction of additional floors onto existing buildings and renovating them. By increasing the use of wood, we can considerably reduce the consumption of non-renewable natural resources and construction’s carbon dioxide emissions. “Forest industry products play an important role in the mitigation of climate change. Every wood structure stores carbon, some for as long as hundreds of years. We must move from the fossil economy towards a resource-smart bioeconomy, and increasing the volume of wood construction is one of the essential ways of doing this,” says Juha Laine, SVP, Communications of Metsä Group.

Burton will be joining millions of students and workers across the world participating in the Global Climate Strike on Fri., Sept. 20, according to a press release sent to Total Retail. To support the marches that will take place, Burton will close all its offices and stores for 24 hours so employees worldwide can join nearby marches meant to raise awareness and demand action. The retailer's e-commerce site will also be closed on Sept. 20th to online orders, and will instead redirect to the Global Climate Strike homepage to build awareness for the cause. Though Burton's offices will be closed, employees will receive paid time off to join strikes in their regions. Burton's flagship stores will be open to the public as gathering spaces before and after nearby matches, but cash registers will be closed. The retailer will have supplies on hand for making signs for the strike.

UPS announced Suzanne Lindsay-Walker has been named UPS chief sustainability officer (CSO) and vice president of environmental affairs. In this role, she succeeds Tamara Barker, a 32-year UPS veteran who recently retired. Lindsay-Walker will be responsible for policies and programs to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations, as well as overseeing the attainment of UPS’s sustainability goals to reduce the use of carbon-based fuels. “The project engineering experience and sustainability knowledge Suzanne brings to the UPS team is impressive,” said Rhonda Clark, president, corporate plant engineering, UPS. “She has held important leadership roles at three other widely recognized brands – creating and leading their sustainability programs, designing commercial facilities and fostering customer and employee engagement. We are excited to have Suzanne at UPS helping us continue to make progress on UPS’s 2020 and 2025 sustainability goals.”

Kerry Cesareo, senior vice president for forests, leads a portfolio of strategic forest management initiatives in pursuit of World Wildlife Fund’s goal to conserve the world’s most important forests, including the rainforests in the Amazon, which have drawn public attention because of widespread fires. (Note to readers: Domtar uses only wood harvested from managed forests in North America. We do not procure any wood from Brazil.) World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiatives include using an innovative financial model to ensure protected forest areas are properly managed, and combining policy and market-based interventions to address unsustainable agricultural expansion, logging and infrastructure development in key landscapes. Cesareo previously led WWF’s forest markets work, launching the North American arm of the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) and forging partnerships with Fortune 500 companies on environmentally responsible supply chains for wood and paper products. She recently answered questions from the Outside Voice team about global forest management:

Last year, PEFC revolutionized forest certification by moving it out of the forest. Now, people and organizations owning or managing trees growing outside of forests can achieve PEFC certification of their sustainable management practices. This is a big leap forward. But what does it really mean on the ground? Trees outside forests are immensely important for rural communities around the world. Millions of people rely on this resource to provide them with food, materials and their livelihoods. If managed sustainably, they can contribute to rural development, food security and reduced poverty – vital Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We find these trees throughout landscapes, from scattered on farms and settlement land, to growing in hedgerows and alongside fields. Often, trees are just one of many crops grown by a farmer or a community.

BillerudKorsnäs Sustainability Director Malin Ljung Eiborn will on the 1st of October take place in the Executive Leadership Team of BillerudKorsnäs. Sustainability thus becomes a separate function at group level instead of, as previously, part of the communication department. In BillerudKorsnäs, supplier of sustainable packaging materials and solutions, sustainability is integrated in the business. The company's purpose “we challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future” becomes even clearer when the group wide responsibility now becomes part of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). "Sustainability is today at the heart of our business. We will continue to take the lead and to include sustainability in the ELT as its own group function therefore feels natural. The fact that Malin in her relatively short time in the company has already contributed strongly to our development made including here in the ELT an easy decision to take", says Petra Einarsson President and CEO.