Ahlstrom-Munksjö and Metsä Fibre continue the collaboration by focusing on responsible wood sourcing. As part of a resource-intensive industry Ahlstrom-Munksjö, as a significant wood pulp consumer, and Metsä Fibre, as the world’s leading producer of bleached softwood pulp, have a particular responsibility to advance environmental performance and sustainability throughout their operations and supply chains. “We are committed to contributing to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by reducing negative impact across the value chain. The collaboration with both the suppliers and customers is very important in developing and implementing our sustainability strategy, and thereby achieving these goals,” says Heli Nykänen, Manager, Group Sustainability and Capital Investments. The project that started in 2019 has mainly focused on responsible wood sourcing in the value chain from the forest to the end-products.

“When we began the last revision of our Sustainable Forest Management Standard, we noticed how much the Chilean society and the forestry sector had developed during these years,” he explains. “This meant that the expectations regarding the use of natural resources had achieved much higher levels that needed to be properly addressed. Many different stakeholders with different points of view participated in the discussion of the requirements.” “Although the Certfor standard addressed the main issues of the day, sustainable development is a continuous process. New social, environmental demands arise over time. This implies that the standards must evolve, too, to address those new issues.”

To mark Earth Day's 50th anniversary, Earth Day Canada and Earth Day Initiative, in collaboration with Corporate Knights, have released the 50 Top Business Moves for the Planet. Cascades is pleased to be included on this list for its pioneering role in recycling. The Company's strong dedication to promoting recycled fibres in the manufacturing of its products played a key role in this decision. "In the 1950s, we could not have foreseen that the simple idea of diverting material from landfills to recovery would go so far. By giving new life to this material, we reduce the pressure on natural resources and minimize waste. Even though the idea wasn't popular at the time, I am very proud that we were true to our values and ideals, and continue to honour them today" said Alain Lemaire, co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cascades.

Amazon today announced a $10 million grant to conserve, restore, and support sustainable forestry, wildlife and nature-based solutions across the Appalachian Mountains, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy. Nature-based solutions refer to the sustainable management and use of nature for tackling challenges such as removing carbon from the atmosphere to slow climate change and helping maintain water and food security, biodiversity protection, human health, and disaster risk management. This funding will initially support projects in Pennsylvania and Vermont that will help family forest owners sequester carbon and support expansion across the Appalachians in a network of climate-resilient forests that scientists at The Nature Conservancy have identified as most able to thrive in the face of climate change. This is the first project from Amazon’s $100 millionRight Now Climate Fund, an initiative to remove carbon from the atmosphere through the restoration and conservation of forests, wetlands, grasslands and peatlands around the world. Last year, Amazon co-founded with Global Optimism and became the first signatory of The Climate Pledge – committing to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net zero carbon by 2040 through decarbonization of its operations and use of nature-based solutions.

Sappi joins the world in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and in honouring the theme of climate action. This theme is particularly apt in view of reports from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) indicating that last decade was the hottest on record. Globally we see and feel the negative impacts of this in the form of sea level rise, species decline and more frequent extreme weather events including longer, more intense heat waves. Given that Sappi’s business is based on a natural resource – woodfibre – we are acutely aware of how dependent we are on the Planet and how important it is to help maintain ecological balance and join in taking concerted actions to mitigate the effects of climate change. We celebrate the fact that the forests and plantations from which we source woodfibre help mitigate global warming by acting as carbon sinks and that responsible harvesting of this renewable resource is balanced with regeneration and regrowth, thereby perpetuating the carbon cycle.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and just like everything else in life, it will look much different due to the social restrictions imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But we can still do our part to make Earth Week 2020 memorable. Like many other events, Earth Week 2020 has been rescheduled for the fall. But even though we are practicing social distancing and doing our part to avoid spreading disease, we still are finding ways to care for our planet, our people and our communities this month. You can, too. Here are some great ideas for conservation activities you can do while remaining safe during Earth Week 2020. click read more below for the rest of the story

PEFC International develops sustainability benchmarks that are applicable globally. Yet the real work is done by local stakeholders, who adapt them to local conditions and add their own requirements. In our latest video, our CEO Ben Gunneberg speaks about the development of the PEFC standards and why it is so important to adapt national forest management standards to local conditions. “In every country, there's a different type of forestry. So in every country there are different factors which impact how you do your sustainable forestry, so that needed to be taken into consideration. You couldn't have one size fits all,” he explains.

The targets covering greenhouse gas emissions from Pearson’s operations (scopes 1 and 2) and its emissions from its value chain (scope 3) are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement. The target approved is an absolute reduction in: *scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions - 50% by 2030 from a 2018 base year. *scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, upstream and downstream transportation, use and end-of-life of sold products - 50% by 2030 from a 2018 base year.

Finland’s famous forests are composed of trees that have been carefully chosen and cultivated since the 1960s. Part of this process is the practice of tree breeding: selectively breeding species of trees for forests that are as healthy, resilient and productive as possible. To many, Finland’s forests seem ancient and unchanging. But they are actually composed of both naturally occurring forests and those in which the trees that have been carefully chosen and cultivated. Part of this management is the little-known practice of tree breeding: selectively breeding different species of trees to genetically improve forest stock. This helps create forests that are as healthy, resilient and productive as possible. click read more to find out how...

Sappi is proud to announce that its Symbio bio-composite cellulose fibre which is derived from responsibly managed, renewable forests has been chosen as feedstock for the development of lightweight bio-composite materials, for the Life Biobcompo project. The project aims to reduce vehicle CO2 emissions by 8% through the replacement of conventional mineral fillers with bio-based fibres, promote the use of more sustainable resources and demonstrate these technologies at industrial scale. The project partners are the SAPA Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Italy, Centro Ricerche Fiat and the Sòphia High Tech Group. The bio-composite materials are required to have good thermo-mechanical properties, a high aesthetic value and good dimensional stability. The experience acquired by SAPA on the development of low-density bio-composites for automotive applications, in a previous R&D project, and the cooperation with Sappi have been fundamental for the achievement of the above requirements.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) is collaborating on research with the University of Georgia to assess the positive impact of the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard on water quality and biodiversity in the Southern Coastal Plain of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. The study region, which is home to many imperiled species including the gopher tortoise and red cockaded woodpecker, could be favorably affected by the application of sustainable forestry practices, including those promoted by the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard and the SFI Forest Management Standard. Puneet Dwivedi, Associate Professor in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia (UGA), is collaborating with SFI to analyze the effect of the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard on water quality and biodiversity. The innovative study approach will study how best management practices (BMPs) for water quality can advance conservation goals in multiple ways. BMPs are a required element of both SFI’s Fiber Sourcing Standard and also the SFI Forest Management Standard.

Neenah, Inc. published an updated Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR) on its web site (www.neenah.com) under the "About Us" section. The report highlights the Company's commitment and progress on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives and is structured in alignment with Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) industry guidelines to address those factors most relevant to the Company's stakeholders. The report includes strategies, information and metrics related to the Company's environmental impact, employee development, and community engagement.

Berry’s GRI Index was prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards Core option. GRI is the most widely used framework for sustainability reporting used by businesses, governments, and other organizations. Notable statistics in support of Impact 2025 from the Company’s GRI Index include: Recycled Content: Berry set a new record for annual usage of post-consumer plastic in FY19 of 70,000 metric tons (154 million pounds). Much of the increase was driven by our acquisition of RPC, which is included on a pro forma basis. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG): Berry continued its long-term reduction in Scope 1+2 GHG emissions intensity, having reduced its intensity 3% year-over-year and 46% since the Company began measuring its carbon footprint in 2008. The Company is ahead of schedule for achieving its science-based target of a 25% reduction in Scope 1+2 GHG emissions intensity by 2025, having already achieved a 14% reduction vs. its 2016 baseline. Landfill Waste: Berry realized a 13% reduction in its landfill waste intensity from 2018 to 2019. This exceeds the Company’s goal of a 5% reduction year-over-year. Energy: For the year, Berry reduced its energy intensity by 3% year-over-year. This exceeds the Company’s goal of a 1% reduction year-over-year. Water: In the year 2019, the Company decreased absolute water intensity 12% from 2018 to 2019, far exceeding the 1% year-over-year reduction target.

SCA’s seedling operation has now delivered 100,000 spruce seedlings for planting on SCA land in Latvia. The seedlings are frozen and delivered packaged in corrugated board boxes. “This is the first year that we have delivered boxed frozen seedlings,” says Peter Engblom of NorrPlant. SCA owns approximately 20,000 hectares of land in Latvia and there are plenty of available sites where SCA plans to plant new forest. “We have delivered 100,000 spruce seedlings of our SuperPot seedling type, which is a two-year-old seedling and therefore somewhat larger than other seedlings,” says Peter Engblom, Business Developer at NorrPlant, and continues: "SuperPot is perfect for the fertile lands in Latvia because the plant type suits land subject to significant vegetation stress.

The plastic-free eco-barrier paperboard, MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB, has recently achieved DIN CERTCO certificates in both industrial and home compostability. The industrial certification complies with DIN EN 13432 and ASTM D6400 standards and the home compostability certification complies with NF T 51-800. Eco-barrier paperboard is manufactured by Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium lightweight paperboards, and part of the Metsä Group. Helena Moring-Vepsäläinen, Product Safety Manager at Metsä Board, comments: “There is a growing demand among brand owners for new, more ecological solutions for food and food service packaging that are made of renewable, non-plastic materials, and which can be recycled or composted after use. MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB has now been certified with these international compostability standards and this will help our customers to choose a packaging material that they know will reliably comply with their different disposal requirements.”

From the requirements that companies must meet to achieve PEFC chain of custody certification, to the specific steps stakeholders must take as they develop their national forest certification system, our standards are vital to the functioning of our organization. But who is responsible for developing them? The answer to this might not be what you think. It is not PEFC that develops the standards, but multi-stakeholder working groups. These working groups build consensus, relying on the involvement of active and committed individuals from different interest groups. PEFC’s role is essentially limited to coordinating these working groups.