A new survey conducted by Smurfit Kappa, in partnership with the Financial Times, has revealed that sustainability continues to play a pivotal role in the strategy and planning of senior business leaders across Europe and the Americas. The Transparency Edge, which was conducted among 440 senior and executive business leaders across 11 major economies, showed that despite half of businesses having set ambitious plans to achieve net zero, only 11% of respondents believe they have a robust and actionable sustainability strategy. More than half (61%) that responded state that sustainability is changing the way they measure financial performance. Many of them have started to build sustainability into their leaders’ performance assessments and incentives. This underscores the impact that sustainability is already having across businesses. Almost half of businesses (47%) have prioritised packaging innovation as a way to meet their own net zero targets.

WestRock, a leading provider of sustainable paper and packaging solutions, has been included in Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies list, recognizing the company’s continued commitment to sustainability and driving a more circular economy. To build its sixth annual rankings, Barron’s partnered with Calvert Research and Management, a leader in ESG investing, to develop the list by ranking the 1,000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies by market value across 230 ESG performance indicators from seven ratings companies including ISS, MSCI and Sustainalytics. Company performance was also measured across five key constituencies: shareholders, employees, customers, community and the planet. WestRock jumped into the top 50 ranked companies this year, coming in at #43.

Leading global print consumables manufacturer, Flint Group, is celebrating continual improvement after its updated EcoVadis rating, which saw a seven-point increase over 2022. EcoVadis’ scoring takes an evidence-based approach to measuring the supply chain sustainability efforts of a given business. Flint Group has improved its Silver Level rating overall to 65 – raising up from 58, marking it as a business making significant sustainability advances. A key driver for the improved score is the considerable rise in the company’s Environmental category score from 50 to 70 points. Steve Dryden, CEO of Flint Group, comments: “We are delighted to announce a seven-point increase to our EcoVadis score. The new score shows that our efforts are making an important difference and provides groundwork and direction for further improvement. As a business that leads the way in high-performance inks and coatings designed for circular economies, our actions must match our intentions for a more sustainable supply chain.”

Companies in the European Union will find it tougher to greenwash under new rules aimed at improving the quality and consistency of environmental reporting. From 2024, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will require all market-listed EU-based companies to publish detailed information about how sustainability issues such as climate change impact their business and how their operations affect people and the planet. In total, almost 50,000 companies are expected to be impacted by the CSRD, which accounts for three-quarters of business in the European Economic Area. As well as companies listed on regulated markets, companies with more than 250 employees, a turnover of over €40 million, and over €20m of total assets will also need to comply with the new rules. This means that European companies will need to be much more detailed in their sustainability reporting, with science-based environmental targets and climate risk included in their annual reports. That information will need to be qualitative and quantitative, forward-looking and retrospective, and based in the short, medium and long term.

Since its inception, the Two Sides North America Anti-greenwashing Campaign has eliminated literally billions of instances of paper-related greenwashing in the United States and Canada – and engagement with large utilities, banks and insurers in January and February has set the pace for millions more in 2023. So far this year, seven additional companies representing 40 million customers have removed “go green, go paperless,” “go paperless, protect the environment” and similar claims from their marketing communications.

Global home furnishings retailer Ikea is working to ensure the sustainability of the wood used in textile products it sells. Sweden-based Ikea is joining the CanopyStyle initiative from Canopy, a global non-profit environmental organization working to protecting forests, species, and climate. CanopyStyle is dedicated to keeping wood harvested from ancient and endangered forests out of the supply chain for fabrics like viscose (a cotton/polyester alternative) and rayon for fashion and home fabrics. As part of the initiative, Ikea will only purchase fabrics sourced only from wood producers that have achieved the highest ranking in forest sustainability from Canopy. The company will also work to shift to fabric sourcing from lower-impact alternatives to wood.

Two Sides is excited to announce its newest member, Rapidity, the eco-friendly printer service in London. “Rapidity are delighted to become a member of Two Sides. We work hard to be a sustainable business. We only use paper and card materials from FSC certified managed sources. All of our waste, of which there is very little due to our printing techniques, is recycled. Our factory is powered by 100% renewable sources. We always recommend to our customers more eco sustainable materials and are always introducing new products and materials that are better for our environment. By joining Two Sides, we will have an array of facts and research we can use to tell our customers just how sustainable print really is.” says Paul Manning, Managing Director for Rapidity.

In a recent Q&A for Sanitary Maintenance magazine, Laura Ashley, Marketing Manager for Resolute Tissue, along with other manufacturers, discusses sustainable tissue and towel options, and what can be done to assist end users with their own green initiatives. What sustainable attributes are most important when differentiating between green towel and tissue options? Ashley: Three key attributes come to mind: fiber source, carbon footprint, and waste stream management. When it comes to fiber source, distributors should recommend options with certified fiber sourcing, recycled fiber (both pre- and post-consumer), certified sources (which can be a combination of certified forest and recycled fiber), and recycled sources both for the product and product packaging (these factors include recyclability, being compostable, and being biodegradable). Regarding waste stream management, this includes all phases of the product life, from production through end use. What selling points should distributors highlight when promoting sustainable towel/tissue options?  Ashley: Distributors, end users and consumers want assurances that their buying decisions represent a sound environmental choice. They are asking for proof that tissue products are made with raw material originating from sustainably managed forests, recycled material, and/or controlled sources. In the North American market, fiber certification gives that proof point.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Swedish National Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 27 April. Give your feedback. PEFC Sweden revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The Swedish system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

Smurfit Kappa is investing €27 million in a state-of-the-art new waste management and recovery facility at its Nervión paper mill in Iurreta, Spain. The investment will see the mill adopt a fully circular production process involving the biggest landfill reduction project Smurfit Kappa has undertaken to date to support the delivery of its 2025 sustainability commitments. The lime kiln and gas treatment system will have a production capacity of 120 tonnes of lime per day and will provide significant environmental benefits. The new circular system will allow the calcium carbonate waste that is currently generated in the mill’s manufacturing process to be transformed into lime and subsequently reintroduced into the production process as a raw material. This will have a positive impact on the mill’s carbon footprint by diverting 75,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and eliminating approximately 450,000 km per year in road transport.

This March, world leaders will gather in Gabon for the One Forest Summit to advance our collective ambition regarding the preservation and sustainable management of rainforests. And PEFC will be there. The forests of the Congo Basin are one of the last truly untouched forest areas in the world. But there is increasing pressure on these forests as the region’s population grows and looks to the forests as an important driver for economic development. PEFC is present in the Congo Basin through our three PAFC national members: PAFC Cameroon, PAFC Congo, and PAFC Gabon. Together, under the name of PAFC Congo Basin, these members have jointly developed a regional forest certification system. “The One Forest Summit was launched at COP 27 by Gabonese President Ali Bongo and French President Emmanuel Macron. They both recognised the environmental and economic value of the Congo Basin Forest and the urgency to act to preserve it,” said Thomas Seyvet, Development Officer, part of the PEFC international team travelling to Gabon for the Summit.

Metsä Group has revised its 2030 sustainability targets as part of the Group’s strategy work. The revision of the targets is a step towards a fossil free and waste-free future that bolsters nature. The company’s climate actions are based on both global climate change mitigation and adapting to it in Finland’s changing climate. Focusing on the most essential sustainability issues, the targets cover all of Metsä Group’s operations and will also affect supply chains. In particular, Metsä Group is working to increase measures improving forests’ natural biodiversity and health as well as measures promoting fossil free production. The 2030 targets are monitored with a comprehensive, more than doubled set of indicators. “Metsä Group is committed to safeguarding natural biodiversity, mitigating climate change and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, healthy workplace communities and ethical operations. We must be able to take even more action to secure a sustainable future,” says Ilkka Hämälä, Metsä Group’s President and CEO.

This framework applies to: *Organizations who have violated the Policy for Association, version 2 and wish to become associated with FSC. *Organizations who have been disassociated from FSC and wish to become eligible for re-association. *Organizations who wish to gain forest management certification for land that was converted between 1 December 1994 and 31 December 2020. Some of the key features of the Remedy Framework are: *Two types of requirements to ensure that site level harms are addressed, as well as system level transformations are made (by corporate groups who wish to associate with FSC) to prevent recurrence. *Identification of stakeholders and rightsholders. *Inclusive and participatory dialogue processes leading to agreements on remedy actions. *Best practice justifications of selected remedy actions. *Key roles in the remedy process for independent, third-party, and/or expert involvement. *The proper application of Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). *Development of grievance mechanisms compliant with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Latvian PEFC Certification System. Deadline for comments is 20 April. Give your feedback. PEFC Latvia revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. See all system assessment details at https://pefc.org/discover-pefc/our-pefc-members/national-members/pefc-latvia . The Latvian system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

The Swedish National Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 27 February to 27 April 2023. PEFC Sweden revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information about this revised national system, we are holding a webinar on 27 February at 10:00 CET. Register for the webinar at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApce-rrzouGtHPI9x05DXb_Gzr0xDxCqdm

American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear told Congress that the industry needed realistic national timelines and targets to reduce emissions, rather than allowing California and other states to drive standards. “The trucking industry starts with ‘yes,’" Spear testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today. “ATA worked with the Environmental Protection Agency, producing Phases I and II emission reduction rules, as well as the SmartWay Transport Partnership – which has been a model of public-private cooperation. To date, 98.5% of all emissions have been removed from our tailpipes. In fact, 60 trucks today emit what one truck emitted in 1988.” Spear emphasized that those gains, which include reductions of millions of tons of carbon, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions, were the result of collaborative regulatory processes and realistic goals.

With increasing awareness of companies making misleading environmental claims, there are more and more instances of the media calling out greenwashing. The latest example of this positive trend is the BBC’s More Or Less programme on Radio 4, which investigated a recent marketing claim by Serious Tissues. The company, which produces a range of tissue products, ran a radio ad that stated: “15% of global deforestation is from toilet rolls alone. But switch to Serious Tissues and they don’t cut down trees. In fact, Serious Tissues plant a tree for every roll sold.” Following the ad campaign, a number of Radio 4 listeners wrote to More or Less, taking issue with the 15% figure and asking the team to investigate and find out whether that figure was true. On January 29, journalist Charlotte McDonald presented the results of their findings.

The Latvian PEFC Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 20 February to 20 April 2023. PEFC Latvia revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information about this revised national system, we are holding a webinar on 20 February at 10:00 CET.

For a few weeks, SCA has been test-driving the Centipede concept machine, which Komatsu and eight Swedish forestry companies are jointly developing. The machine is seen as the sustainable forest machine of the future and combines lower soil compaction, increased productivity and better work environment. “There are many possibilities with the machine”, says Thomas Persson, business developer at SCA Skog and one of two test drivers. The work to develop the Centipede machine is one of forestry's most important development projects where the issue of sustainability is central. The machine is intended to be able to meet the climate of the future and the challenges arising from increasingly shorter periods of frozen grounds.

For the second consecutive year, Solenis has earned the Platinum Recognition Level for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance from EcoVadis, a collaborative platform providing sustainability ratings and performance improvement tools for global supply chains. “We are quite proud that our global commitment to sustainability has resulted in the prestigious Platinum status once again,” said Dr. Daniel Grell, Chief Safety, Regulatory and Quality Officer at Solenis. “Once you have achieved this level, it becomes more difficult to maintain, with additional questions to answer and criteria to meet. All companies are striving to improve year after year, so it gets increasingly harder to be part of the one percent.

Paper Excellence Canada announced a $100,000 gift to the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) to boost efforts to conserve and restore Pacific salmon populations across B.C. The gift will be distributed through grants in communities where Paper Excellence operates to help advance community-driven stewardship initiatives at a local level. Approximately half of Pacific salmon populations are in some state of decline. Salmon encounter various challenges during their complex life cycle, including the effects of climate change, habitat loss, development, and more. Paper Excellence’s donation will support PSF’s Community Salmon Program, which awards hundreds of grants to grassroots salmon conservation projects across B.C. and the Yukon each year. Since PSF launched the Community Salmon Program in 1989, the program has engaged more than 300,000 volunteers to pursue local projects to restore salmon and rehabilitate their habitats.

FSC is pleased to introduce the revised FSC-STD-20-007 Forest Management Evaluations Standard, version 4-0, and the revised Procedure FSC-PRO-60-010, Development of a National Forest Stewardship Standard Risk Assessment, version 2-1. FSC-STD-20-007 Forest Management Evaluations Standard brings increased transparency and consistency in evaluations by different certification bodies. The revised standard also includes efficiency through outcome-oriented and risk-based forest management evaluations. It provides a framework for certification bodies to determine an appropriate audit method for each type of evaluation and organization. This revised version is structured to align the content of the forest management evaluations reports with new tools being incorporated for digitization by FSC. This ensures standardization and relevance of data gathered during evaluation processes. FSC’s Digital Audit Reporting Template (DAR) will be updated to reflect changes in the revised standard.

Amazon announced that in 2022 it grew its renewable energy capacity by 8.3 gigawatts (GW) through 133 new projects in 11 countries. This brings Amazon’s total portfolio to more than 20 GW—that could generate the amount of energy to power 5.3 million U.S. homes—across 401 renewable energy projects in 22 countries. The company’s renewable energy purchases continue to add new wind and solar projects on the grids that power Amazon’s operations, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers, Amazon fulfillment centers, and physical stores around the world. With these continued investments, Amazon set a new corporate record for the most renewable energy announced by a single company in one year. The company remains the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy—a position it’s held since 2020, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Amazon’s continued investment in renewable energy helps to accelerate growth in new regions through innovative deal structures, technologies, and cloud solutions.

Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind has submitted a proposal to the province to construct a 29-turbine wind farm. The proposed location for the Goose Harbour Lake Wind Farm covers an area of Guysborough County between Lincolnville, N.S., and Mulgrave. The company, a sister firm of Port Hawkesbury Paper, wants clearing work to begin this summer or fall, construction to start next year and for the turbines to be up and running in the summer of 2025. The 130.5 megawatts produced at the site would feed into the Nova Scotia Power transmission system and supply up to 40 per cent of the mill's electricity needs.

The latest and exciting NEW issue of The Page, the magazine produced by Two Sides to promote the sustainability and value of print, is now available! In the latest edition of The Page, we gather a number of experts to make their predictions for 2023. We expect the next 12 months will see plenty of opportunities for the print, paper and packaging industries, as well as an increased focus on sustainability. You can also read up on the success of the Love Paper and National Book Tokens competition and the new rules introduced in Europe focussing on Greenwash.

Smurfit Kappa has announced a €6 million investment at its Sanguesa paper mill in Spain, which will see the construction and installation of up to 12,000 solar panels on land adjacent to the mill. The solar panels will reduce CO2 emissions by over 3200 tonnes annually and provide significant cost savings. Once operational, it is estimated that the panels will generate more than 10 GWh of power annually which will reduce the current external electricity consumption and dependency by 7%. The Spanish solar energy project is the latest for Smurfit Kappa which has launched similar initiatives in other plants in Spain, Colombia and Mexico to generate sustainable energy. The mill at Sanguesa is one of Smurfit Kappa’s key facilities that produces light MG kraft paper, a packaging solution widely used across industrial and consumer markets in products such as grocery bags and wrapping paper. Its customer base includes some of Europe’s largest brands.

The Forest Stewardship Council is bringing together some of the most innovative technology companies in the world to help bring cutting-edge solutions to familiar problems. You would be forgiven for not thinking of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) when you think of groundbreaking technology. Our concerns tend toward the analog: trees, soil, wildlife, human beings. However, since March of 2022, FSC has convened a group of the world’s most advanced technology companies to find cutting-edge solutions to the challenges FSC faces – problems like how to root out fraud in supply chains, or help smallholders compete in global markets, to name a few. The group, called the FSC Technology Consortium, meets monthly. Convening virtually to include leaders from around the world, each meeting has an FSC topic expert share an industry problem. The group then considers possible solutions and the role information technology might play in achieving them.

At the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, nations from around the world finalized a new set of goals and targets to guide global action through 2030 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The goals include protecting 30 per cent of the world's land, water, and marine areas by 2030, as well as mobilizing at least USD 200 billion per year in domestic and international biodiversity-related funding from both public and private sources. FSC solutions directly contribute to the delivery of the Framework through the following indicators in the monitoring framework: *Target 10: Progress toward sustainable forest management and forest area under forest certification scheme like the Forest Stewardship Council. *Goal B: Certified forests with verified impacts on biodiversity conservation.

Both Metsä Group and VR are companies with major role in the society and they therefore play an important part in improving environmental performance and responsibility. The companies are intensifying their cooperation on sustainability in logistics and have agreed a new joint target to halve emissions from transport covered by their cooperation by 2030. In addition, Metsä Group aims to transfer some of its current road transports to railways. For Metsä Group, the measures would represent a total emission reduction of around 14,000 tCO2e per year, which is equivalent to more than 25,000 average lorry journeys. Metsä Group and VR have set up a joint working group to define concrete ways to achieve the emissions reduction target. The measures include the electrification of the rail network, more efficient train concepts and the use of diesel made from renewable raw materials.

The print and paper advocacy group, Two Sides, is excited to announce its newest member, PDS (Print Data Solutions), the Northamptonshire-based print management company. With over 20 years’ experience in print management, Print Data Solutions has a long pedigree of service that has enabled the business to grow year on year. PDS continues to evolve, providing innovative and bespoke design and print management solutions to a wide variety of clients working in many different industries.

As the pioneer of the notion of High Conservation Values, FSC certification benefits biodiversity by protecting rare and threatened species and their habitats as required by FSC standards. However, data about this impact is not systematically available. In fact, global biodiversity data is insufficient, not comparable, and most importantly, does not aim to capture the true value of nature in society. For this reason, FSC will work with partners including IKEA, Tetra Pak, Procter & Gamble, Kingfisher, SCA, Essity, and WWF International, as well as knowledge and technology partners, to understand how it can provide better biodiversity data about FSC certified forests and create a framework for companies to make claims on biodiversity related to their FSC-certified products.

The print and paper advocacy group, Two Sides, is excited to announce its newest member, KPM Group, a print production, mail and media company based in Sevenoaks, Kent. “KPM Group are delighted to become a member of Two Sides. We work hard to understand our customer’s business challenges, to pinpoint where we can add value. As sustainability is an increasing factor on many of our customers minds, the facts that Two Sides have collected will help us to tell a positive environmental story around direct mail and in turn, help provide value to our customer’s DM campaigns.” says Marian Lively, Managing Director for KPM Group.

In response to the global climate and energy crisis, Hachette Livre—the parent company of Hachette Book Group—has announced an ambitious carbon reduction strategy that aims to cut 30% of the company’s carbon emissions by 2030. Dubbed its “30/30 Strategy,” Hachette aims to reduce emissions annually by 2.5% by reconfiguring its operations to be greener and more energy efficient. According to a December 21 press release, the company is targeting Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, including a “30% reduction in the proportion of books that are shredded, a 26% reduction in carbon intensity of paper manufacturing, an 18% reduction in carbon intensity of book printing and binding, and 1% and 1.5% annual reductions in upstream and downstream freight respectively.”

The revised advice note becomes effective on 1 January 2023 and reflects the interim measure for Intact Forest Landscapes requested by Motion 23 at the FSC General Assembly. At the 9th FSC General Assembly in Bali in 2022, the FSC membership passed Motion 23:2020 and associated Implementation Note which requires the use of landscape-wide approaches adapted to local conditions and strengthened Standard Development Groups (SDGs) to improve protection of Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs). The Secretariat took immediate action and announces the publication of a revised Advice Note for IFLs to implement the interim measures required by the passed Motion 23 (including the interpretation note). Motion 65:2014, approved by the FSC membership at the 7th General Assembly in Seville in 2014, called for the protection of the vast majorities of Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) within the FSC certified Management Units. This has been implemented through IFL-specific International Generic Indicators (IGI) in FSC-STD-60-004 V2-0, and through the Advice Note ADV-20-007-018 for areas where there are no approved Forest Stewardship Standards based on V2-0 of the IGI.

Proving the success of working together to advance sustainability, the Legal Forests program has been contributing to the restoration of the Villadagio property, owned by rural producers Lucas Caliari and Laís Ferrari, located in Serra Catarinense, in the city ​​of São Joaquim (SC). The area, initially used for grazing cattle, is being transformed into an example of agroforestry - a production system that conserves permanent forest species, planted along with agricultural crops. Held by Klabin, the largest producer and exporter of paper for packaging and sustainable solutions in paper packaging in Brazil, in partnership with the Association for the Preservation of the Environment and Life (Apremavi), Matas Legal arrived in Santa Catarina in 2005, with the objective of developing conservation actions, environmental education and forest promotion, which help to protect and recover native forests, improving the quality of life of the population and enhancing local forestry development, based on the planning of properties and landscapes.

The 400,000 acres of forestland surrounding Domtar’s Windsor Mill in Quebec are a hot spot for forestry and climate research, with several projects currently taking place in partnership with organizations and universities across Canada. The company reaps benefits from these projects, including data that supports the continued Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of fiber harvested from the Domtar forest. Additionally, engaging with student-led research projects helps Domtar build relationships with young people who may consider joining Domtar in the future. “Several of the projects and collaborations — and those that will follow — contribute to strengthening and developing the reputation and performance of the Windsor Mill and our forestry practices,” he says.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) conducts the Global Client Survey every two years to assess how our certificate holders and promotional licence holders perceive FSC. The learnings are vital to our continual improvement of the FSC certification system. This year 8,975 Chain of Custody and Forest Management Certificate Holders and 323 Promotional Licence Holders participated in the survey – the highest participation rate in recent years. Our sincere gratitude goes out to all respondents who filled out the survey and contributed to this outcome. The results of the 2022 FSC Global Client Survey show that about half of FM and CoC Certificate Holders surveyed perceive FSC certification as valuable for its role in protecting forest ecosystems and preventing deforestation and forest degradation, while others value improved market access and brand image, among other factors. Nearly 90 per cent of Promotional Licence Holders believe the FSC licence will help build their brand image and sustainability credentials. Most surveyed certificate and licence holders believe the importance of FSC certification will increase in the next two years.

Nearly 10,000 hectares of privately held Acadian forest, coastline and dunes in New Brunswick will be recognized as another effective area-based conservation measure (OECM), thanks to the visionary leadership of J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI). The initiative was shared during an event hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) where global experts profiled emerging conservation solutions, presenting leadership and investment opportunities to accelerate the nature agenda. This announcement by JDI is a concrete example of a whole-of-society approach to accelerating conservation. The lands held by Saint John-based JDI boast a variety of ecosystems, which provide habitat for animals like pine marten and endangered piping plover.

The PEFC International Board has extended the suspension of the Russian National Voluntary Forest Certification System (FCR), with the national system now suspended indefinitely. The suspension was intended to preserve the conditions for a successful long-term cooperation with PEFC Russia to support sustainable forest management in the Russian Federation in light of the current political situation. The suspension took effect as of 11 August 2022 and was initially valid until 31 December 2022.

The MM Group has been recognized by the global, non-profit environmental organization CDP for its leadership in transparency and performance in relation to climate change and received a place on the annual "A List". Based on data from the CDP 2022 Climate Change Questionnaire (“Climate”), MM is one of the few companies 1) to have achieved an “A” rating. In total, more than 15,000 companies were evaluated. In addition to the climate rating, MM has also disclosed data on forest management (“Forests”) at CDP and, for the first time in 2022, on water management (“Water Security”). In both categories, the MM Group also achieved an excellent rating with a "B" rating. This shows that ecological sustainability is implemented holistically at MM, taking into account goals and measures to protect the climate, forests and water bodies.

For 2022, Billerud received even more points than last year and thus retains its position as one of the world’s most sustainable companies in its industry sector. This year’s results from the globally recognized Dow Jones Sustainability Indices show that Billerud continues to be one of the leading companies in the Containers & Packaging category. The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices is based on the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), which is a comprehensive annual evaluation of corporate sustainability efforts and performance. The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index includes the top ten percent of more than 2500 publicly listed companies.

The Chilean System for Sustainable Forest Management Certification has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 12 December 2022 to 9 February 2023. tPEFC Chile revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

The Irish Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 12 December 2022 to 9 February 2023. PEFC Ireland revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information about this revised national system, we are holding a webinar on 12 December at 10:00 CET. Register for the webinar at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqdO6uqz4jE9xv-OtPmwwbPuGtmgMmLzzG

The Regional FSC Forest Stewardship Standard (RFSS) for Smallholders in Vietnam has now been approved by FSC. This standard is for use by smallholders who own or manage individual units of plantations that are smaller than 20 hectares in size in Vietnam. The standard applies to rough wood and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The RFSS for Vietnam is an adaptation of the approved RFSS for Asia Pacific for Smallholders in India, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The national adaptation for Vietnam has been developed and it is now published to pilot test the indicators developed for specific local circumstances. For more details on the scope, please refer to sections C and E of the standard.

Clearwater Paper Corporation released its 2022 environmental, social and governance (ESG) report. Along with a continued commitment to create sustainable paper products, the report also highlights a significant increase in company-wide priorities to meet several key sustainability benchmarks. These include emissions reductions, resource conservation and company representation, among others as part of revised, multi-year goals. In this year’s report, Clearwater Paper states their plans to achieve a 30% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030; achieve female representation of 30% or greater of their salaried workforce through 2030; and include ESG targets, goals, and outcomes in executive compensation.

Irving Consumer Products, a member of the J. D. Irving Group of Companies, is continuing its commitment to the environment by introducing sustainability goals for its tissue manufacturing operations. While the environment has long been a core value of the company, this is the first time Irving Consumer Products will publicly release sustainability goals. Irving Consumer Products tissue manufacturing operations’ 2030 sustainability goals include: *a 25% reduction* in its water footprint by decreasing the fresh water required to make its products. *a 25% reduction* in its virgin plastic footprint in its product packaging. *diverting 90%* of its manufacturing waste from landfills by repurposing it for beneficial uses. *use of sustainably certified fibre in its products.

We pick out the positive moments of the recent COP27 climate conference in Egypt and look forward to the COP15 Biodiversity Summit. For many of the world’s environmental campaigners, global organisations, conservationists, NGOs, charities, academics, and press, this year’s COP27 climate conference offered a chance for action, an opportunity for world leaders to gather and agree on firm resolutions to reverse the increase in carbon emissions and global temperature rise. However, two weeks after the conference opened on November 6, there was a general feeling of disappointment and frustration as delegates packed their bags and left the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Many felt that the event was a failure in terms of reducing carbon dioxide, with many countries trying to pull out of the decision taken at COP26 in Glasgow to keep temperature increases to 1.5ºC, and the final text regarded as weak, without any significant progress made.

Sustana, the sustainable fiber and paper industry leader, has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact initiative. Sustana’s engagement in the UN Global Compact — a voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible business practices – reflects its longstanding and continued adherence to sustainable practices and its ongoing support for the Ten Principles focused on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. “With this announcement, Sustana is proud to continue its commitment to developing solutions to move society toward a greener, more circular future,” said Fabian de Armas, Chief Executive Officer for Sustana.

America Recycles Day®, which is celebrated on Nov. 15, is supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Keep America Beautiful. The EPA has developed a National Recycling Strategy that is a first step toward a circular economy for all. This strategy is aligned with and supports implementation of the national goal to increase the recycling rate to 50 percent by 2030. The strategy has five objectives to create a more resilient and cost-effective national recycling system: *Improve markets for recycling commodities. *Increase collection and improving materials management infrastructure. *Reduce contamination in the recycled materials stream. *Enhance policies to support recycling. *Standardize measurement and increasing data collection.

As more and more companies begin their transition from plastic packaging to fiber-based or paper packaging, we recognize the importance of sourcing these fibers as responsibly as possible to protect and conserve Ancient and Endangered Forests. At Seaman Paper, we believe that sustainable business leadership is a fundamental component of long-term transformation, which is why we are excited to officially be a Canopy Pack4Good partner. Canopy is an environmental non-profit organization working with hundreds of companies through robust sourcing policies to reduce the impact on the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests – which are critical to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, clean drinking water, wildfire risk reduction, and the well-being of indigenous communities.

At the FSC General Assembly recently, members voted on a range of important issues. Organized into Social, Economic and Environmental Chambers, the diverse perspectives brought by FSC’s members is key to the system’s integrity and credibility. In particular, the membership voted to approve changes to the FSC Principles & Criteria that will support implementation of a new Policy to Address Conversion. This was the result of years of debate and stakeholder engagement, impacting millions of acres of forests, particularly in tropical countries. This change will bring FSC into forest restoration, to create market incentives to restore degraded and deforested lands.

RWE Supply & Trading and Koehler Paper have agreed on a long-term green power supply of up to 175,000 megawatt hours per year. The green power certificates come from the Dutch 54-megawatt Waddenwind wind farm in the Groningen region, which has been connected to the grid since the beginning of the year. RWE Supply & Trading combines the certificates of origin into a green power supply and integrates them into Koehler Paper's procurement portfolio. Thanks to this contract, production at Koehler Paper’s Kehl site is largely climate-neutral. “By taking this step, we are saving around 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. We are thus underlining our claim to carry the concept of sustainability through the entire value chain of our paper production,” says Dr. Stefan Karrer, Chief Operating Officer of the Koehler Group. The family-owned company has set itself the goal of producing in a climate-friendly manner and thus making a contribution to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. Koehler is sticking to these goals, despite the enormous unexpected challenges resulting from the current energy crisis. “We are pleased to support Koehler Paper in the realisation of its sustainability strategy,” says Dr Hendrik Niebaum, Head of Commodity Solutions at RWE Supply & Trading. “The demand for CO₂-free electricity supplies from renewable sources is growing strongly. The cooperation with Koehler Paper and Waddenwind shows the potential in the European market.” The contract has a term of ten years and is valid from 2023.

Georgia-Pacific is honored to be recognized with an Innovation in Sustainability award for Juno® Technology. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced its Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 Sustainability Award winners, recognizing exemplary sustainability programs and initiatives in the paper and wood products manufacturing industry. “This is the first year we are presenting awards in alignment with our new Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 sustainability goals and statement of principles on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “It is exciting to see examples of these goals in action.” Juno Technology is Georgia-Pacific’s breakthrough solution to waste diversion and resource recovery. It is a proven economical and socially responsible solution that can increase recycling and recovery across the U.S. and around the globe. “At Georgia-Pacific, we prioritize the development of new technologies that help us use fewer resources, minimize waste, and improve the environmental performance of our products and processes,” said Christer Henriksson, President of Juno, at Georgia-Pacific.

Under the theme ”Das g’fallt dem Wald” (“The forest likes that“), PEFC Austria concluded their successful multimedia campaign, raising awareness for the role of sustainable forestry in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the contribution that each of us can make. The message was clear: the PEFC label assures consumers that wood-based products come from sustainably managed forests. Choosing products carrying the label means contributing to healthy forests and active climate protection. One of the highlights of the campaign was PEFC Austria’s participation in the "INITIATIVE2030 - live the goals" project. The voluntary, non-profit information initiative publicises and disseminates the core contents of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

All COVID-19 derogations and interpretations are now valid through 30 April 2023. In response to the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic, FSC has extended the validity of all COVID-19 related derogations and interpretations. These derogations and interpretations have been published in a single volume, together with related frequently asked questions. FSC will continue to monitor the situation and may either invalidate the derogations and interpretations prior to that date or may further extend the validity date before expiry of the COVID-19 derogations and interpretations.

Sylvamo is announcing a $3 million expanded partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to further its commitment to forest conservation and restoration. The initiative is part of Sylvamo’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and 2030 goals. The enhanced collaboration through WWF’s Forests Forward program will enable Sylvamo to make progress on its goal to ensure healthy and productive forest ecosystems by focusing on sustainable sourcing, conservation and restoration projects. Through the program, Sylvamo is collaborating with WWF to: *Grow the availability of fiber from responsibly managed forests in Europe and North America *Advance understanding of the role paper manufacturing plays in a circular, low-carbon economy in Europe *Expand restoration in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, focusing on the Mogi Guaçu River basin, where Sylvamo has important manufacturing operations

Recognized in the Food/Beverage category, Berry Global Group, Inc. received a Technology Excellence Award from The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) for its Proxima tethered closure with tamper-evident band. This innovative packaging solution cuts down on waste by securing the closure to the bottle and improving recyclability. “To help our customers meet the growing sustainability demands of today and tomorrow, we develop new products and materials that are designed to advance a pathway to circularity,” said Jean-Marc Galvez, President of the Consumer Packaging International Division at Berry Global. “As we push the limits of innovation with creative, sustainable packaging solutions, it is an honor to be recognized by our peers and other packaging experts.”

After its invention in the 20th century, plastic was seen as a miracle material. Today, we know about the various health and environmental risks it brings. Korean company Dongnam Realize found a sustainable alternative in CXP, a new kind of thermosoftening wood made from PEFC-certified wood. Thanks to its plastic-like properties, CXP can replace the plastic products we use in our daily lives. We spoke to Seunghoon Lim, Chief Technology Officer at Dongnam Realize, who told us more about the material and its potential to make the future more sustainable.

Duro®, a Novolex® brand, has earned the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certification for numerous products in its Dubl Life® line of paper bags and sacks. The products are among the first on the market to receive this leading certification, further expanding the portfolio of certified compostable products offered by Novolex. In another first, the bags will also feature the How2Compost® and How2Recycle® labels, which inform consumers of how to dispose of the packaging after use. The How2Compost and How2Recycle labeling systems are managed by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition® (SPC), whose members include forward-thinking brands that want their packaging to be recycled and composted, and are empowering consumers to do so through informative labels. The goal of these labels is to clearly communicate the composting and recycling instructions for these products to the public.

The Navigator Company received approval for its targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), an internationally recognised global organisation that assesses corporate initiatives working towards a low carbon economy. SBTi praised the "ambitious targets" proposed by the company earlier this year shortly after it joined, and underlined Navigator's contribution to achieving the goals set out in the Paris Agreement not to exceed a 1.5°C temperature increase, currently the most ambitious designation as part of the approval process of this organisation.

Earlier this year, BillerudKorsnäs combined with Verso Corporation to create Billerud, a world leading paper and packaging materials company based in Sweden with roots in the forest and paper industry that go beyond 150 years. “One year ago, we developed a strategic plan with a clear goal of achieving profitable and sustainable growth long term by expanding our cartonboard business in North America,” says Billerud President and CEO Christoph Michalski. “We were pleased to find Verso, a leading paper manufacturer in the US, with assets that can be turned into paperboard”. “By converting some of legacy Verso’s assets into premium cartonboard machines, Billerud will increase its supply of high-quality and low carbon-footprint cartonboard for end uses such as cosmetics, pharma and healthcare, luxury drinks and confectionary products, among others, to meet the increasing need for more sustainable packaging materials in North America and beyond,” says President of Billerud North America Rob Kreizenbeck. Sustainable packaging is no longer optional. It’s a must for any brand that wants to future-proof its business.

WRAP, a climate action NGO based in the U.K., is organizing Recycle Week from October 17-23 to celebrate consumer recycling of everyday goods across the U.K. The annual event encourages retailers, brand owners, waste management companies, trade associations, governments and the media to come together to achieve a common goal: “to galvanize the public into recycling more of the right things, more often.” In 2021, the campaign achieved over 29 million digital impressions, with 82% of people commenting that they changed their behavior after seeing Recycle Week 2021 content. For 2022, the campaign’s theme is called ‘Let’s Get Real,’ and its objective is to debunk myths surrounding recycling, challenge perceptions and improve behavior.

As FSC revises its Ecosystem Services Procedure, the World Wildlife Fund issued a new report called, “Paying Foresters to Provide Ecosystem Services.” Designed to support the FSC revision process, the report highlights opportunities to improve the procedure, such as: *Improving communications about ecosystem services to make the opportunities more understandable to sponsors. *Adapting audits to small-scale projects to make them more affordable. *Providing additional guidance about methodology. Driving value to forest managers through climate and ecosystem services is a priority for FSC in the United States and globally.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Belgian Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 1 December. Give your feedback. PEFC Belgium revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. Please note that the system revision and standard only apply to the Walloon region of Belgium. The Belgian system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Belgian Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 1 December. Give your feedback. PEFC Belgium revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. Please note that the system revision and standard only apply to the Walloon region of Belgium. The Belgian system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

UPM's commitment to wind power in Finland will significantly decrease emissions resulting from UPM’s paper production. The new wind park in Pyhäjoki is expected to reach full capacity in generating climate-friendly power in early 2023, providing a long-term renewable energy solution for UPM’s Finnish paper mills. In 2019, UPM signed a Wind Power Purchase agreement (PPA) with German renewable energy development company wpd. This contract enabled the construction of a new onshore wind park in Pyhäjoki, Finland, which is now in its final stages of development; the park is starting operations in the autumn 2022. It will reach full capacity in generating sustainable power in January 2023 and will continue to do so for 25-30 years.

UPM has set a target to increase the amount of deadwood in its commercial forests from the current level of about five cubic metres per hectare to ten cubic metres per hectare. In UPM's protected areas and commercial forests where a specific nature management target has been set, the deadwood target is 20 cubic metres per hectare. The new targets are part of UPM Forest Action, the UPM Forest Responsibility programme. In 2018, UPM set itself the target of increasing biodiversity in its forests in Finland while efficiently producing high-quality wood raw material. Biodiversity is measured by comparing natural forests with commercial forests. Studies have shown that one clear difference between these two types of forests is the amount of deadwood. UPM's success in increasing biodiversity is measured not only by the amount of deadwood, but also by other indicators such as the amount of broadleaved trees and the number of protected areas.

The Norwegian Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 26 September to 24 November 2022. PEFC Norway revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

The Belgian Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 3 October to 1 December 2022. PEFC Belgium revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. Please note that the system revision and standard only apply to the Walloon region of Belgium.

Forest certification is a powerful tool to combat illegal logging and to promote sustainable forest management and responsible timber trade. PEFC is calling for collaborators and donors to further develop the PEFC FOR-TRADE programme to drive ASEAN integration and development of regional value chains in forest related industries. The PEFC FOR-TRADE programme supports sustainable forest trade in the Lower Mekong and ASEAN region through certification programmes aimed at advancing nationally owned standards in sustainable forest management and chain of custody. PEFC Southeast Asia has collaborated with a range of partners in the region. More recently for example, we have been a key partner in a UN-REDD Initiative funded by NORAD, implementing a series of interventions to support Sustainable Forest Trade in the Lower Mekong Region.

Huhtamaki and Stora Enso have joined forces to launch a new paper cup recycling initiative, The Cup Collective. The programme, which is the first of its kind in Europe, aims to recycle and capture the value of used paper cups on an industrial scale. Initially the programme will be implemented across the Benelux. With the aim of setting new standards for paper cup collection and recycling in Europe, The Cup Collective has issued an open invitation for partners from across the supply chain to get involved in working towards a systemic European solution. The EU has set recycling target for paper and board packaging of 85% by 2030. Paper cups are recyclable but need to be collected before they can be turned into new paper products. The Cup Collective initiative will create the necessary collection infrastructure to significantly increase the recycling rate of wood-fiber in paper cups. Above all, the programme will make it as easier for consumers and businesses to collect used paper cups to be regenerated into valuable recycled raw material.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Fibre and 3M, with the help of Earthworm Foundation, continue their close collaboration in responsible wood sourcing. This year the partnership concentrates on the Kainuu region, Finland, where the different parties will conduct research on current forestry practices and future practices linked to Kemi Mill expansion in the area. Based on the results, the three companies will develop their operations and continue collaboration among each other and other stakeholders to pursue sustainability in wood sourcing. Metsä Fibre, the world’s largest producer of bleached softwood pulp and a globally significant manufacturer of sawn timber; Ahlstrom-Munksjö, a significant wood pulp consumer; and 3M, a global producer of paper-based products, seek to advance environmental performance and sustainability throughout their operations and supply chains. Bringing all supply chain actors together promotes responsible practices from forests to customers.

Sustainability has gone mainstream, with more people than ever before concerned about the environmental impacts of the products and services they buy and use. They understandably want to do the right things for the planet, but the explosion of greenwashing is causing consumers and businesses to use – or in the case of paper, not use – products without any basis in fact. The Oxford Dictionary defines greenwashing as “Disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.” And you don’t have to look far to understand the scope of the problem. In a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Google Cloud, 72% of CEOs and C-suite leaders in North America admitted that their companies are guilty of greenwashing, even as most gave their companies an “above-average” rating for environmental sustainability. Greenwashing investigations of ESG (environmental, social, governance) investment funds are becoming commonplace. And, as reported in the Harvard Business Review, studies show that companies that tout their environmental credentials often have poor environmental compliance.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö, a global leader in fiber-based materials, has been awarded EcoVadis’ highest recognition level, Platinum, for the company’s sustainability performance. The company’s continuous efforts have now been rewarded, placing our Group among the top 1 percent of companies assessed by Eco Vadis. The rating is an improvement from Gold level rating, which we were previously rated since 2019. Our score increased especially in Environmental performance and Labour & Human rights. “During the past year we have made a significant step change in sustainability and put it as a key value driver for our growing business. We have a sharper sustainability strategy, an integrated operative model and a solid and holistic set of key performance indicators to help us monitor and evaluate our performance. We are thrilled and proud to move from the gold rating to platinum, as this gives us external validation that our ambition has been recognized and the concrete actions are already bearing fruit,” says Johan Lunabba, Vice President, Sustainability and Public Affairs.

At HH Global we understand the value a strong ESG strategy can unlock for our client’s brands. Proving that HH Global is the true market leader in sustainable marketing practices, we are thrilled to bring you the most recent enhancement to our sustainability program and proprietary technology platform, Hub. Hub can now provide our clients with automated carbon emissions estimates at quotation stage. This industry-first solution works by leveraging our CO2 calculator in conjunction with our CO2 dataset developed from the largest industry spend profile of +$2.3 billion. This technology will give marketeers a holistic view of the environmental impact of their procurement spend at the pre campaign planning stage, enabling deeper insights and smarter decision making. All client quotations generated through the platform will now carry a carbon emission estimate, allowing comparisons to be made between different materials, channels and price points. The first release supports common sustainable marketing procurement, with additional categories such as branded merchandise and premiums to follow. Digital channels are already at concept stage.

Mondi opened the Group’s first recycling laboratory at its Frantschach mill in Austria to test the recyclability of paper and paper-based packaging using non-paper components such as coatings. Conducting recycling tests in-house speeds up the process for developing sustainable packaging. While paper packaging offers many sustainability benefits, it also has certain barrier functionality limitations for products like perishable food. To enhance its functionality, non-paper components such as barrier coatings may need to be added, which in turn can impact recyclability. The data collected at the laboratory can be used to improve existing products and provide reliable information about their environmental impact. Mondi will also use the results to determine how the design of new packaging can be improved as well as how best to improve the circularity of [our] material flows. The tests are carried out on various paper and paper-based packaging products developed by Mondi and can determine whether the packaging can be efficiently recycled. The laboratory works in a similar way to industrial recycling facilities, but on a smaller scale. Results generated provide concrete evidence that the material can be recycled.

The Regional FSC Forest Stewardship Standard (RFSS) for Smallholders in India has now been approved by FSC. This standard is for the use in plantations by smallholders in India (Management Units smaller than 20 ha) and applies to rough wood and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). For more details on the scope, please refer to sections C and E of the standard. The standard has been written in a simple language and provides realistic and achievable indicators relevant to the circumstances of smallholders in India. Another key feature of the RFSS is that in many cases, a group manager or an external organization (a purchaser or an NGO) can assist the smallholder to achieve conformity with the standard.

HH Global is committed to being the first-choice, global, tech-enabled creative production and procurement partner to brands seeking stronger, more sustainable growth. Therefore, it is important that we are continually assessing and improving our ESG targets and framework, aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals. We are updating our current carbon reduction targets to harmonize with the new science-based net-zero standard set out at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). The new standard is aligned with the science of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5C. During COP26 in Glasgow last year, a new standard for net-zero was introduced – prior to this there was no agreed standard. Many companies planned to achieve net-zero through ‘carbon offsets’, which are credits generated by projects reducing carbon emissions elsewhere. However, many existing carbon offsets are of inadequate quality and hard to verify, with some even increasing global emissions. The new net-zero standard allows less room for companies to cut corners – HH Global plans to lead by example.

Crown Holdings, Inc. has published its 2021 Sustainability Report to share progress against its dedicated Twentyby30 sustainability strategy and other key environmental, social and governance (ESG) achievements during fiscal years 2019 through 2021. The program includes five distinct pillars of action – Climate Action, Resource Efficiency, Optimum Circularity, Working Together and Never Compromise – which are supported by the Company's robust governance and ethics principles and practices. "We are incredibly proud of the progress we have made one year into the implementation of our Twentyby30 program," said John Rost, Ph.D., Vice President, Global Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Crown. "Our strategy focuses on several key issues including emissions reduction, product lifecycle and recyclability to slow the pace of climate change, transitioning to renewable electricity, prioritizing water preservation, enhancing employee and product safety, and increasing workforce diversity. We are mindful that sustainability is not a linear journey and remain committed to continuous process and product innovation and exploring how we can accelerate progress by collaborating with our customers, suppliers and the industry at large."

Sealed Air has invested $9 million in a solar farm that is now powering its Madera, California manufacturing facility. The solar panels, which sit on 11 acres of company-owned land adjacent to the facility, are expected to help reduce energy spend at this site by $1 million annually. The 265,000 square foot plant, which manufactures BUBBLE WRAP® brand original cushioning, SEALED AIR® brand Korrvu® retention and suspension packaging, mailers, and other solutions, will have 98% of its electricity powered by the solar field. Over the course of the first year, the solar project will help avoid 4,982 metric tons of carbon dioxide and 72,172 metric tons of carbon dioxide over 15 years, which is equivalent to: *Greenhouse gas emissions from more than 15,000 passenger vehicles driven for one year *The carbon dioxide emission from annual electricity use for more than 14,000 homes *Carbon sequestered by nearly 1,200,000 tree seedlings grown over the course of a decade

Tetra Pak published its annual Sustainability Report, highlighting the company’s achievements and progress in the last year and detailing the actions to help realise resilient and sustainable food systems. The sustainability challenges underscore the need for a radical new approach to the way we feed the world while minimising the impact on the planet. From how we source, produce and process our food, to its transportation, the materials we use to package it, and the critical role of collaborations in making it happen. Adolfo Orive, President & CEO at Tetra Pak, said: “Sustainability is not just in the agenda. It is THE agenda. We must ‘walk the talk’ by maximising our positive impact on nature and society, by continuing to embed sustainability as a key business driver and decision-making criteria. “Our ambition is to lead sustainability transformation within our industry and our initiatives in this regard have continued over the last 12 months, working together with our customers and partners to support their own efforts as well. The cost of inaction on sustainability today is a world we won’t recognise tomorrow. Our progress depends on being able to embrace a mindset which drives both growth and sustainability for a better future.”

About 146 million tons of municipal solid waste in the U.S. went to landfills in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). New technology is helping to turn some of that trash into treasure by recovering valuable materials for reuse. That’s where Juno comes in. Georgia-Pacific's first commercial facility with its Juno technology is up and running in Toledo, Oregon. “Juno is a new innovative waste diversion and recycling process that captures recyclable material previously destined for landfill or incineration because of coatings or food contamination,” said John Mulcahy, Vice President – Stewardship for Georgia-Pacific.

ProAmpac, a leader in flexible packaging and material science, announced their Rocky Mount, VA facility received the International Sustainability Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC Plus). This is a global sustainability certification system which supports the tracking of chemically recycled and bio-based polymers through the supply chain. “The ISCC Plus certification, coupled with our ProActive Sustainability product offering, underscores ProAmpac’s commitment to helping brand owners and retailers meet their sustainability goals,” states Chad Murdock, president of ProAmpac’s Film and Fiber Division.

EcoVadis has recognised UPM on a Platinum level based on the company’s sustainability performance in the following four categories: Environment, Labour and human rights, Ethics and Sustainable procurement. Only one per cent of the 90,000 global companies assessed received the Platinum score. Compared to previous years’ assessments, UPM received its all-time high score of 87/100. “The main improvement steps were taken in the Labour and human rights category. We have introduced several new social responsibility targets for 2030, focusing strongly on diversity and inclusion and fair rewarding. We have also developed our human rights due diligence processes and reporting,” says Sami Lundgren, VP, Responsibility at UPM. “The EcoVadis sustainability rating helps our customers assess the responsibility of their suppliers. UPM’s renewed Platinum rating recognises the work we have done to promote sustainability in the whole value chain.”

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Estonian Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 13 October. Give your feedback. The Estonian Forest Certification Council revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The Estonian system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised PEFC UK Certification Scheme for Sustainable Forest Management and Trees Outside Forests. Deadline for comments is 6 October. Give your feedback. PEFC UK revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The revised system is among the first submitted to PEFC for endorsement to include a Trees Outside Forests (TOF) standard. TOF certification was one of the innovative developments of the 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

Two Sides, the print and paper advocacy group, is excited to announce its newest member, ELMA, the European Letterbox Marketing Association. ELMA is the leading European organisation for doordrop solutions which include the distribution of any print media, such as; leaflets, flyers, catalogues, brochures, free newspapers and product samples. ELMA selects its members carefully to represent the best in class in each market ensuring quality and professionalism for clients looking to use this channel. “Doordrop, or unaddressed mail, is a highly effective and popular media to promote products and services as it directly engages the consumer in the relaxed environment of their homes. They are accountable and integrate wonderfully with other in-home media, such as television and the internet.” says Mark Davies, Chairman for ELMA.

The Estonian Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 15 August to 13 October 2022. The Estonian Forest Certification Council revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information about this revised national system, we are holding a webinar on 15 August at 10:00 CEST. The webinar is free to attend, and everyone is welcome.

Sonoco released its 2021-22 Corporate Responsibility Report, renewing ambitious 2030 commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage. The Science Based Targets align with the Paris Climate Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming temperatures well below -2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Beyond performance metrics, Sonoco further increased packaging sustainability and recycling with the $1.35 million acquisition of Ball Metalpack in January 2022. This expanded Sonoco’s can-making franchise and sustainable product portfolio with the addition of tinplate steel packaging – the world’s most recycled substrate. Funds for the acquisition came from $1.2 billion in certified Green Bonds, one of the largest sustainable offerings to date in the U.S. packaging sector.

The study is conducted by FSC International to identify existing problems associated with development and implementation of indicators under Criterion 6.5. This criterion establishes conservation requirements of The Organization demonstrating conformity with FSC’s Principles and Criteria. Criterion 6.5 of FSC Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship states that: “The Organization shall identify and protect representative sample areas of native ecosystems and/or restore them to more natural conditions. Where representative sample areas do not exist or are insufficient, The Organization shall restore a proportion of the Management Unit to more natural conditions. The size of the areas and the measures taken for their protection or restoration, including within plantations, shall be proportionate to the conservation status and value of the ecosystems at the landscape level, and the scale, intensity and risk of management activities.”

The PEFC UK Certification Scheme for Sustainable Forest Management and Trees Outside Forests has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 8 August to 6 October 2022. PEFC UK revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The revised system is among the first submitted to PEFC for endorsement to include a Trees Outside Forests (TOF) standard. TOF certification was one of the innovative developments of the 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

Assurance Services International (ASI) has accredited BMC Assurance S.L. to audit and issue FSC certificates. To receive the accreditation, BMC was evaluated by ASI and had demonstrated its ability to conduct impartial assessments to issue FSC certificates according to the established criteria. BMC will be able to audit and issue certificates for FSC chain of custody worldwide, excluding Belarus, China, and Russia.

The Russian National Voluntary Forest Certification System (FCR) has been suspended by the PEFC International Board, in mutual agreement with PEFC Russia. The suspension is intended to preserve the conditions for a successful long-term cooperation with PEFC Russia in order to support sustainable forest management in the Russian Federation in light of the current political situation. The suspension is effective as of 11 August 2022 and suspension is initially valid until 31 December 2022. Certificates issued against the Russian National Voluntary Forest Certification System (FCR) are no longer PEFC recognised as of 11 August 2022. This applies to both forest management and chain of custody certificates. Certified organisations are therefore prohibited from using PEFC claims and the PEFC label and cannot sell material as PEFC certified.

Irving Pulp & Paper (IPP) has been given permission to begin construction immediately of an Environmental Treatment Facility and Water Use Reduction Project at Saint John’s mill following a successful Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). After receiving the Minister of Environment and Climate Change’s Certificate of Determination in accordance with the EIA, IPP will break ground on the project which is estimated to cut the mill's water consumption by up to 50 percent and result in cleaner water leaving the mill. Construction will require 60 contractor jobs averaged over the 2-2.5-year period with peaks of 120 local contractors. Construction and installation of the new equipment is expected to generate 609,000 person-hours of work over an estimated 22 months in New Brunswick. Construction will begin immediately and run until late 2024.

Intertape Polymer Group Inc. published its annual sustainability report, which catalogs the Company’s 2021 sustainability impacts and furthers its commitments for the future. The report, titled “Safe, Circular & Responsible,” discloses IPG’s annual sustainability performance and actions over the course of 2021, and identifies areas of further improvement as it continues to advance responsible manufacturing, environmental stewardship, and the well-being of its workforce. “Safety and well-being extend beyond the four walls of our organization into the community and around the world, which is why our product innovations, efficiencies in the use of raw materials, water and energy, and elimination of waste are inherent to our values,” said Greg Yull, President and Chief Executive Officer of IPG. “We continue to believe sustainability is one of the core growth drivers of our business, which is why we have taken ambitious actions to lead the industry in making products that are better for the planet, our people, our customers and the global community.” The Company’s customer-centric and sustainability-oriented commitment to “do the right thing” was elevated in 2021, despite the global economic challenges faced during the reporting period. With a priority on taking actionable measures rather than lofty pledges, IPG furthered its industry lead in securing Cradle to Cradle Certified® product certifications and became a signatory to multiple agreements that placed accountability on ambitious near-term goals such as achieving zero waste manufacturing and a net zero carbon footprint.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation published its annual report on sustainability, including an update on the company's progress toward its 2030 sustainability strategy and goals, aimed at addressing the social and environmental challenges of the next decade with goals to improve the lives and well-being of 1 billion people in underserved communities around the world and reducing its environmental footprint. "As Kimberly-Clark continues to grow our business, caring for our people, consumers, customers, partners and communities remains front and center," said Mike Hsu, Chairman and CEO, Kimberly-Clark. "From our commitment to climate stewardship and our efforts to develop more sustainable solutions for our product portfolio to our focus on inclusion and diversity and our ambition to advance the well-being of 1 billion people around the world, we'll continue to drive positive impact as we create long-term value for our shareholders. That's how we deliver Better Care for a Better World."

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Brazilian Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 15 September. Give your feedback. PEFC Brazil revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The Brazilian system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement. An important aspect of the assessment process is the public consultation. Over the sixty-day consultation, stakeholders from around the world can give their comments and provide feedback on any aspect of the system. The Registered Assessor will use the information received from this consultation in their assessment of the system.

CANPACK Group is delighted to announce that its ambitious new emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the independent science-based body, which promotes best practice in the scientific sphere. As part of its emissions targets, CANPACK has committed to three core mission statements: *Reduced absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 25% by 2030, from the base year of 2020. *Increasing annual sourcing of renewable electricity from 62% in 2020 to 100% from 2022. *Reducing absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services by 12.3% by 2030, from a base year of 2020. As a result of the company’s pledges, SBTi’s Validation Team has been able to classify CANPACK’s scope 1 and 2 target ambitions as in-line with keeping greenhouse emissions well-below the 2°C trajectory.

Smallholders, local communities, and indigenous peoples own or manage nearly half of the world’s forests and the way those forests are managed can have an influence on the climate, biodiversity, and health of our planet. It is therefore vital that smallholders can gain certification, not only to benefit from the advantages it brings to their livelihoods, but to ensure that these forests are responsibly managed so they are around for generations to come. To achieve this, we must make sustainable forest management certification accessible to these smallholders. This is where PEFC group certification comes in, enabling smallholders to group together and organize themselves, pool their resources and work as a team to achieve certification. Since 2010, our Smallholder Group Certification programme has enabled the sharing of experiences and facilitated cooperation amongst family forest owners, community forest groups, and indigenous peoples in implementing sustainable forest management and pursuing forest certification.

In today’s industrial marketplace, the concept of a circular economy is finally inching beyond theoretical ideals to real-world applications that will make our planet healthier and more sustainable. But becoming truly circular doesn’t come easy or cheap. It’s a challenge that requires intent, investment and innovation. The paper industry figured this out decades ago, and it has been at the leading edge of circularity ever since. In fact, paper manufacturing exemplifies the very definition of circularity – industrial processes and economic activities that are 1) restorative or regenerative by design, 2) enable resources used to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and 3) aim to eliminate waste through the superior design of materials, products and systems. Most alternatives don’t even come close. Take plastics, for example.

Stora Enso and Tetra Pak are jointly examining a shared beverage carton recycling solution to meet the growing recycling need in Benelux, responding to the demand for circular paper-based packaging solutions. The joint feasibility study includes a plan for a comprehensive beverage carton recycling facility at Stora Enso’s Langerbrugge site in Belgium. Processing of the fibers would take place at the Langerbrugge site, while the polymer and aluminum barrier materials would be recycled by a dedicated partner. Approximately 75,000 tonnes of beverage cartons are put on the Benelux market annually, a growing volume of which more than 70% is already collected for recycling. Currently, there is no existing beverage carton recycling infrastructure in Benelux. This collaboration between Stora Enso and Tetra Pak would create a complete recycling system for beverage cartons in Benelux and surrounding regions. Within the solution, Stora Enso would process collected beverage cartons and recover the fibers. The recycled fibers would serve as source material for producing recycled containerboard within the Langerbrugge site, delivering a fully circular solution. Tetra Pak would secure a recycling solution for polymer and aluminum materials to be processed by a dedicated partner.

The final public consultation for the Version 2 standard revision process closed on May 31, 2022. During the consultation 43 responses were received, representing 75 respondents. By chamber, 28 Economic Chamber responses were received (representing 31 respondents), 10 Environmental Chamber responses were received (representing 39 respondents), 3 Social Chamber responses were received (representing 3 respondents) and 2 responses were received where chamber alignment could not be determined. The greatest number of comments were received about Principle 2 (Forest Workers’ Rights & Wellbeing) and Principle 6 (Impacts on Environmental Values). For Principle 2, topics with the most comments focused on worker wages and addressing expectations regarding fair compensation for injury or property damage. For Principle 6, topics with the most comments were Representative Sample Areas, Conservation Area Networks and expectations regarding justifying deviations from regional requirements for opening sizes.

The public consultation is open between 11 July and 14 August 2022 and will be used to collect stakeholder feedback on the joint review report of FSC-STD-20-001 V4-0 General requirements for FSC accredited certification bodies and two related procedures, FSC-PRO-20-003 V1-0 FSC Certificates and License Agreements and FSC-PRO-20-004 V1-2 General Requirements for an FSC Training Programme.

Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) published a detailed aluminum beverage can recycling primer and roadmap that explains how the ambitious U.S. aluminum beverage can recycling rate targets that CMI members announced in November 2021 will be achieved. Those targets are reaching a 70 percent recycling rate by 2030, 80 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050. The aluminum beverage can is the most recycled beverage container in the United States with a 45 percent recycling rate in 2020. Consider that in 2020, for the aluminum beverage can recycling rate to have reached 70 percent, 25.6 billion more cans needed to be recycled. If the target had been met and those additional cans recycled, it would have generated more than $400 million in revenue for the U.S. recycling system and resulted in energy savings that could power more than 1 million U.S. homes for an entire year. The report explains in detail how CMI will achieve its targets via four pillars of action, which are: 1. Catalyze the passage and implementation of well-designed deposit systems at the state and federal levels. 2. Increase and improve household and away-from-home recycling. 3. Ensure that more cans are properly sorted at recycling centers. 4. Increase consumer understanding on the importance of aluminum can recycling and the ability to collect and sell used beverage cans for cash.

The Brazilian Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 18 July to 15 September 2022. PEFC Brazil revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information, we are holding a webinar on 18 July, 14:00 CEST. The webinar is free to attend and open to everyone. more at: https://pefc.org/news/brazilian-forest-certification-system-submitted-for-assessment

FEFCO (European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers), together with CCB (Cepi Container Board), has released the new “European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies 2021”. FEFCO and CCB have been collecting and publishing life cycle data for more than 25 years. The life cycle analysis follows a robust process of data collection, evaluation and validation by LCA experts. The process and data are subject to independent peer review by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg GmbH, Germany. The 2021 report and data collection cover a significant proportion of the sector representing: *84% of the total annual production for kraftliner and semi-chemical fluting and 74% of the production of testliner and recycled fluting. *73% of the total annual corrugated board production in average.

Sonoco announced it is expanding post-consumer recovery and recycling opportunities for paper cups in bales of mixed paper to be used as raw material at its Hartsville, S.C., paperboard mill to produce new paperboard. All of Sonoco’s United States paper mills have previously validated that they can accept rigid paper cans in bales of mixed paper coming from residential Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). This new announcement extends acceptance to paper cups at the Hartsville mill. Additional testing is underway with the aim of expanding cup recycling to all Sonoco mills that utilize residential mixed paper.

Mail center professionals, who already operate in a challenging business environment, are increasingly faced with the task of responding to the popular, but scientifically flawed narrative that the paper critical to their operations is somehow environmentally unsustainable. If this describes you, then Ben Franklin, father of the Postal Service and first U.S. postmaster general, offers some sage advice: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” In our increasingly digital world, knowledge – knowing the facts about the unique sustainability of paper – is a potent antidote to the common environmental myths used to justify replacing paper mail with electronic communications: that paper production and use destroys forests, is a major contributor to climate change, consumes enormous amounts of water and generates excessive amounts of waste.

“Our vision is to create a future as sustainable as the forests, for people, our products and the planet we all share. Making sustainability a core value in our business is not only the right thing to do for the planet, our people, stakeholders, partners and customers, but it makes us a better company,” said Don Kayne, President & CEO of Canfor Corporation. “Our employees want to feel proud of the organization where they work and feel an alignment with their values. Our customers want to know that the products they purchase from us are sustainably sourced and responsibly produced. Our strong sustainability practices make us a better partner, a better supplier and a better employer,” added Kayne. 2021 Highlights: • We will reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% by 2030, and set a science-based reduction target for scope 3 GHG emissions by 2024 • Canfor has committed to set near- and long-term company-wide emission reductions in line with science-based net-zero with the SBTi • 54 million seedlings planted in 2021, with more than one billion planted over the last 20 years • 100% of Canfor-managed forests are certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or Forest Steward Council (FSC) Forest Management Standards • 100% of U.S. sourced wood is certified to the SFI Fibre Sourcing Standard

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Polish Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 25 August 2022. Give your feedback. PEFC Poland revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. See all system assessment details at: https://pefc.org/discover-pefc/our-pefc-members/national-members/pefc-poland . The Polish system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

The Portuguese Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 5 July to 3 September 2022. PEFC Portugal revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information, we are holding a webinar on 5 July, 11:00 CEST. The webinar is open to everyone and is free to join. Register now at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvde2sqDktHNXNvPs-m1MAAOHjHuI7tqqz

Pactiv Evergreen announced the launch of its new “Zero Waste Implementation Guide” at the Green Sports Alliance Summit in Minneapolis. The Guide is a resource to help foodservice establishments improve their waste diversion rates. Recreation venues, stadiums, arenas, colleges and university foodservice programs, in particular, will benefit from this valuable resource. Achieving zero waste is a circular solution that helps ensure a sustainable future economically, environmentally and socially. By closing the loop, operators can cut greenhouse gases, manage risk, reduce litter and pollution, reinvest resources, and create value for their operation. Pactiv Evergreen’s “Zero Waste Implementation Guide” was created to provide everything a foodservice operator needs to begin their journey to zero waste. The interactive Guide can be downloaded for free from PactivEvergreen.com, enabling a foodservice establishment to customize the tool and document their data and progress.

Through the combined efforts of Idesam and the Uatumã Reserve, the 44,000-hectare area has obtained FSC certification. It is currently the only certificate in the state of Amazonas to include both the timber and non-timber categories for forest products. February became an important milestone for the work of Idesam in the Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve. After a long process that involved capacity-building activities, technical assistance and institutional support, the Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve's main association, the AACRDSU (Association of Agroextractivist Communities of the Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve) received FSC’s Forest Management and Chain of Custody certifications from the Institute for Forest and Agriculture Management and Certification (Imaflora).

Which Austrian companies and personalities are particularly good for the forest? PEFC Austria gave the answer on the country's highest mountain, the Großglockner, where it presented the PEFC Award for Sustainability 2021 in five categories. "It was a real pleasure to join our Austrian colleagues at this very special location at the foot of the Großglockner, and meet the personalities that through a variety of actions make a real difference for forests and people in Austria and beyond,” said Eduardo Rojas Briales. "We can celebrate sustainability at the Großglockner mountain at 2,369 metres thanks to one of the award winners," explained PEFC Austria Chair Dr Kurt Ramskogler, as he announced Großglockner-Hochalpenstraßen-AG (GROHAG) as the winner in the category "Promotion".

Forests sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide as they grow. However, they also have considerable climate impact when they are felled because products produced using wood form forests replace fossil-based products so that oil and coal can be left in the ground.  “We must consider both these parameters to be able to make political decisions that have the greatest positive impacts on the climate. There is a holistic calculation model that helps do just that,” says Peter Holmgren, an expert on forestry and climate. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change states that saving the climate rests on a two-pronged approach of reducing fossil emissions and increasing carbon storage. 

The Polish Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 27 June to 25 August 2022. PEFC Poland revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information, we are holding a webinar on 27 June, at 14:00 CEST. The webinar is open to everyone and is free to join. Register for the webinar at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkf-GupzssHtSSCIP29sxfh5AZgHIRW-im

The American Forest & Paper Association announced 68% of all paper consumed in the United States was recycled in 2021 – a rate on par with the highest rate previously achieved. Additionally, the recycling rate for old corrugated containers (OCC), commonly known as cardboard, increased. The rate was 91.4% in 2021, up from the 2020 rate of 88.8%, and overall, a three-year average of 90.5%. “Paper recycling is stronger than ever and remains an environmental success story," said AF&PA President & CEO Heidi Brock. “In 2021, U.S. paper recycling reached a high rate of achievement. Further evidence that our industry’s investment and public participation in recycling programs are proven and effective.”

“When focusing on wood products, that’s where FSC comes in. It’s proven to be the most reputable and stringent option, so we rely on it for all of our projects”, says Katie Stanford of STŌK, a leading built-environment sustainability firm, in a recent webinar on responsible forestry. The webinar, produced by Sustainable Brands, also included Christopher Reeves from Procter & Gamble and Brad Kahn of Forest Stewardship Council US. A peer-reviewed study by Ecotrust and the University of Washington showed that forests managed to FSC standards are globally significant in their ability to store large quantities of carbon, which is key to mitigating the effects of climate change. While some have argued that any form of forest management (short of deforestation) is carbon neutral because trees eventually re-grow, in reality the study found that larger and more protective buffers along streams, retention of more live trees following a harvest, and longer rotation lengths all combine to result in significantly more carbon storage.

Huhtamaki receives a gold medal from EcoVadis on sustainability performance – for the second year running. Our score places us in the top 5% among over 90,000 rated companies across the globe and highlights our continued to work towards our ambitious 2030 sustainability goals. EcoVadis is the world’s largest and most trusted business sustainability index. “Our strong EcoVadis rating is a recognition of the work we have done over the last two years, and highlights how our teams globally have embraced sustainability. We are very proud of this achievement. Nevertheless, we must continue to keep our focus on the big picture and our overall 2030 ambition as we still have a long way to go. That is why we are continuously working on improving our sustainability performance, analyzing where improvements are needed and acting on these insights." says Thomasine Kamerling, Huhtamaki EVP, Sustainability and Communications.

As US states embrace extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs, brand owners can proactively design or redesign packaging to come out ahead — and win over eco-minded consumers in the process. In states like Maine and Oregon, new laws are being introduced to bolster municipal recycling initiatives. Dubbed Extended Producer Responsibility Programs (EPRs), the policies aim to reduce the volume and toxicity and increase the recycling of packaging material. EPR programs will also take the cost of recycling off of taxpayers and put them onto manufacturers by taxing them based on the recyclability of their materials. These laws have the potential to create real change two-fold: One, by offering fundamentally expensive municipal recycling programs a lending hand with operating costs, while simultaneously encouraging consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to reduce their carbon footprint. Given many recycling programs across the country have been suspended due to collection costs and inefficiencies, it’s not surprising that many other states are considering similar regulation.

“The knowledge gap between forestry actors and society in Korea can be narrowed down through constructive communications: our event contributes meaningfully to the overall country effort,” said Mr Byungki Ahn. Mr Ahn, Director of Forest Policy Division, Service, was speaking at the KFCC-PEFC Customer Relationship & Business Strategy Meeting side event, held on the first day of the XV World Forestry Congress (WFC). “The Korean forestry sector has its specific history. While Korea has had success in forest restoration, there are still relatively strong public concerns on forest use, due to the memory of the devastated forest after the Korean war,” Mr Ahn explained. “A lot of work needs to be done to ensure that forest use is socially acceptable. KFCC is the system that can reassure the public that wood-based products are produced sustainably.”

UPM is the first Finnish company, acting as a shipper and charterer, to discharge its ship-generated wastewater on land and utilise various circular economy solutions in wastewater treatment. The commitment has been published today, on the World Oceans Day, to Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG). The new model will be implemented in the ports of Rauma, Hamina, Kotka and Pietarsaari, which are the four most important ports for UPM's operations. "Responsible waste management on maritime transport and the use of modern technology in the treatment of ship-generated waste is an obvious strategic choice for UPM,” says Lauri Rikala, Director, Global Break Bulk Shipping at UPM. "We have been cooperating actively with Baltic Sea Action Group for over ten years and made several commitments. Therefore, it was only natural that we combine our forces and expertise in this project."

Two Sides was recently flooded with complaints from around the world about unsubstantiated anti-paper environmental claims used by Dropbox, Inc. to encourage the use of its digital services. In an email distributed globally, the digital document management and storage company claimed that “Less Paper = More Trees,” using Dropbox is “more earth-friendly,” and that people can “do their part for the planet” and “secure the future of forests” by using Dropbox. With nearly 17 million paying customers and millions more who use its free service, Dropbox’s misleading claims are damaging consumer and business decision-maker perceptions of paper’s environmental sustainability and threatening the livelihoods of millions of people in the global paper, printing and mail sector. Two Sides wrote to the company’s CEO urging Dropbox to stop using these types of deceptive environmental claims about paper. Now, we’re asking our members to amplify the urgency of our request with letters of your own.

The documents and changes being consulted on are: **Standard to define small and low-intensity forests to now include community forest FSC-STD-01-003 SLIMF & Community Forest Eligibility Criteria sets a generic threshold and definition for ‘SLIMF’ and ‘community forest.’ SLIMF and community forest thresholds are then able to be adapted to the national context. The main changes being consulted on include: *New definition for ‘community forest’ *Adding flexibility to national standard developers, even allowing for the threshold for SLIMF to be over 1000 hectares once there is justification in addition to stakeholder support provided. The consultation ends 13 June 2022. Learn more about the process here. Click read more below for details

As part of the revision process of the FSC forest management standard for continental France, FSC France has published its first public consultation, open to all until 18 July 2022. After a first phase of consultation with stakeholders in the regions and at national level in 2021, FSC France has set up a working group composed of environmental, social and economic organizations in order to improve its forest standard. The process includes two public consultations before validation by FSC International. The first consultation was published on 17 May 2022, and will be open to all until 18 July 2022 on the Consultation Platform, with the aim of collecting the opinions of all stakeholders interested in forest management on the proposals for the evolution of the FSC forest management standard.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Argentine Forest Certification Scheme. Deadline for comments is 29 July 2022. Give your feedback. The Argentine Forest Certification System CERFOAR revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The Argentine system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement. An important aspect of the assessment process is the public consultation. Over the sixty-day consultation, stakeholders from around the world can give their comments and provide feedback on any aspect of the system. The Registered Assessor will use the information received from this consultation in their assessment of the system.

The standard becomes effective on 01 July 2022. This standard is for the use in plantations by smallholders in Indonesia (Management Units smaller than 20 ha) and applies to rough wood and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP). The standard has been written in simple language and provides realistic and achievable indicators relevant to the circumstances of smallholders in Indonesia. The Regional Forest Stewardship Standard (RFSS) in Indonesia is an adaptation of the approved RFSS for Asia Pacific for Smallholders in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Vietnam. The national adaptation for Indonesia has been developed and published to pilot test the indicators developed for specific circumstances in Indonesia. For more details on the scope, please refer to sections 1.3, 1.4 and 3.1 of the standard.

Created by Two Sides UK, The Page is published three times a year and brings you all the latest news, facts, information, research and innovation from the world print, paper and paper packaging. You can request a printed copy of The Page by clicking on the link >> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4zafQsc8KTFDK2TGUAqz3qZ1GQPkkgIaIAaExog60zoNP2Q/viewform

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) 2022 Chain of Custody Standard has met our rigorous third-party assessment and is PEFC endorsed. Organizations certified to SFI’s 2022 Chain of Custody standard can now apply the PEFC on-product label and make PEFC claims, giving them more options to meet customer demand around the world. “SFI makes important contributions that address the needs of North America’s forests and communities and is a valuable national member working with PEFC to elevate the role of sustainable forestry,” said Dr. Michael Berger, Acting Secretary General of PEFC. “Only chain of custody certification standards that meet our rigorous criteria and that are developed in an open, transparent manner through a multi-stakeholder process are endorsed by PEFC.” The SFI 2022 Chain of Custody Standard was endorsed after a 60-day international public consultation period and a detailed examination that included a third-party assessment by an independent assessor.

The numbers are in! Paper is, once again, one of the most recycled materials in the U.S. Our industry has maintained continuously high recycling rates for more than a decade. In 2021, the paper recycling rate climbed to 68%, a rate on par with the highest rate previously achieved. The recycling rate for old corrugated containers (OCC) – you know these as cardboard boxes – was also an impressive 91.4%. More than 50 million tons of paper was recovered for recycling in 2021. That amount could fill rail cars stretching from New York to Los Angeles three times! The paper recycling rate has met or exceeded 63% since 2009.

The Argentine Forest Certification System CERFOAR revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information, we are holding a webinar on 31 May, at 14:00 CEST. The webinar is free to attend, and everyone is welcome. The Argentine system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

Atlantic just sent 17 pallets of electronic waste to a recycling facility. That’s 7,749 pounds of waste that will be given a new life instead of sitting in a landfill! Every employee at a company has a unique perspective, and when they’re presented with inspiration their great ideas come to life. Two years ago, Nate Huot began collecting old hardware laying around Atlantic’s facilities. This process gradually grew into a popular, new program at Atlantic. Old computers, copiers, monitors, battery backups, and a variety of other products have been collected from our locations in Acworth, Dalton, Greensboro, Tabor City, Wilmington, and Sturgis. These used devices would have ended up in a landfill if it wasn’t for the E-Waste Recycling Program. E-waste is full of valuable rare earth elements (REE’s) and toxic minerals. If these materials are not disposed of properly, they can pollute the environment.

This draft aims to increase the transparency and efficiency of outcome-oriented and risk-based forest management evaluations. Some changes include: *Remote auditing: The draft introduces the conditions in which certification bodies can conduct full or partial remote audits in forest management evaluations. *Risk based approaches: The standard also introduces requirements for risk-based evaluations and provides linkages with FSC-PRO-60-010 Incorporating a risk-based approach in National Forest Stewardship Standards to allow the risk-based approach concept to be implemented in forest management evaluations. *Alignment with digital report template: The revised standard also provides revised evaluation reporting requirements to ensure alignment with the Forest Management Digital Audit Report Template; to be implemented in phases across all FSC Forest Management audits. The digital audit template is based on existing requirements in FSC-STD-20-007a Forest Management Evaluations Addendum-Forest Certification Reports. Once the revision of FSC-STD-20-007 is concluded, the template will be updated accordingly to reflect any changes agreed through the revision process.

Anti-paper greenwashing works, unfairly costing the U.S. paper, printing and mailing sector huge sums in lost revenue each year. But Two Sides North America’s (TSNA) Anti-greenwashing Campaign is succeeding in eliminating many of these misleading claims, clawing back hundreds of millions for these businesses, according to the results of the latest TSNA study. In their efforts to cut costs, many leading U.S. financial institutions, utilities, telecom companies and other service providers are using unsubstantiated environmental marketing claims – greenwashing – to persuade consumers to switch from paper to digital bills and statements, suggesting that going paperless is “green,” “saves trees” or is “better for the environment.” The new TSNA research results illustrate the damaging effects these greenwashing claims have on the U.S. paper, printing and mailing sector, finding that 65% of those who have seen anti-paper greenwashing claims are influenced to switch from paper to electronic bills and statements. The study, conducted in partnership with global research firm Censuswide, also showed that the Two Sides North America Anti-greenwashing Campaign is having a powerful impact, preserving more than $308 million in annual revenue for the sector.

Today, food packaging is predominantly plastic and recycling rates are relatively low. While, fibre-based packaging is widely recycled in non-food uses, the industry believes that by 2040 fibre-based packaging will approach circularity as technical development broadens its suitability for food packaging. Recycling rates for plastics are also projected to grow. “The packaging industry will focus research and development efforts to meet increasing consumer and regulatory demand for more recyclable and compostable packaging”, believes Maria Saloranta, Vice President, Strategy for UPM Specialty Papers. “As a result, we expect the share of fibre-based food packaging to grow, accelerated by breakthroughs in barrier properties and use of smart technologies that help relay information to consumers quickly and easily”. In the report, more than 200 global packaging professionals from across the value chain contributed to the first-ever collective assessment of key trends that are projected to drive sustainability in the food packaging industry by 2040. The industry anticipates the global share of polymer-based packaging will fall by half over the next two decades in sustainable food packaging applications, while fibre-based materials are projected to contribute to over 40% of all materials in use for food packaging.

The application period to join the technical working group for the revision of requirements for Forest Stewardship Standards is closing soon on 24 May 2022. The revision of four normative documents regulating the requirements for development and maintenance of Forest Stewardship Standards (FSS) is starting in July 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. For more information and to submit your application visit here (https://fsc.org/en/newsfeed/join-the-technical-working-group-to-revise-the-requirements-for-forest-stewardship). Applications are open until 24 May 2022. We are looking forward to receiving yours.

As more companies establish their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets, there are increasing requirements to have clear and credible visibility into where they are directing their procurement spend. Access to legitimate and credentialed strategic partners is a critical component to achieving and measuring progress against ESG targets. With this in mind, we are pleased to announce a new sustainability initiative offered exclusively for HH Global strategic supplier partners. The HH Global Sustainable Procurement Framework (SPF) is a technology-enabled supply chain program aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals that will help suppliers share their ESG credentials and continuously improve on their ESG journey. We have carefully selected a group of HH Global strategic suppliers from each region to participate in the first phase of this innovative program, which launched last week.

Surpassing its initial goal of an 8% reduction in Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions four years ahead of schedule, Berry Global Group, Inc. commits to reducing its absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions 25% by 2025 (from the same 2019 baseline). The new Scope 3 target is aligned with Berry’s existing Scope 1 and 2 commitments and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi approval confirms Berry’s ambitious value chain goal is in line with current best practice and consistent with actions required to help limit warming to 1.5°C and prevent the most damaging effects of climate change. “Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. And we are committed to advancing the transition to a net-zero economy,” said Robert Flores, Berry Global’s Vice President of Sustainability. “Quickly surpassing and increasing our Scope 3 emissions target is a testament to Berry Global’s hard work, dedication, and collaboration across the plastics value chain to significantly reduce emissions.”

Friday 13 May marks the opening of the railway tracks at Larvik Port, reducing the number of trucks on the roads between Larvik and Halden by 800. Wood chips from the Norwegian timber corporation Bergene Holm in Amundrød near Larvik will now be transported by rail to Norske Skog’s mill in Halden, replacing traditional truck transportation. With one freight train holding cargo equivalent to 30 trucks, one train departure per week can replace hundreds of trucks on the Larvik – Oslo – Halden route. By replacing the transportation methods for wood chips and timber, Norske Skog is able to reduce emissions like exhaust, particulate matter and microplastics as well as contributing to road safety.

"What I'm most looking forward to at the PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue are practical and informed discussions on the crucial role of forests and certification to support net zero emissions by 2050," says Dr Dorothy Maxwell, Sustainability Director at Davy Horizons and a moderator of tomorrow's Stakeholder Dialogue. In our interview, she gave us an insight into her job as Sustainability Director, the role of forests for tackling climate change, and what difference certification makes for businesses. Can you briefly introduce yourself? Hello – I'm Dr Dorothy Maxwell. I'm a sustainability professional with over 20 years international experience working with business and government on sustainability. My training is a MSc and PhD in Environmental Science from Imperial College London. I’m a Fellow and, board member of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.

We’ve continued working hard to tell the great environmental story of print, paper and paper-based packaging. With an economy under significant pressure, more and more anti-print Greenwashing messages are popping up as organisations try to save money by pushing their customers online. Two Sides actively engage businesses, brands and organisations to desist from making these misleading messages and working with Royal Mail, through case studies, to help explain the value that print as part of a media communication plan delivers. To improve consumer perceptions of paper products, the Love Paper campaign had more than 480 adverts in national newspapers and magazines this quarter, reaching more than 20 million consumers every month. Environmentally conscious brands are also recognising the usefulness of the Love Paper logo on their paper-based marketing and paper packaging, informing customers that their brand is environmentally aware, making sustainable choices, backed up with facts and statistics. Our work wouldn’t be possible without the support of our members. We are pleased to have welcomed 4 new members this year already. Thank you to all our members for your continued support.

Responding to climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our times. As a global company, Sappi is committed to being part of the solution and is focused on decarbonising its operations. As part of its long-term global commitment to climate protection and sustainable production, Sappi will be abandoning the use of coal at its German site in Stockstadt as a next step. To this end, the current coal-fired Boiler 9 will be decommissioned, and the mill will be operated using only renewable biomass and natural gas. This transition already started at the end of 2021 and is scheduled for completion by the end of September 2022. This fits seamlessly into Sappi’s large-scale projects to reduce CO2 emissions as part of its ambitious decarbonisation roadmap: for instance, with the fuel boiler modernisation at the Gratkorn site in Austria, fuel conversion to biomass at the Kirkniemi site in Finland and the installation of a new electric boiler at the Maastricht plant in the Netherlands. Sappi’s decarbonisation targets for 2025 include reducing emissions of specific greenhouse gases (Scope 1 and 2) by 25 per cent and increasing the share of renewable energy in Europe to 50 per cent (compared to 2019). Sappi’s Stockstadt mill was founded in 1898 and is one of Sappi Europe’s ten production sites. The exiting of coal is expected to reduce annual emissions in Stockstadt by at least 100,000 tonnes of CO2. This corresponds to roughly one third of previous fossil emissions. Moreover, the project is expected to have numerous positive benefits for the environment in terms of less traffic, noise and waste.

As banks, utilities, telecom companies and government agencies face mounting economic uncertainties, many of these services providers are looking to cut costs by encouraging their customers to switch from paper to digital communications. But all too often, these cost-cutting appeals are cloaked in unsubstantiated and misleading environmental marketing claims that suggest going paperless is “green,” “saves trees” or “is better for the environment.” “These greenwashing claims not only fail to comply with established environmental marketing standards, but they also damage consumer perceptions of paper’s environmental sustainability,” says Two Sides North America President Kathi Rowzie. “And that’s a threat to the economic security of millions of people in the United States and Canada whose livelihoods depend on the paper, print and mailing sector.” North America’s leading corporations and other service providers influence millions of consumers every day with their anti-paper greenwashing claims, leading many to believe that the use of paper is destroying forests and is bad for the environment. For example, a 2021 Two Sides survey of U.S. consumers showed that 60% believe that U.S. forests are shrinking, when in fact, U.S. net forest area increased by 18 million acres over the past 30 years – the equivalent of 1,200 NFL football fields every day – according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment. The UN FAO reports that Canada’s net forest area remained stable at around 857 million acres during the same period.

Sonoco announced it has been pre-qualified for How2Recycle® Store Drop-off labels for the EnviroFlex™ PE line of mono-material flexible packaging products. The EnviroFlex brand is part of Sonoco’s sustainable packaging portfolio, EnviroSense®, packaging with tomorrow in mind. Sonoco recognizes the critical importance of developing sustainable packaging solutions that will better protect and preserve the planet for future generations. The EnviroSense line supports Sonoco’s purpose of Better Packaging, Better Life. EnviroFlex™, a suite of sustainable flexible packaging options, includes solutions focused on recyclability, compostability and the use of post-consumer recycled content. Within the offering of recycle-ready solutions, the following items have received the How2Recyle pre-qualification for the Store Drop-off recyclable label: *EnviroFlex™ PE Premade Pouches and Rollstock *EnviroFlex™ PE Bags *EnviroFlex™ PE Cold Seal Flow Wrap

Tetra Pak announces the launch of the pioneering land restoration initiative The Araucaria Conservation Programme in Brazil, marking the industry’s first nature-based restoration project. The ambition is to generate positive environmental, economic and social benefits for local communities and restore and protect biodiversity in the region. Developed in collaboration with Apremavi, a Brazilian NGO specialising in conservation and restoration projects since 1987, the initiative is set to restore at least 7,000 hectares over a period of ten years – equivalent to 9,800 football pitches – of the Atlantic Forest, one of the richest biomes and the second most endangered in the world. Originally, this rainforest covered 17 Brazilian states, but today only 12 per cent of its original area is preserved, putting thousands of species that do not exist elsewhere at risk. The Araucaria Conservation Programme will target an area of particular risk, the Forest of Araucarias, which today only has 3 per cent of its original area preserved.

FSC invites stakeholders to participate in this consultation process by responding to the questions found in the FSC Consultation Platform pertaining to different sections of the FSC Remedy Framework. In addition, FSC also wants feedback on specific sections of the FSC Policy to Address Conversion, which have been developed based on previous stakeholder consultations, and additional questions concerning the revised version of FSC Policy for Association. Descriptions of the different elements and sections open for stakeholder feedback are available in the FSC Consultation Platform. FSC is pleased to share a set of easy to navigate and visual communication material that unravel the interlinkages and complexities of this package of work around conversion and remedy. They are: • Informational Booklet • FAQs • Sample cases

“I believe the future is wood,” says Clodagh O'Reilly, a speaker at the 2022 PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue, taking place on 12 May in Dublin. “The forestry sector needs to stand together and promote the use of sustainably sourced wood.” Clodagh is the Sales and Supply Chain Director at the forestry business Coillte Forest. She has been working with Coillte for the past 14 years in a variety of finance and operational management roles. Ahead of the Stakeholder Dialogue, we spoke to her about the enormous potential of sustainable forest management for a low carbon economy, and the role of forest certification in the forestry sector.

FSC-PRO-01-001 The Development and Revision of FSC® Requirements provides the process steps for how to develop, review, revise, and withdraw international FSC requirements. FSC invites you to participate in the second public consultation of the procedure from 29 April – 30 June 2022 via the FSC Consultation Platform. Our normative framework (policies, standards, procedures, among other documents) is the backbone of how we protect and manage forests worldwide. International FSC requirements are produced following the steps set out in FSC-PRO-01-001. Revising this procedure is thus key in streamlining FSC’s normative framework to produce adaptive and user-friendly documents and continue effectively delivering on the FSC mission. Streamlining the FSC normative framework is a key goal in the FSC Global Strategy and we are looking for feedback from stakeholders to support this effort.

“Public perception of timber is unbalanced. People need to be educated about the role that forestry can play in our battle against climate change,” highlighted Conor Fahy. Conor is one of the speakers in our 2022 PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue, on 12 May in Dublin. Ahead of the Big Day, we spoke to him and other speakers, to learn more about their work, their visions, and the role of certified timber for a more sustainable world. Conor Fahy is General Manager of ECC Timber Products, Ireland’s largest exporter of sawn and planed timber products. He started working in the company as a Quality Manager after graduating from NUI Galway with a BEng (Hons) in Energy Systems Engineering. He assisted ECC to become the first Irish Sawmill to obtain PEFC chain of custody certification and has continued to oversee the company’s regular review and upkeep of the PEFC standards.

Domtar announced a long-term partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, established alongside the execution of the largest private land conservation agreement in Canadian history. A large private tract in Ontario spanning 1,450 square kilometers of boreal forest, which was managed as a wood supply to Domtar’s pulp and paper mills, will now be managed for research and conservation by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). The area, formerly known as the Hearst Forest, is recognized for its extraordinary ecosystem and abundant wildlife. Domtar has agreed to transfer ownership of the land to NCC for $7 million below its appraised value as a part of this partnership.

Building on our comprehensive sustainability strategy announced in October 2021, Canfor Corporation (TSX:CFP) is announcing the implementation of a comprehensive plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To achieve net-zero, Canfor has developed near term science-based targets that include reducing the carbon emissions from pulp and wood products operations, which are defined as Scope 1 and Scope 2, by 42% by 2030 compared to our base year of 2020. In addition, by 2024 we will measure and assess our global supply chain and woodlands emissions, which are defined as Scope 3, and set a science-based reduction target.

FSC has blocked three Peruvian certificate holders and their FSC certification has been suspended because they were unable to verify the origin of wood they sold and purchased from the Amazon. As a result, they can no longer claim FSC certifcation on their products, or use the FSC trademark label. They will also not be able to seek recertification until FSC lifts their blockage. The blocked and suspended certificate holders (along with their certifcate numbers) are: Maderera Rio Yaverija SAC (MADERYJA) (NC-FM/COC-002175); Maderera Rio Yaverija SAC (CU-COC-810564); Maderera Industrial Isabelita SAC (EMINI) (CU-COC-858403)

WestRock Company has announced a partnership with Recipe Unlimited to implement a suite of recyclable paperboard packaging, intended to divert 31 million plastic containers from landfills across Canada each year. The packaging began appearing at Swiss Chalet restaurants in October, 2021 and is now available across all its locations. With a goal to replace rigid black PET trays and lids with packaging made from renewable resources, the two companies used discovery sessions in their early collaboration to zero in on the right sustainable solution. The modular system uses uncoated recycled board (URB) and EnShield® Natural Kraft to maintain the high performance standards required by Swiss Chalet, while simultaneously increasing the sustainability attributes of its takeout containers. It received the PAC Global Award for Sustainable Design during the Inclusive Opportunities & Universal Design Summit in February, 2022.

SEE, ExxonMobil, and Ahold Delhaize USA announced their collaboration on an advanced recycling initiative, the first of its kind in the U.S. The project recycles flexible plastics from the food supply chain and remakes them into new, certified circular food-grade packaging. The initiative is expected to begin this summer and scale over time. “We’re proud to work with SEE and ExxonMobil on this collaboration, which has the potential to radically change the way retailers and manufacturers leverage food-grade recycled plastics as a key means of keeping plastics out of landfills,” said Brittni Furrow, VP, Health & Sustainability, Ahold Delhaize USA. “We’re eager to learn from this work and apply the learnings to advance our own plastics ambitions, but also advance these efforts broadly, helping to ensure a better tomorrow for our planet.” A critical challenge facing the food industry is driving a circular economy for plastics using packaging materials that have strict hygiene and performance requirements for food protection and distribution. Recovering these essential packaging materials requires innovative recycling solutions beyond traditional mechanical recycling.

Recycling is part of American culture, with 94 percent of those surveyed saying they support it, and 74 percent saying it should be a top priority. Yet only half of Americans have access to curbside recycling, and many of those well-meaning recyclers go about it the wrong way. As a result, far too many items that could be recycled end up in a landfill. One of the barriers to proper curbside recycling is simply a lack of knowledge about how to do so correctly. That can lead people to either toss something that could have been recycled, or to wishcycle, meaning they put something in their recycling bin that isn’t actually recyclable. Our updated curbside recycling guide can help clear the air on what is and isn’t recyclable these days. Download and print this helpful infographic, or click through our gallery below for 12 quick recycling tips. Then, scroll down for more detailed information and links to helpful resources.

The ‘small changes’ process mandated by the FSC Board of Directors at their 86th Meeting aims to improve aspects of gender inclusiveness and the glossary of terms by revising four International Generic Indicators (IGI) in the FSC-STD-60-004 V2-0 EN. For this purpose, an internal technical working group (I-TWG) was appointed in FSC’s Performance and Standards Unit (PSU) in October 2021 to propose draft revised IGI (1.6.4, 4.6.4, 2.2.3 and 2.2.5) and to define a new glossary term. ‘Small changes’ are defined as the revision or addition of one or two requirements. PSU is following Clause 2.2 in Annex 4 of FSC-PRO-01-001 Development and Revision of FSC Normative Documents to conduct this process. FSC is now inviting you to support the process by submitting your feedback through 11 May 2022. The public consultation can be accessed here.

During over two decades of representing FSC in the country, FSC Russia achieved immense success in increasing FSC certification, promoting responsible forest management and creating a platform for dialogue among actors with interests in Russia’s immense forests. The FSC Russia Board has informed FSC International that the decision to end the contractual relationship is a precautionary measure which will be revisited depending on how the operational environment evolves in Russia. FSC International knows that the work to promote responsible forest management in Russia will continue thanks to our close partners and forest allies, who made FSC a success in Russia, ensuring responsible management and protection of vast areas of valuable forest. And we trust that certificate holders will continue to uphold their FSC Forest Management certification. The channels of communication remain open for stakeholders in Russia who are welcome to reach out to FSC International for any questions.

This is the first FSC forest management certificate in Gabon since 2014 and an important milestone for Gabon´s ambition to have all their forest concessions certified by 2025. With this certificate, the total area of natural forest responsibly managed in the country under FSC certification reaches 2,241,051 hectares. The company’s operations are located in the town of Moanda and supplies certified logs to processing industries established in the Nkok Special Economic Zone, a 1126-hectare multi-sectoral industrial park located 27 km from Libreville. The Ogooué concession covers 179,861 hectares of forests, including 25 996 hectares of strictly conservation area. The concession includes about 309 inventoried tree species and iconic and threatened mammalian species such as elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas.

An old nursery rhyme asks: How does your garden grow? We’d like to offer a new, sustainable answer: With help from recycled paper in your garden. As amateur and even professional gardeners prepare for spring planting, many of them will use a sustainable resource — paper — in their gardens. Paper, which is made from wood fiber, is naturally biodegradable and offers many benefits to the plants growing in your garden. Here are four ways you can recycle paper products to improve your soil, reduce reliance on pesticides and enjoy your garden’s bounty: 1. Use paper products as sustainable mulch. 2. Let paper enhance your compost. 3. Start your seeds in paper pots. 4. Use paper in your garden to identify plants.

A new type of forest machine is currently driving around the forests of Sweden. It combines a low-impact approach, increased productivity and an improved operator environment and is the result of a major cooperative project that has been under way since 2019. The concept machine is called Centipede and it has been developed by SCA, seven other Swedish forestry companies and the forest machinery manufacturer Komatsu. The machine is currently being test driven and the results are promising. Swedish forestry is facing major challenges and the issue of sustainability is the focus of attention. For this reason, Södra, Sveaskog, SCA, Holmen, Norra Skog, Mellanskog, Stora Enso and BillerudKorsnäs, as well as the forest machinery manufacturer Komatsu Forest, have jointly developed a new forest machine for low-impact forestry. With its innovative technology, the machine – called Centipede – is designed to ensure the most sustainable possible management of forests for both the environment and people.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) will require suspension of its certificates in armed conflict areas of Ukraine, and will allow streamlined auditing processes on certificates in areas not affected by conflict. FSC remains determined to continue to support Ukrainian certificate holders as far as possible, and therefore will allow certification bodies – the independent auditors of FSC certificate holders – to continue their work in areas not affected by war, for example through remote audits and extending the time between audits to over a year, if required. At the same time, FSC must continue to protect the integrity of the FSC system. In the invaded regions of Ukraine, government legislation cannot be enforced, and it is not safe for the auditors to carry out their work. These factors dramatically increase the risks of forests not being managed according to FSC’s standards, and therefore FSC has no choice but to require the suspension of the relevant certificates. The suspension will be effective 30 days from today (4 May 2022).

On March 31, 2022, public consultation opened on Draft 2 of the FSC US National Forest Stewardship Standard (Version 2). As a voluntary certification system, FSC relies on input from stakeholder to ensure our standards are practical and impactful for organizations that choose to seek certification. Engagement from diverse stakeholders is key to maintaining and improving FSC’s credibility - so thank you in advance for reviewing and commenting at www.engage.us.fsc.org. This public consultation includes Draft 2 materials for all elements of the standard: *Base indicators that will be applicable to most FSC certified forest management organizations *Family Forest Indicators for small and low intensively managed forests *Plantation Indicators for management units that include plantations, as defined by FSC *Federal Lands Supplementary Requirements for management units that are managed by Federal agencies

The two Advice Notes that have been updated are as follows: 1. ADVICE-20-001-12 V2-0 Consequences of Uncontrollable or Non-auditable Risks impacting the Forest Sector at large: The revised version now introduces the option for a continued provision of surveillance and re-certification evaluations by certification bodies for suspended certificate holders if the suspension is not related to performance risks or extraordinary events putting the auditing itself at risk. This allows suspended certificate holders to continue with producing FSC product stock from their pre-suspension input stock, to transition to version 3.1 of FSC-STD-40-004, and to avoid the need for an evaluation prior to lifting the suspension. 2. ADVICE-20-011-14 V1-1 Verification audits for material sold and produced but not dispatched prior to suspension: The Advice Note has been updated to provide for more flexibility as to when the verification audit can be conducted: this audit can now also be conducted after the suspension on the basis of duly considered increased risks that such a later verification entails.

Who wins the sustainability argument: the cotton shirt or the polyester shirt? Unfortunately, there is no simple way to call the winner. Choosing sustainable materials is one big positive step businesses - and consumers - can take towards climate action. In an important webinar organised this month by the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF) Singapore, industry experts spoke about the sustainable material trends and what lies ahead. What are the preferred materials and why it makes a difference? PEFC was represented in the webinar by Deepa Hingorani, who has 20 year's experience within the fashion industry. She explained to the online audience that PEFC chain of custody is a mechanism to trace certified material from sustainable forests to the finished product.

Solenis, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals, is partnering with BIO-LUTIONS, a Hamburg-based CleanTech company, to develop more sustainable disposable products to replace various single-use plastic products in food packaging applications. BIO-LUTIONS mechanically converts agricultural residues into unique, self-binding, durable fibcro® natural fibers. This patented method eliminates the need for binding agents or chemical cellulose isolation, as the fiber itself is used. From these fibers, BIO-LUTIONS creates a variety of sustainable single-use disposable products and packaging.

Water is one of the most essential resources on our planet, serving multiple roles and millions of people at once. A few of water’s better-known services include providing millions with drinking water, ensuring food security and playing a vital function in the health and sanitation sectors. Beyond these direct connections, water also maintains a critical and complex relationship with biodiversity—an essential component of Earth’s ecosystems. Countless environments rely on the presence of water to remain stable and healthy—and water, in turn, relies on these environments to maintain its own functions and patterns. When access to the resource is altered or diminished, not only are various species and their habitats at greater risk, but the water supply itself faces further threat through droughts, polluted waterways, soil erosion and decreased water quality. The result is a strained environment unable to sustain local habitats and a shrinking water supply—critical for all populations and an urgent issue for the human population, considering less than 1% of the global water supply is actually available for human use.

New research reveals that despite their best intentions, over a third of people in the UK don’t believe that their recycling efforts have an impact the environment. We found that that almost half (48%) of consumers don’t think that packaging in the UK is easily recyclable, with two thirds (67%) saying that there is a lot of conflicting advice on recycling and a similar number (60%) saying that the disposal instructions on items are hard to find. Analysis from our Kemsley Paper Mill, the largest mill for recycled paper in the UK, has revealed its ‘Dirty Dozen’ – the top 12 items that are harder to recycle when put into mixed or paper recycling streams. According to the research, conducted in partnership with YouGov, the most common Dirty Dozen items put in the recycling bin are junk mail (72%), food trays (38%) and pulp fruit trays (28%) – with soup cartons (21%) and crisp tubes (18%) also making an appearance.

For more than 20 years, Domtar has put sustainability at the heart of everything we do. Our newest sustainability report details our sustainability priorities for the years ahead. We have developed these sustainability priorities through the leadership of our cross-company Environmental, Social and Governance Committee and with input from a wide variety of stakeholders. Our sustainability priorities also align with our efforts to responsibly use natural resources and reduce the long-term effects of our operations on the natural environment. We will focus our work on the following key areas: Verified Fiber Sourcing; Net Zero Emissions by 2050; Water Stewardship Goal by 2030; Employee Safety; Community Engagement; Diversity and Inclusion.

Irving Pulp & Paper, Limited will invest over $150 million in environmental improvements at the Saint John mill. “The construction of this new on-site facility using world class technology will help us continue to achieve our long-term environmental objectives by substantially improving water quality while reducing water consumption by up to 50 percent,” said Mark Mosher, Vice President of Pulp & Paper. “We have been operating at the west side location since 1946, so we value the feedback of our neighbours in the community and we look forward to hearing from them through this process.” This project will modernize the current water treatment being done in the mill to remove, re-use and recycle materials created during the pulping process which need to be treated in an environmentally friendly manner. It will also help Irving Pulp & Paper to comply with a new enforcement approach to federal regulations and reduce the water currently being sourced from Spruce Lake by up to 50 percent.

FSC issued a series of normative instruments to implement measures related to FSC certificates in Russia and Belarus to disable sourcing material from these countries. To further support measures issued and queries around them, FSC has published two additional Advice Notes and the corresponding derogation as follows: ADVICE-20-011-14 Verification audits for material sold but not dispatched prior to suspension: FSC-DER-2022-002 Use of material purchased but not dispatched from Russia before suspension of supplier; ADVICE-20-005-01 Waiving of AAF for certificates in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine; FSC has further decided to also waive the AAF for all certificates in Ukraine as of Q2/2022, regardless of their certification status.

The heating plant is located on Vattenfall’s existing combined heat and power plant site in Uppsala, Sweden, some 70 km north of Stockholm. This new plant supplies more than 110 MW of district heat to the Uppsala area and is also prepared for electricity production at a later stage. The fuel for the new plant comprises different kinds of wood-based biomass, such as recycled wood, bark, wood chips, and sawdust. The ANDRITZ scope of supply included biomass receiving, handling and storage silos, a biomass-fired boiler with flue gas cleaning, and a flue gas condenser. The boiler is based on the ANDRITZ EcoFluid bubbling fluidized bed design, which combines high efficiency with excellent environmental performance. Flue gas emissions are reduced to very low levels, with the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) method for NOx emissions and a baghouse filter, including sorbent feeding, for sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrochloric acid (HCl), heavy metals, and dust emissions. The flue gas condenser significantly increases the district heat output and, therefore, improves plant efficiency to beyond 110% when calculated using the fuel lower heating value.

Neenah, Inc. released an update to its 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report which highlights the ways in which Neenah is enabling sustainable practices that prioritize the safety and well-being of employees, our communities and environment. The report details the progress we’ve made in the last three quarters including: *Achieving a full-year 30% improvement in recordable incident rates in our facilities, as we aspire to reach zero injuries *Establishing long-term goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of our broader strategy to reduce our environmental impact *Expanding our portfolio of environmentally preferred products and receiving several new certifications from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

FSC has shared three recommendations with the EU Commission on the REDII revision process, and in particular on how to make sure that woody biomass are sourced in line with sustainability limits. The energy sector is responsible for more than 75 per cent of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Renewable energy has a key role in tackling climate change by reducing the EU’s dependency on imported fossil fuels. Under the European Green Deal, the EU Commission has committed to reduce the EU’s GHG by at least 55 per cent by 2030 - and ultimately become climate neutral by 2050. In this framework, the EU Commission has proposed a revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) to align it with the EU’s increased climate ambition.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Finland Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 12 May 2022. Give your feedback. PEFC Finland revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The Finnish system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement. An important aspect of the assessment process is the public consultation. Over the sixty-day consultation, stakeholders from around the world can give their comments and provide feedback on any aspect of the system. The Registered Assessor will use the information received from this consultation in their assessment of the system.

Amazon and Global Optimism announced that more than 300 companies have now signed The Climate Pledge, a nearly 600% growth in signatories over the past year. Among the nearly 100 new signatories joining today are the world’s largest container shipping company, Maersk; the leading enterprise software developer SAP; the North American timberland company Weyerhaeuser; the largest residential solar company in the U.S., Sunrun; and the leading brand in connected car and audio services, HARMAN. Pledge signatories in total generate over $3.5 trillion in global annual revenues and have more than 8 million employees across 51 industries in 29 countries. Signatories to The Climate Pledge must agree to: *Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis. *Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies. *Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040.

The FSC Remedy Framework is now open for public consultation, until 10 May 2022. FSC looks forward to receiving inputs and suggestions from its stakeholders on ways to improve the efficacy of the FSC Remedy Framework. FSC invites all its stakeholders to participate in this consultation process, by clicking here. Through this framework, FSC aims to standardize the requirements that non-conforming companies need to fulfil to remedy past social and environmental harm. The core objective of the FSC Remedy Framework is to promote forest restoration through the development and implementation of transparent remediation roadmaps by non-conforming companies.

Controlled wood (CW) requirements explicitly require an assessment of whether a country’s forest sector is associated with armed violent conflict as listed in Indicator 2.1 of CW category 2 of FSC-PRO-002a: “2.1. The forest sector is not associated with violent armed conflict, including that which threatens national or regional security and/or is linked to military control.“ FSC concluded that a strong association between the forest sector and government exists in Russia and Belarus. Combined with their government’s military action, ‘specified risk’ had to be concluded. FSC further concluded that this risk cannot be mitigated by any other control measure except to altogether avoid source material from these areas. To implement this credibly in the FSC system, shorter timelines were required in addition to providing a mandate for FSC International to make changes to such risk assessments and control measures directly.

Smurfit Kappa has provided 240,000 tonnes of excess soil to the ‘Park in the Past’ project, a local heritage and conservation project in Wales. The soil, which became available due to an expansion at its Mold facility, has been repurposed to create the foundation for an ambitious community development including an authentic Roman fort. In the last six months, the soil has been transferred from the Smurfit Kappa manufacturing facility to the nearby ‘Park in the Past’ development which is creating several new amenities including a Roman fort, children’s adventure area, sensory spaces and rare species pond at the site of a disused quarry in North East Wales. What’s more, the area from which the soil was removed has been transformed into a 3-acre nature trail containing a wide variety of wildflowers, as well as aquatic features for all types of wildlife. The new area, which is being used by both local residents and Smurfit Kappa Mold employees, will also have upwards of 10,000 trees and shrubs and a lagoon to support water drainage for a new property complex in the area.

The Finland Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 15 March to 12 May 2022. PEFC Finland revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information, we are holding a webinar on 14 March, at 10:00 CET. The webinar is free to attend, and everyone is welcome.

Because of the association of the forest sector in Russia and Belarus with armed conflict, no FSC-certified material or controlled wood from these countries will be permitted to be traded. FSC remains deeply concerned about Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and stands in solidarity with all victims of this violence. With full commitment to FSC’s mission and standards, and after a thorough analysis of the potential impact of withdrawal of FSC certification, the FSC International Board of Directors has agreed to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and to block all controlled wood sourcing from the two countries. This means that wood and forest products from Russia and Belarus cannot be used in FSC products or be sold as FSC certified anywhere in the world as long as the armed violence continues. FSC will continue to closely monitor the situation and is ready to take additional measures to protect the integrity of its system.

EraCup Natural is a totally recyclable, biodegradable and polyethylene-free paper-based solution for paper cup manufacturing. Its effectiveness has been proven in the most widely-used converting machines. EraCup Natural is the first product in Lecta's new "Era" range of functional papers for nature-friendly packaging aligned with responsible consumption habits in which each decision matters. EraCup Natural has recently obtained the concession of level A according to the Aticelca® 501/19 system based on the UNI 11743:2019 standard. This standard is in accordance with European norm EN 13430 - Requirements for packaging recoverable by material recycling.

Driven by demand for polypropylene and polyethylene, plastics recycler EFS-plastics is opening a processing site in Lethbridge, Alberta. The 70,000-square-foot facility will increase EFS’s processing capacity by 10,000 metric tons per year, a 20% jump, a press release said. Beginning in the first week of April, EFS will accept bales of plastics Nos. 3-7 and 1-7 from materials recovery facilities (MRFs) in the western United States and Canada, building on “the strong relationships that EFS has developed with [w]estern MRFs since the Chinese National Sword Policy limited export of residential plastics in 2018,” the press release said.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Responsible Wood Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 28 April. Give your feedback. Responsible Wood revised the national forest certification system for Australia and New Zealand following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The Responsible Wood system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement. An important aspect of the assessment process is the public consultation. Over the sixty-day consultation, stakeholders from around the world can give their comments and provide feedback on any aspect of the system. The Registered Assessor will use the information received from this consultation in their assessment of the system.

Huhtamaki, a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions, has signed a 12-year Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. NextEra Energy Resources is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. The 42-megawatt agreement for renewable energy covers approximately 30% of Huhtamaki operations’ current electricity demands in the United States and Mexico, where the company has 18 manufacturing units. “We believe in protecting food, people and the planet. This agreement marks an important milestone on our journey towards delivering on our ambitious 2030 sustainability agenda. The agreement builds on the European VPPA agreement announced late in 2021, which covers 80% of our European electricity usage”, says Thomas Guest, Deputy CEO of Huhtamaki. The renewable energy covered by the agreement will be sourced from a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources’ Inertia Wind Energy Center in the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) North Zone, in Texas. The approximately 300-megawatt project is expected to be operational by the end of 2022 and to save more than 71,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to the average electricity usage of more than 12,000 homes in the United States.*

Metsä Board Corporation, part of Metsä Group, has published its 2021 Annual and Sustainability Report as a pdf file in Finnish and English. The combined Annual and Sustainability Report includes the Report of the Board of Directors, the Company's Financial statements and the Corporate governance statement for the financial period 1 January–31 December 2021. The combined Annual and Sustainability Report, published for the first time, responds to the growing demand for sustainability information and the increasing regulatory requirements for sustainability reporting. A broader sustainability section reports on how Metsä Board has progressed towards the ambitious 2030 sustainability targets and the measures taken to achieve them. The reporting entity includes disclosure of climate risks under the TCFD and SASB reporting for pulp and paper product industry.

Cascades Sonoco, a joint venture between Cascades Inc. and Sonoco Products Company, today announced that its FlexSHIELD® coatings have received third party certification for compostability from TÜV Austria. Additionally, the coatings have achieved recyclability and repulpability certifications from the Fiber Box Association. FlexSHIELD’s aqueous-based barrier coatings are designed for use in folding carton, cup, and foodservice container applications, where scoring, folding and heat sealing often create major challenges. FlexSHIELD is the first fully compostable product that provides polyethylene-like protection and ease of conversion at an economical price point. Packaging treated with FlexSHIELD is FDA, CFIA and EUR compliant for direct food contact. “We are pleased that our entire FlexSHIELD coating line has now achieved these important certifications,” said Jeff Stacy, Market Segment Manager, Cascades Sonoco. “These certifications demonstrate our commitment to creating more sustainable packaging solutions for our customers and are the fruit of years of research and development efforts.”

In line with its commitment to optimize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The ISO 50001 standard is the benchmark international standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the development of an energy management system within an organization. Lecta’s compliance with this strict standard guarantees the existence of a system optimized for proper, efficient energy use at all its manufacturing sites. Lecta, by carrying out its activity in accordance with the requirements of this important environmental certification, also reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of energy saving measures, with the resulting reduction in emissions and environmental impact.

The Responsible Wood Forest Certification System has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 28 February to 28 April 2022. Responsible Wood revised the national forest certification system for Australia and New Zealand following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

At Stora Enso, one of our main foundations and objectives is to provide renewable and circular solutions for all of our products. As a result, we set out to create cutlery and a circular solution for it that will change the way people use single-use cutlery. Plastic cutlery is one of those items that traditionally will not be recycled even if it is placed in the recycling bin. It's far too contaminated. It's far too small. It's far too light. As a result, over 40 billion plastic utensils used each year in the United States alone, are a complete waste. Our Biocomposites already provide various advantages compared to polystyrene. *The material is more durable since the wood fibers strengthen the material's characteristics. *The CO2 emissions are reduced by 48%

The PEFC product categories are a key element in the implementation of the PEFC chain of custody by certified organisations and certification bodies. The revised list of categories, released in October 2021, has undergone an editorial review and the latest version is now available. The editorial changes cover the addition of: two new categories, 100307 (Other dissolving pulp derivatives) and 110510 (Other stationary products); a 2012-2021 category equivalences table; a change log section. For full report go to: https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2022-01/5c5adb05-7f72-4c3c-9e6f-e93d8d3ef55e/081e0e3e-a54c-5c12-8ced-c8151b106097.pdf

An Alaska Native from the Tsm'syen Nation of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Derik brings to the role decades of business experience, a deep commitment to forest conservation, and a lifelong passion for helping advance Indigenous culture to protect ancestral homelands. Derik has spent much of his career at Sealaska, the Native Corporation for Southeast Alaska. He founded Sealaska Environmental Services. Most recently, Derik served as Sealaska’s vice president. Derik is a graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources.

The new targets are connected to individual regions where Crown maintains operations and include: In the Americas: United States: Lifting the current 45% average to achieve ambitious milestones of 70% by 2030, 80% by 2040 and 90% by 2050. Mexico: Maintaining >90% through 2030 and working with industry partners to establish country-wide recycling rates. Brazil: Maintaining >97% through 2030. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA): Reaching 80% in the countries in which we operate by working with industry partners.

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) is a non-profit organization that certifies printing facilities’ sustainability best practices, including and beyond regulatory compliance. SGP advocates best practices and innovation among print community stakeholders, aligning the printing industry and its customers in the pursuit of a more accountable sustainable supply chain. Monadnock is a long-time leader in crafting sustainable and premium printing, packaging, and specialty technical papers for leading brands worldwide. Operating under a third-party certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, the synergistic alignment and partnership with SGP enables us to better serve our mutual stakeholders and customers. “Monadnock and the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership share a commitment to sustainability and innovation,” said Jonathan Graham, Chairman of the Board, Sustainable Green Printing Partnership. “Our work to build an increasingly sustainable supply chain is accelerating through strategic partnerships with leading companies like Monadnock.”

Paper Excellence is pleased to have received $8.6 million of the more than $70 million in provincial funding announced by the CleanBC Industry Fund yesterday. “This funding is being invested at four of our BC mills into projects that will reduce the mills’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve efficiency,” said Graham Kissack, Vice President, Environment, Health & Safety, and Corporate Communications. “Programs like the CleanBC Industry Fund are helping industry achieve British Columbia’s ambition for a low carbon future.” The four mills—Catalyst Crofton, Catalyst Port Alberni, Howe Sound Pulp & Paper, Skookumchuck Pulp—employ more than 1,500 people in rural BC and make an economic contribution of $2.25 billion annually. “Separate from the economic impact these mills have in their local communities, our products are spearheading carbon reduction every day,” said Kissack. “Our paper and pulp products are made from a renewable resource that often displace existing plastic products.”

The FPA Emerging Leadership Council’s (ELC) Advocacy Committee developed a fact sheet on extended producer responsibility (EPR) to help educate the industry, stakeholders, and the consumers of goods packaged in flexible packaging. The fact sheet touches on the following aspects related to EPR: the basic elements of EPR; an overview of the Maine and Oregon EPR legislation; how producers and consumers may be affected by EPR legislation; the FPA’s policy surrounding EPR; and important terms to know. To see the fact sheet, go to: https://www.flexpack.org/publication/RG93bmxvYWQ6NzY3

Derik Frederiksen has been selected as the president of Forest Stewardship Council US, concluding an extensive national search process conducted by executive search firm Odgers Berndtson on behalf of the FSC US Board of Directors. An Alaska Native from the Tsm'syen Nation of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Derik brings to the role decades of business experience, a deep commitment to forest conservation and a lifelong passion for helping advance Indigenous culture to protect ancestral homelands. “As we got to know Derik, we were so impressed by the way he has tied together commitments to forests and people throughout his career,” said Sarah Billig, FSC US board co-chair. “Coupled with his business experience at Sealaska, Derik’s vision and demonstrated ability to successfully grow organizations is the right fit for a moment when FSC is presented with so much opportunity.” Derik has spent much of his career at Sealaska, the Native Corporation for Southeast Alaska. He founded Sealaska Environmental Services, growing the organization over 11 years to 110 employees with contracts valued at more than $1.3 billion. Most recently, Derik served as Sealaska’s vice president, leading corporate communications, shareholder services and education, and workforce development. During this time, Derik helped develop a 165,000-acre forest carbon bank that generated 9.3 million tons of carbon credits.

After a sharp decline in 2020, printed catalogs are coming back in a big way. Market research firm Keypoint Intelligence reports that digital print volumes – the production method for most smaller-run catalogs – has rebounded close to its pre-pandemic level, and demand is expected to soar past pre-pandemic production next year and continue rising at a compound annual rate of 8% through 2025. Why? As the rising cost of digital advertising increases the cost of acquiring and keeping customers, brands are looking for omnichannel strategies that enhance customer experiences, build loyalty and increase sales. Printed catalogs allow brands to connect with consumers in ways that digital platforms cannot. The touch, feel and even the smell of catalogs provide a more intimate shopping encounter, and that interaction can be highly personalized thanks to today’s digital printing technology. Catalogs have staying power far beyond a quick scan on a handheld device. And their enticing visual appeal offers a shopping-as-entertainment experience that drives consumers online to learn more, seek additional products and make both online and in-store purchases. At the same time, the ability to target digital advertising has become less precise with the advent of new online privacy policies that allow consumers to opt out of being tracked.

There’s no question that consumer recycling can improve in the U.S. Currently, only about 32 percent of waste gets recycled. With the imminent effects of climate change on everyone’s minds, corporations and consumers alike need to take bold, sustainable action. However, the role consumers play in the bigger picture is not always easy to understand. That’s why when companies can make their products simply and definitively recyclable, consumers can more easily take action. Recycling standards vary greatly, so consumers have to grapple with different state, city, and community regulations to properly recycle their waste. That’s why there’s a need for common definitions and recycling practices, so consumers are encouraged to recycle instead of becoming dissuaded by a myriad of rules that change and can be difficult to understand.

The Swedish furniture company, Ikea, has just announced it will be plastic-free in six years’ time, using more renewable materials such as paper to protect its products. In the past few years, the furniture giant IKEA has propelled itself towards being one of the most sustainable retailers in the world, with a series of announcements and pledges about becoming a more circular company. Two years ago, it announced that it would be investing €200 million to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15% across the entire IKEA value chain, making the company ‘climate positive’. It followed this with a bold plan to reinvent the company’s business strategy to make all its products more circular, designing them to be reused, repaired, upgraded, or recycled rather sent to landfill or the incinerator. Now, the Swedish retailer has pledged to eliminate all plastic packaging for its products by 2028, phasing out the remaining 10% of its packaging that still uses plastic and replacing it with more sustainable materials such as paper and cardboard.

The carbon footprint of UPM Raflatac’s Linerless products has been certified by the Carbon Trust, a global climate consultancy driven by the mission to accelerate the move to a decarbonised future. The Linerless range carries the CO2 Measured label to demonstrate that UPM Raflatac offers credible calculations in accordance with ISO 14040/44 and PAS 2050. “UPM Raflatac’s ambition is to go beyond fossils and that means we are focused on reducing the carbon emissions of our products. The carbon footprint of our Linerless products has been calculated and certified by the Carbon Trust which is a way for us to credibly demonstrate to customers that the footprint has been measured accurately. Choosing Linerless is a positive climate action”, tells Robert Taylor, UPM Raflatac’s Sustainability Director.