Czech forest certification system submitted for endorsement

As the world faces up to the climate emergency, urgent action is required if we are to reduce our individual and collective environmental impact. Packaging has an important role to play. The environmental impacts of plastic packaging are well known. 40% of plastic produced is for packaging, while plastic packaging accounts for 50% of plastic waste. Answers must be found to boost the production and use of sustainable packaging, with renewable and recyclable solutions increasingly in demand. A 2020 Two Sides Survey on European Packaging Preferences found that paperboard packaging is favoured by consumers as being better for the environment and considered easier to recycle and home compost. Increasing the use of sustainable, certified forest-based packaging has huge potential to not only help companies meet sustainability targets, but also have a positive impact on the world’s forests and the communities that depend upon them.

Lecta has published its new Responsible Purchasing of Wood and Forest-Based Products Policy, in keeping with the principles and criteria of its Integrated Management System that guides the company’s activity. With this document, Lecta strengthens its commitment and responsibility to communities and habitats where the company operates. Lecta is keenly aware of the critical role forests play for the planet and its inhabitants. Lecta also acknowledges that the wood used to manufacture all its products is a natural raw material that is both a great ally in preserving the environment as well as a source of income for many families and local communities. Wood is a renewable resource obtained from forests and forest plantations, and protecting these areas is vital for the carbon cycle. With this new policy, along with the PEFC™ and FSC® C011032 Chain of Custody forest certification systems that Lecta promotes and strictly adheres to, the company reaffirms its commitment to the purchase of responsibly managed wood and wood-based products. Lecta thereby contributes to better management of wooded areas used for forestry, environmental protection and the betterment of local communities.

Ethiopia’s forests support the livelihoods of millions of people. But as we see elsewhere around the world, these forests are continually threatened – cleared to become grazing and agricultural land, or simply the space is needed for ever increasing populations. “While there is a clear need for sustainable forest management within the country, Ethiopia is actually in a great position to develop a national forest certification system,” said Rémi Sournia, Projects and Development Officer for PEFC International, following his outreach trip which saw him travel around the country to meet with stakeholders, farmer unions and government. “We now plan to start working on the development of a project in the country, collaborating with a range of partners including ENAO, Ethiopia’s accreditation organization, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, universities and farmer organizations.” click Read More below for more of the story