Environmental Paper Assessment Tool’s Post

Scandinavia is soon to welcome its first PEFC Project certified building as Mäihä, a wooden apartment block, is unveiled at the Seinäjoki Housing Fair in Finland this July. Through PEFC Project Certification, the building constructors will be able to demonstrate the project’s contribution to environmental conservation and economic sustainability. “We are pleased that the first Nordic PEFC construction project will be in Finland,” announced Auvo Kaivola, Secretary General of PEFC Finland. “There have already been several good examples of PEFC Project Certification, including Kingsgate House, a certified apartment block in the UK, and the Winter Universiade in Italy.” Mäihä will be built from modules made of PEFC-certified cross laminated timber (CLT) assembled in Stora Enso's mill. The modules are prefabricated in Hartola mill, and ready for assembly in the construction site. The prefabricated elements include windows, doors and kitchen units.

A collaboration of four parties is working on a major demonstration project to recycle stretch film, a flexible plastic wrap. This is despite frequently being told, “No customer will ask for it.” The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) supported the parties with the CPNL subsidy and acted as a discussion partner. “Showing people that it is possible”—this, alongside sustainability, is one of the key motivations for Jolien Stevels to participate in the SKILLS project. Stevels is the Director of Research & Development at Trioworld, a producer of packaging solutions. SKILLS stands for Closing the Loop on Industrial LLDPE Stretch Film. “Customers don’t ask for recycled stretch film because they believe it’s not possible. But if you place a roll on the table, they will start asking for it. We all have great faith in this project.” Stevels quickly convinced three other key players in the supply chain to join her firm belief that recycling stretch film is possible. Stretch film has become a crucial and highly demanded product for securing goods on pallets—ensuring they are transported safely, securely, and efficiently. This means there are significant opportunities for improvement within the industry.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is pleased to announce its renewed partnership with world geospatial company, Esri. This is the third year of a large-scale collaboration aimed at integrating cutting-edge technology to advance global sustainable forest management. FSC has tapped into Esri’s in-kind support to bolster efforts to build out a comprehensive map of certified forests worldwide. In addition to increasing technological access for forest managers, it has enhanced monitoring of deforestation. “If you can’t map the forest, you can’t measure or track it,” says Scot McQueen, FSC’s Senior Technology Officer, who spearheaded the FSC-Esri partnership and recruited Esri to FSC’s Technology Consortium. Building on past successes, this ongoing collaboration will support FSC’s solutions for forest managers as they prepare to comply with the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR), set to take effect later this year. EUDR mandates comprehensive reporting requirements for forest-based products entering the market from late December 2024, including the need for geospatial data, traceability, and risk assessments.