Sustainable forest certification gives consumers confidence

Sustainable forest certification on paper and packaging is a reassuring sign for earth-conscious consumers. This certification means the manufacturing process won’t threaten the long-term health of forests.

Wood is one of our greatest renewable resources, so it’s important that creating pulp and paper doesn’t contribute to widespread deforestation in North America. Fortunately, net forest area in the U.S. has increased over the past three decades, and remained stable in Canada.

Sustainable forest certification is an important tool for ensuring responsible harvesting and manufacturing. That’s why we were early supporters of using third-party certification that ensures wood is responsibly sourced. Supply chain transparency offered by certification has existed for nearly 30 years — far longer than similar standards for other commodities.

What does sustainable forest certification mean?
“Forest certification is a voluntary program that ensures specific standards are met when harvesting wood fiber,” says Dan Wernick, a senior buyer in wood procurement for Domtar. “Beyond the forest, it also sets requirements for production and distribution to track certified fiber through the supply chain.”

Independent third parties administer regular audits to ensure manufacturers follow all required practices. And only after companies pass these rigorous tests can they display the forest certification’s product label.

A recent survey found that 64 percent of consumers expect sustainability claims will be certified by a trustworthy independent organization.
more at: https://newsroom.domtar.com/sustainable-forest-certification/