Forest Certification Programs in Plain English

Certification programs aim to slow global damage to forests and promote environmental responsibility. Here's a guide to help you choose which program is right for your environmental goals.Thirteen million hectares of forests are destroyed across the globe each year, the United Nations declared on Nov. 14, 2005. This number equates to well over 32 million acres—or an area roughly the size of Greece.In an effort to protect forests from irresponsible management, various groups have established certifications for evaluating forest management practices. The idea is that the certifications would indicate to purchasers of forest products which products come from forests that are managed in environmentally and/or socially responsible ways. The challenge for paper buyers, however, is that a number of certifications have emerged on the market, and it isn't always abundantly clear what each certification means and which ones indicate forest management practices that match a publisher's goals for environmental and social responsibility."[Forest] certification is a complex and tricky animal," says Frank Locantore, director of Co-op America's Magazine PAPER Project. "Complex in that there are many different considerations when creating a certification system, [such as] economic, environmental, social … Tricky in that there are [many] different certification systems …."To help simplify the matter, the following guide identifies and explains some of the forest certification programs available for paper purchasers looking to operate more socially and environmentally responsible organizations.Forest Stewardship CouncilAmong the most prevalent forest certification programs is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)—an international standards-establishing network aimed at promoting responsible forest management. FSC is an independent, not-for-profit organization comprised of environmental, social and business representatives, and establishes principles, guidelines, criteria and standards that address economic, social and environmental issues. Paper companies are able to seek certification as a way to prove to consumers that they practice forestry consistent with FSC standards. FSC accredits independent certification organizations to audit these companies to ensure standards are met. The FSC label is further strengthened when the certification organizations verify that companies claiming to sell FSC-certified products have tracked their supply back to FSC-certified sources.FSC has certified forests in approximately 65 countries, according to Katie Miller, FSC's communications director. "FSC created a space where the industry and environmental and social interests can sit down together to figure out forest conservation issues," she says. "This changed the dynamics of the 'forest management' dialogue, and allowed a mutually accepted solution to be created that ensures a healthy future for the world's working forests, the people and communities that depend on the industry for their survival, and the animals that depend on forests for habitat."FSC is widely accepted by the conservation community as having the most rigorous forest management standards, according to Tyson Miller, executive director of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit organization that helps book publishers improve their environmental impact. This is due in large part, he says, to the fact that it differs from other certification systems in the following ways:• FSC explicitly prevents the conversion of natural forests to plantations.• FSC criteria explicitly protect Endangered and High Conservation Value Forests.• FSC integrates social concerns including the rights of indigenous communities.FSC certification is based on a set of 10 principles and 57 criteria for forest management, covering legal issues, indigenous peoples' rights, labor rights, environmental impact and more.FSC certification is recognized and encouraged by such environmental groups as Greenpeace, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund. Leading publishers are beginning to climb on board, too. For example, HarperCollins' UK operations announced last month a commitment to print all its hardback monochrome books and trade paperbacks on paper certified by the FSC.www.FSCUS.org Sustainable Forestry InitiativeAnother popular certification program is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which has enrolled more than 136 million acres of North American forestland. Adopted in 1994 by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA)—the national trade association of the forest, pulp, paper and wood products industry—the SFI program consists of a number of forestry principles, objectives and performance measures developed by foresters, conservationists and scientists.The SFI Standard (SFIS) details its requirements for compliance with the program through a series of nine principles and 13 objectives. These principles cover issues ranging from responsible practices in forestry and long-term forest and soil productivity to protection of water resources and legal compliance. The objectives serve to measure program participants' actual compliance with the SFI Standard.Like FSC, company participation in SFI is voluntary; however, it is required of all member companies of AF&PA. In fact, since 1994, 17 members of AF&PA have been asked to leave the association as a result of failing to meet the SFIS.SFI primarily focuses on large-scale forests in the United States and Canada, and is overseen by a 15-member Sustainable Forestry Board. The SFI program is supported by environmental organizations such as American Forests, American Tree Farm System, National Association of State Foresters and Society of American Foresters.www.AboutSFI.orgCanadian Standards AssociationThe Canadian Standards Association's Sustainable Forest Management Standards (CSA-SFM) was established in 1996 and consists of a set of three requirements organizations must meet in the areas of public participation, performance and systems. Like with FSC, CSA-SFM standards state that certification be attained only via a third-party independent audit. Forest managers must "seek comprehensive and continuing public participation, including a special effort for aboriginal peoples, at the local community level for each forest." Public involvement is at the center of the CSA-SFM standard since Canadian forests are primarily publicly owned. As for performance, adherence to the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers' set of Sustainable Forest Management criteria is necessary. These criteria address key forest management issues ranging from soil and water protection to ecological cycles to the rights of aboriginal forest communities. Finally, the CSA-SFM standard requires that local forests go beyond the internationally recognized ISO 14001 standards, which specify the requirements for an environmental management system (see "Useful Terms" box at left), to include further performance requirements that are specific to each local forest.Three different CSA labels may be applied to products meeting the organization's requirements depending on the level to which the product has been tracked and monitored from its point of origin: 100 percent, 80 percent or 70 percent.www.SFMS.com/csaSummary"Many from both industry and the conservation community agree that a forest that is harvested according to some forest management criteria is better than forests harvested without any guidelines at all," says Tyson Miller. Miller suggests that there are tangible reasons why, at the present time, most non-governmental organizations only fully support the FSC system. "Hopefully, the other certification systems will continue to improve to meet the same criteria regarding forest conversion, Endangered Forest protection, and the inclusion of indigenous rights. When that day comes, it'll be a lot easier for publishers." Until that time, publishers and others concerned about the virgin fiber in the paper they use will need to continue to grapple with and understand the issues in the ever-changing marketplace.Useful TermsISO 14000 series—a series of international standards on environmental management by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It provides a framework for the development of both the system and the supporting audit program.Post-consumer recycled (PCR) paper—paper that had previously met its intended end use in the hands of a consumer. Amount of recycled content may vary. Chain-of-Custody—the path taken by raw materials harvested from a certified source through processing, manufacturing, distribution and printing until it is a final product ready for sale to the end consumer.Processed Chlorine Free (PCF)—recycled paper in which the recycled content is unbleached or bleached without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Any virgin material portion of the paper must be "Totally Chlorine Free."Totally Chlorine Free (TCF)—Virgin paper that is unbleached or processed with a sequence that includes no chlorine or chlorine derivatives.—Matt Steinmetz

Publishing News

Forest Certification Programs in Plain English

Publishing Executive Staff

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Publishing Executive Staff