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The U.S. wood products industry took another step towards improved sustainability earlier this week. Specifically, as part of an ongoing pilot program, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified 790,000 new acres of forest in the state of Maine.
What’s remarkable about the pilot is not just the amount of land. It’s that the addition happened, in a large part, because SFI simplified their certification and management processes. Without compromising their standards, they’ve made it easier for smaller land owners to plan for and achieve certification. And SFI is partnering with outside organizations to help those owners manage the lands.
This is nothing but good news to me — for a couple of reasons. First, because DST Output is certified by both SFI and the Forest Stewardship Council in the U.S., and the worldwide organization, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. In fact, we only purchase raw paper from suppliers that carry the logo of one or more of these bodies. So it’s a pleasure to see SFI taking steps to broaden the certified supply chain.
Second, it’s clear that SFI is not standing still. They update their land-management standards regularly through open reviews. And, as evidenced by this latest announcement, are improving their management and auditing processes, too.
And we aren’t standing still either. Today, for instance, we offer our clients:
- Paper made from 30 percent post-consumer waste
- Envelopes made from 30 to 70 percent post-consumer waste
- Biodegradable corn-based window film
At the same time, we continuously review the latest research and test new environmentally friendly papers to ensure they meet our standards for strength, reliability and durability.
One example I’ll share with you is the work we’re doing to incorporate groundwood paper grade into our offerings. Groundwood uses a mechanical process to grind the wood into pulp. This differs from the chemical-based freesheet process, which uses more water, more energy and as much as 50 percent more wood to make the same amount of paper.
The challenge is making groundwood paper as strong and durable as freesheet. But the potential environmental payback is enormous.
These are among the small but significant steps that governments, suppliers, users, land owners and managers, and certification bodies are doing behind the scenes to lower carbon output and intelligently manage a valued natural resource.
So congratulations to SFI. Keep up the good work.