Sustainability
Background
Balancing environmental, financial and societal obligations ensures that forest products companies’ operations will be sustainable over the long-term.Meeting these obligations is a priority for the industry and as attention to these issues continues to heighten it is an opportunity for forest products companies to highlight the sustainable nature of its practices and products: they are renewable, recyclable, and reduce greenhouse gases.
Policy
In the forest products industry, sustainability means that we strive to ensure our resources will be as plentiful and available to future generations as they are today; to preserve and grow the economic contributions of the industry and its businesses; and to foster the well-being of the communities where we live and work. Sustainable practices—forest management, efficient manufacturing, energy generation and conservation, and fiber recovery and recycling—define our dedication to protecting our environment and meeting our economic and societal commitments. These sustainable practices are the foundation of our industry.
Our industry is uniquely able to make a difference environmentally and economically through our dedication to stewardship; our connection to renewable forests; our commitment to recycling and product innovation; and our contributions to our working communities. While making products that support society’s needs, we strive to achieve the highest standard of environmental performance.
We welcome our role and responsibility to serve as stewards of the forests and the environment for present and future generations. Forests are essential to a healthy environment—sustaining vital plants and wildlife, filtering our water and air, and reducing greenhouse gases by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forests are also an economic resource, providing a plentiful and renewable natural material that we use responsibly to produce our products—many of them recyclable.
Through continued strong economic performance and by supporting the needs of the communities in which we live and work, we contribute to their short- and long-term environmental, societal, and economic well-being and to the well-being of the customers and consumers we serve.
We reach out to our stakeholders to benefit from their views and expertise. We’re listening—and sharing what we learn to drive continuous improvement.
AF&PA believes that market forces should be the primary drivers of sustainability initiatives. However, if governments adopt sustainability initiatives, they should be based on sound scientific principles and developed through transparent processes open to all critical stakeholders, including manufacturers, customers, and consumers of all affected products and should balance the economic, societal and environmental aspects of sustainability. Moreover any government green purchasing policies should not distort the marketplace by mandating preferences for categories of products. Private initiatives should encourage the involvement of critical stakeholders in the initiative, and sustainability claims should be adequately substantiated and based on sound scientific principles.