Forest certification means that forest managers have their operations audited against a credible standard by an independent certifying organisation. This standard sets out indicators that the auditor will use to verify that the operation is meeting the requirements of set principles and criteria. These principles and criteria cover issues such as compliance with legal requirements, protection of biodiversity, protection of high conservation values, prevention of deforestation, community relations, civil and indigenous peoples’ rights. Fuji Xerox Australia is progressively ensuring that all its suppliers are certified and working towards supplying only certified paper stocks. There are essentially two bodies that certify wood for paper on a global basis: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international network, which promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. It accredits independent third party organisations to FSC standards to ensure well-managed forestry. Its trademark provides international recognition to organisations that support the growth of responsible forest management.
Over the past 12 years, over 100 million hectares in more than 82 countries have been certified according FSC standards; while several thousands of products are produced using FSC certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through a network of national initiatives in 40 countries and is becoming increasingly demanded by customers looking for certified paper.
The Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
The Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is a global, independent, non-profit, non-governmental umbrella organisation for the assessment of and mutual recognition of national forest certification schemes developed in a multi-stakeholder process. These national schemes build upon the inter-governmental processes for the promotion of sustainable forest management, a series of on-going mechanisms supported by 149 governments in the world.
PEFC has in its membership 35 independent national forest certification systems of which 25 to date have been through a rigorous assessment process involving public consultation and the use of independent assessors to provide the assessments on which mutual recognition decisions are taken by the membership. These 25 systems account for more than 200 million hectares of certified forests producing millions of tonnes of certified timber to the market place making PEFC the world's largest certification system.
A range of general eco-labelling systems also apply to paper. The most prominent of these are European systems. These systems generally result from government initiatives to provide consumers with assurance about products that meet defined environmental criteria. Two that are seen on paper products available in Australia are: the Nordic Eco-labelling system known as The Swan and the German eco-labelling system known as Blue Angel. These programs generally conform to an ISO standard or function with the authority of a government agency. Some are weakened by a reliance on self-declarations from companies rather than independent third party auditing while others are strengthened through some form of multi-stakeholder governance.
Fuji Xerox seeks to demonstrate and promote compliance with government recognised global social and environmental standards, and to identify and control the sources of the raw materials used in the manufacture of our paper products. We believe it is in the interests of our industry to demonstrate responsible stewardship through the full product life cycle in order to verify paper as a socially and environmentally responsible communication medium. The Fuji Xerox Australia sustainable paper sourcing standards is one tool to achieve this objective.
We have established a set of minimum requirements for our paper suppliers across key environmental, social and governance criteria, as well as a path for continuous improvement in line with best practice. We assess compliance with these standards annually and we work with non-government organisations to identify and escalate key issues of stakeholder concern. If areas of non-compliance are found our approach is to work with progressive suppliers to ensure standards are met. However if adequate progress is not made in a specified timeframe the supplier relationship will cease.
The Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) promotes responsible
management of the world’s forests.
It accredits independent third party
organisations to FSC standards to
ensure well-managed forestry.
The Programme for Endorsement
of Forest Certification (PEFC) is
a global, independent, non-profit,
organisation for the assessment
of and mutual recognition of national
forest certification schemes developed
in a multi-stakeholder process.
A range of general eco-labelling
systems also apply to paper.
The most prominent of these
are European systems (like Blue Angel
and Nordic Ecolabel) which result
from government initiatives to provide
consumers with assurance.
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