forest certification – what it really means · really means cassie phillips vice president,...
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Society of Wood Science and Technology
Forest Certification – What it Really Means
Cassie PhillipsVice President, Sustainable Forests & ProductsJune 24, 2009
Background: Weyerhaeuser’s role and commitment to forest certification
Background: SFI
AF&PA developed the first version of SFI as a code of conduct for members• Global era of reform in Best Management Practices
• Extend BMPs across the U.S.
• Covered landowners andmanufacturers
USFWS
Innovative and successful as a voluntary standard
Premium (Value-added) Label Trigger Point
Marketplace Capture / Adoption 100%
Valu
e-ad
ded
Crit
eria
Voluntary Standards
Industry Convention
Premium Labels
(Consumers Union (2009))
100 million acres/41 million ha
60 million acres/24 million ha
6
Background: FSC
WWF with others developed FSC as alternative to boycotts of tropical wood• Needed to address serious problems compounded by weak
governance
• Innovation in use of marketsto reward good actors
• Originally common criteria for proprietary certifiers
Regional standards followed
Greenpeace
Successful in occupying different niches
Premium (Value-added) Label Trigger Point
Marketplace Capture / Adoption 100%
Valu
e-ad
ded
Crit
eria
Voluntary Standards
Industry Convention
Premium Labels
(Consumers Union (2009))
Sweden, UK, Canadian boreal
Pacific, BC
Russia
-
50
100
150
200
250
300
Can
ada
Uni
ted
Stat
es
Finl
and
Swed
en
Rus
sian
Fed
erat
ion
Nor
way
Ger
man
y
Pola
nd
Aus
tral
ia
Fran
ce
Bra
zil
Aus
tria
Cro
atia
Bol
ivia
Cze
ch R
epub
lic
Chi
le
Latv
ia
Uni
ted
Kin
gdom
Sout
h A
fric
a
Mex
ico
Ukr
aine
Indo
nesi
a
New
Zea
land
Chi
na
Con
go
Japa
n
Peru
Mal
aysi
a
Indi
a
Hec
tare
s (m
illio
ns) Forest Area
FSCSFIATFS
CSAPEFC
851543
Current situation: certification choice depends on geography
-
50
100
150
200
250
300
Rus
sian
Fed
erat
ion
Bra
zil
Can
ada
Uni
ted
Sta
tes
Chi
na
Aus
tralia
Indo
nesi
a
Per
u
Indi
a
Mex
ico
Bol
ivia
Sw
eden
Japa
n
Con
go
Finl
and
Mal
aysi
a
Chi
le
Fran
ce
Ger
man
y
Ukr
aine
Pol
and
Sou
th A
frica
Nor
way
New
Zea
land
Aus
tria
Latv
ia
Uni
ted
Kin
gdom
Cze
ch R
epub
lic
Cro
atia
Hec
tare
s (m
illio
ns) Forest Area
FSCSFIATFSCSAPEFC
851543
And only 10% of forests globally are certified
$20.5
$44.0
$6.6 $10.9
$20.5
$38.1
Non-CertifiedSFICSAFSC
Value of Wood Products Shipments(US $ billions)
Regionally we see the same pattern
What does this mean in the marketplace?
Environmental claims are regulated • Under U.S. and Canadian consumer
protection laws
Must be able to substantiate all claims when made• Including comparisons
General claims deceptive• Avoid “green,” “earth friendly,” etc.
without specifics
“The only way to claim watertight sustainability is to have FSC accreditation. Only [we] have FSC accreditation. Which means only we can guarantee sustainability throughout the supply chain.”
Plenty of room for improvement
Alder is a pioneer species that is both planted and naturallyregenerates, often prolifically reseeding forestlands that haveburned or been harvested. Alder groves are home to a multitudeof animal species and provide important streamside shade for salmon.
100% organic
What are the claims about certified products that can be substantiated?
Common ground: certified products don’t necessarily come from a certified forest
Mills collect and mix wood the way a grain elevator mixes grain: individual pieces can’t be traced to the acre
All systems trace wood to the country or region, allocate volume to output in proportion to input
Cassie Phillips
Common ground: The same basic norms for the same market niches
Appropriate role for clearcutting,other intensive forestry practices
Conservation, careful management of old growth
Goal of keepingforests as forests
Reforestation
Sustainable rates of harvest
Soil productivity
Water quality and fish habitat
Wildlife habitat• Threatened or endangered
species and ecosystems
Cultural, historical, aesthetic values
Common ground: forest certification addresses . . .
Source: Consortium for Research on Renewable industrial Materials
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Wood-framed house
Concrete-framed house
Steel-framed house
Common ground: the value of wood products
+ –
Weyerhaeuser releases the potential in trees to solve important problems for people and the planet