NEW YORK, NEW YORK, Dec. 12 -/E-Wire/– Xerox Corporation, one of the world’s largest brands of cut-sheet paper, has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, an international nonprofit conservation organization.
This certification will allow Xerox to purchase and sell FSC-certified paper at 77 distribution centers in 17 countries in North America and Europe – covering the greatest geographic area of any FSC Chain-of-Custody certification to date. Xerox has also earned Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
“The scale of Xerox’s commitment to FSC certification shows how large corporations are making serious commitments to greening their supply chains,” said Tensie Whelan, executive director of the Rainforest Alliance. “Supporting FSC certification helps ensure the conservation of the world’s working forests for generations to come.”
Paper and other wood products that bear the FSC logo originate from forestlands that have met criteria covering the maintenance of high conservation value forests and the protection of soils, waterways, wildlife and the rights and welfare of workers and local communities.
Connecticut-based Xerox earned Chain-of-Custody certification – which ensures that paper bearing the FSC logo is properly tracked throughout processing, from the forest to the retailer – after passing audits conducted by the Rainforest Alliance at 11 facilities in four countries. The audits verified that the company was complying with the standards of the FSC, the global standard-setter for responsible forest management, and had a system in place for tracking and segregating FSC-certified paper.
The certification covers all of the company’s 77 distribution facilities in the US, Canada and 15 European countries – the largest scope of any FSC Chain-of-Custody certification to date. This will allow Xerox to meet the growing demands of customers for FSC-certified paper. The company plans to announce its first certified products in early 2008.
“Xerox sees sustainability as not only a value we talk about but as a real behavior we strive to practice,” said Steve Simpson, vice president and general manager, Xerox Paper and Supplies Business Unit. “FSC and PEFC certification are important steps in our effort to ensure that the production of paper is not a drain on our natural resources and that we use these resources wisely and efficiently. There’s also an increasing demand from customers that want to make sustainable purchasing decisions.”
At a time when climate change issues are on many people’s minds – as in the recent global climate change conference in Bali – it is important to recognize that, by supporting sustainable forestry and forest conservation, Xerox is making a positive contribution.
“The FSC applauds Xerox’s commitment to responsible purchasing,” said Heiko Liedeker, executive director of FSC International. “Well-known companies such as Xerox wield a great deal of power and responsibility to lead positive change. We are confident that an increasing number of multinational companies will choose to become certified with the development of this new multi-site standard.”
Indeed, large forest products companies are increasingly seeking FSC certification. According to a 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers global survey, 61 of the 100 largest forest, paper and packaging companies worldwide publish some kind of sustainability report – and of these, 49 percent have earned FSC certification for at least one of their operations.
Thousands of pulp providers, mills, merchants and printers have earned FSC Chain-of-Custody certification, and many publishers – most recently Simon and Schuster, Inc. – have committed to increasing their use of FSC-certified paper. Also in the past year, Nordstrom, Inc. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and Limited Brands (the parent company of Victoria’s Secret) all began using FSC-certified paper in their catalogs and other printed materials.
The area of FSC-certified forestlands has nearly doubled in the past three years to a total of more than 224 million acres (more than 90 million hectares), making a growing supply of certified wood products available to companies and consumers.
The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org. Contact Info:
Gretchen Ruethling
Tel : 646-452-1939br>
E-mail : gruethling@ra.org Website : Rainforest Alliance