Consumers play a significant role in driving sustainability trends in the pulp and paper industry. Today’s consumers demand products that are responsibly sourced, manufactured and tested, and research shows that millennials are willing to pay more for products — including pulp and paper products — that demonstrate environmental stewardship.
Hundreds of business leaders and environmental advocates are gathering this month in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the 2017 Forest Stewardship Council® General Assembly to debate and vote on strategies focused on the future of the world’s forests. Among the topics to be discussed is consumer-driven sustainability trends.
Domtar is committed to providing consumers with products that are responsibly sourced and efficiently manufactured.
“We feel it is our responsibility to help our customers understand their environmental impact and how their choices can help maintain a healthy environment for future generations,” said Dan Persica, sustainability communications senior manager at Domtar. “Our customers can feel good about their purchases, knowing that they come from responsibly sourced North American forests.”
FSC® certification helps ensure that the forests we used to source a host of everyday products are managed in a way that accounts for environmental, social and economic concerns. In 2005, Domtar became the first forest-products company in North America to offer FSC-certified copy paper. Since then, Domtar has sold more than five million tons of FSC-certified paper, bringing greater market awareness to the label and its benefits.
Domtar’s commitment to responsible forestry also extends to our suppliers. We work with private landowners to encourage them to pursue certification. These efforts have resulted in the certification of more than 500,000 acres with the Four States Timberland Association.
In the southeastern United States, Domtar and several other leading forest products companies formed the Appalachian Woodlands Alliance (AWA) to increase the stock of responsibly harvested wood to meet the demand for sustainable forest products. The alliance hopes to create a new revenue source for landowners and to provide tools, including forest certification, to help better manage their land.
Domtar and other sustainability leaders recently joined the AWA to host a field trip for procurement professionals to the southern Appalachians, home to one of the most diverse collections of plants and animals in the world. The trip gave participants a chance to observe responsible forestry and learn how their procurement decisions impact the future of forests.
To view more from this hands-on experience, please watch “Witnessing Responsible Forestry First-Hand.”
