We think so. And our customers think so too.
Forest Stewardship Council* (FSC)-controlled products, clearly marked with the FSC logo, allow consumers world-wide to recognise products that meet its strict standards for sustainable forestry. Products with the FSC logo have met chain-of-custody controls, from processing of the raw pulp, to the manufacture of paper and its final distribution, so that each step of the process has been managed in a safe and environmentally- responsible way.
It’s also your guarantee – all paper with the FSC logo has been manufactured from FSC-certified sources, controlled wood sources or post consumer reclaimed sources – so you can accurately manage your Corporate Social Responsibility agenda.
The FSC is an international, not-for-profit, membership-based organisation that brings people together to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices, and at the same time, rewards good forest management.
Certification is carried out by FSC-accredited certification bodies – the FSC itself does not certify forest operations or manufacturers. This maintains FSC's independence between its standards and requirements, and operators seeking certification.
There are two types of FSC certificates available from certification bodies: Forest Management (FM) Certificate; and Chain of Custody (COC) Certificate.
Forest management certification involves an inspection of the forest management unit to check that the forest complies with internationally-agreed FSC Principles of Responsible Forest Management. Before a certified forest operation can sell their products as FSC-certified, they must also obtain chain of custody certification (FM/COC).
Chain of custody (COC) certification provides a guarantee about the production of FSC-certified products. Chain-of-custody is the path taken by raw materials from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution.
From a customer perspective, the FSC label represents a promise, and the chain of custody standards are the mechanism by which the FSC ensures that promise is delivered.
In Australia, there are now more than 100 active COC certificates, making it the most widely-used system for verifying wood, wood products and paper from responsibly managed forests and tree plantations.
In 2004, Corporate Express deliberately selected an Australian manufacturer, Australian Paper, to produce its recycled paper. Every sheet of Australian-made recycled office paper is produced from renewable sources, can be recycled, and helps to cut down on landfill in this country.
Australian Paper is Australia’s largest paper manufacturer, operating four paper mills in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania. The Corporate Express EXP, Reflex and Australian Recycled ranges of white office paper are produced at the Maryvale Mill in Victoria, which is certified to ISO 14001 – the highest level in environmental standards.
Fibre suppliers are independently audited to make sure that they meet either Forest Stewardship Council* (FSC)-controlled or FSC-certified standards, with the guarantee they do not source pulp from illegal sources or old-growth forests. Most of the fibre obtained locally is now sourced from FSC-certified pulp from Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP), or FSC-controlled pulp from VicForests.
The recycled component is sourced from a recycled pulp mill at Fairfield, an inner suburb of Melbourne. Approximately 60 per cent comes from pre-consumer recycled waste, with the remaining 40 per cent from post-consumer recycled waste, collected from offices and organisations. Pre-consumer waste is preferred, since it is a good source of clean white fibre. Both the pre consumer and post consumer sourced waste fibre utilised at the Fairfield Recycled Pulp Mill is diverted from Australian landfill, which directly benefits our local environment.
Corporate Express continues to support those companies who re-use or remanufacture existing products; who recycle; who use recycling as part of their processes; and who continue to employ sound environmental practices.
On behalf of our customers, we’re committed to developing a Sustainable Supply Chain that both supports their Corporate Social Responsibility focus, and at the same time, mitigates the risk of products being manufactured from unsustainable environmental or labour practices.
*The FSC began in 1990 following a meeting in California, USA, involving a group of timber users, traders and representatives of environmental and human-rights organisations who had identified the need for an honest and credible system for identifying well-managed forests as acceptable sources of forest products. This system would include a global consensus on what is meant by good forest management, independent audits of the management and a global umbrella organization. It developed the name Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
www.fsc.org
http://www.fscaustralia.org/
