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New guide for purchasing sustainable paper
Vancouver--PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) are developing a new procurement guide for buying sustainable paper. It will cover the main issues to consider when drafting policies and programs for purchasing paper, such as the product's origin, whether it was legally produced, and forest management practices.
"Decisions regarding the purchase and use of wood and paper-based products can have far-reaching, long-term impacts," said Bruce McIntyre, leader of PwC's forest,paper and packaging practice in Canada. "Beyond the immediate and obvious consequences of their purchases, consumers, retailers, investors and communities are taking an increased interest in how their buying decisions affect the environment."
This awareness is leading buyers to consider other factors beyond price, quality, service and availability. "Organizations that procure forest products should take a complete life-cycle approach to evaluating the sustainability attributes of the products that they purchase," said Jean-Pierre Martel, senior vice-president of sustainability for FPAC.
"A life cycle assessment helps to objectively determine the environmental impacts of products, processes or services through production, usage and disposal of the products..."
The assessment should include raw materials programs, distribution, consumer use and post-consumer recycling and disposal. The buyer's guide will include tools, initiatives and labels to help purchasers determine the level of sustainability for various papers.
Forest certification and chain of custody programs are increasingly being adopted by forest companies and their customers, to help ensure environmental attributes of wood and paper products can be tracked through the supply chain, from forest to consumer, according to PwC and the FPAC.
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