2Sustain

The world’s highest rates of deforestation, a key factor to rising atmospheric CO₂ levels and subsequent climate change, are occurring in the emerging economies of Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria, according to research released earlier this month by risk analysis and mapping company Maplecroft.

Maplecroft’s new  Deforestation Index concludes that economic growth, poverty, corruption and the rise of biofuels are among the major causes of deforestation in nine countries which Maplecroft now classifies as “extreme risk.”

These endangered nations are:

Rank      Country

1           Nigeria

2           Indonesia

3           North Korea

4           Bolivia

5           Papua New Guinea

6           Democratic Republic of Congo

7           Nicaragua

8           Brazil

9           Cambodia

The report also details specific challenges faced by different countries.

For example, (more…)

Earlier this year, toy and game maker Hasbro, Inc. directed its suppliers to stop using paper sourced from unsustainably managed forests.

Now, the company has unveiled a comprehensive policy intended to ensure that all procurement decisions align with the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and support sustainable forest management.

Hasbro’s new Paper and Forest Procurement Policy (PFPP):

• sets stringent vendor requirements for credible third party certification (such as the Forest Stewardship Council) of fiber.
• requires that no sources of Mixed Tropical Hardwood (MTH) virgin fiber be used in products, including packaging.

The PFPP underscores a goal Hasbro already had established: By 2015, the company wants 90 percent usage of paper packaging and in-box game content derived from recycled material or sources that practice sustainable forest management. (For 2011, the goal is 75 percent.)

In addition, Hasbro has taken the supplementary step of achieving Forest Stewardship Council certification for its US manufacturing facility, and the company is pursuing similar certification for its manufacturing facility in Ireland.

According to Kathrin Belliveau, Hasbro’s Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Government Affairs, the company recognizes these moves have important strategic benefits. As I’ve mentioned before, “peak deforestation” creates three specific valuation risks for your company and its associated investment portfolios: (more…)

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is now the first US tissue maker to offer branded consumer tissue products that meet the sustainable sourcing requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

What is the FSC?

The FSC is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests.

FSC certification is a market-based, non-regulatory forest conservation system recognized globally for having the highest social and environmental standards in forestry. The program uses third-party experts to verify forest management practices and track materials as they leave the forest and become products downstream. As a result, any FSC labeled product can be traced back through the chain of custody to a certified source.

So now, Kimberly-Clark’s Kleenex brand facial tissue and Scott Naturals brand products sold in North America will include fiber sourced from suppliers who have been independently certified to follow the highest standards in forestry management while also protecting high conservation-value forests and habitat.

Consumers will be able to identify FSC-certified Kleenex and Scott brand products by the FSC label on every package. (more…)

Sprint, the third-largest wireless provider in the US, has finished at the top of the class in ForestEthics’ 2011 Green Grades Report Card.

In its fifth annual report card, ForestEthics gave Sprint the highest score, an “A,” in recognition of the company’s work to reduce the impact that its paper consumption has on the world’s forests.

This year, ForestEthics rated 12 large companies in the telecommunications, insurance and credit card sectors.  What’s the common denominator among these three sectors?  They all are noted for their heavy consumption of paper, especially those direct marketing offers that end up in our mailboxes.

Sprint received the highest grade for the following reasons: (more…)

Mattel’s recent progress report on a variety sustainability issues was counterbalanced with a global campaign by Greenpeace targeting the toy company’s paper packaging allegedly derived from Indonesian rain forests.

According to the Greenpeace website, Mattel’s packaging includes paper from Indonesia’s most notorious rainforest destroyer Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). As a result, “Critical wildlife habitat and carbon-rich rainforests and peatlands are being wrecked for cheap, throw-away toy packaging,” Greenpeace says.

Other toy companies are implicated in the Greenpeace campaign, as well. In fact, Greenpeace reports that its forensic testing shows regular use of rainforest fiber (MTH) in the packaging of major toy brands manufactured in China or Indonesia. In addition, chain-of-custody evidence in China and Indonesia shows that APP is an important supplier of packaging materials for major toy brands.

Mattel, which according to the LA Times is “under siege” by environmental critics responding to the Greenpeace report, announced that it will develop a new policy to make its packaging suppliers “commit to sustainable forestry management practices.”

In addition to addressing current concerns about packaging sourcing, Mattel’s policy will also cover other wood-based products in its toy lines, such as paper, books and accessories. The company says it is focused on minimizing its footprint throughout the value chain and across the organization. (more…)