Author: Forest2Market
Sylvamo has announced a $3 million expanded partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to further its commitment to forest conservation and restoration. The initiative is part of Sylvamo’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and 2030 goals.
The enhanced collaboration through WWF’s Forests Forward program will enable Sylvamo to make progress toward its goal to ensure healthy and productive forest ecosystems by focusing on sustainable sourcing, conservation and restoration projects. Through the program, Sylvamo is collaborating with WWF to:
Grow the availability of fiber from responsibly managed forests in Europe and North America
Advance understanding of the role paper manufacturing plays in a circular, low-carbon economy in Europe
Expand restoration in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, focusing on the Mogi Guaçu River basin, where Sylvamo has important manufacturing operations
Domtar Supports Change to FSC Forest Conversion Policies
The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) recently approved a change to its forest conversion policies that will allow for more forestland to be restored and eventually certified and responsibly managed under the program. FSC, of which Domtar is a member, held its triennial general assembly in October in Bali, bringing together representatives from industry, environmental organizations and communities around the world.
The motion related to forest conversion had broad support from environmental organizations, says Paige Goff, Domtar’s vice president for sustainability. “We joined in support for this change because of how it will improve the broader landscape for sustainable forestry,” she says. “It will not directly affect lands that Domtar manages in Canada or many of our suppliers in the U.S., but it makes sense to have a path to certification of hectares that have been converted and restored appropriately.”
In 2021, more than 25 percent of the fiber procured by Domtar was from FSC-certified sources.
US Rolls Out ‘Nature-Based’ Climate Solutions at COP27
From reforestation to the restoration of marshes, the U.S. government on Tuesday unveiled nature-based policies to address climate concerns from the sidelines of the COP27 summit on the environment in Egypt.
The White House released a roadmap that outlines ways that best-management and conservation practices can provide solutions to the current climate crisis. “Examples include protection or conservation of natural areas, reforestation, restoration of marshes or other habitats, or sustainable management of farms, fisheries, or forests,” the White House said. “These actions can increase resilience to threats like flooding and extreme heat, and can slow climate change by capturing and storing carbon dioxide.”
A federal report on natural sources of carbon sequestration such as forests finds that these terrestrial carbon sinks can remove and store as much as 30% of the carbon dioxide associated with human activity each year. That’s equivalent to not burning 1.2 trillion gallons of gasoline each year.
Suzano Announces Creation of Alliance to Restore and Preserve Forests in Brazil
Suzano announced the creation of a new company focused entirely on the restoration, conservation and preservation of forests in Brazil. The new entity includes other major companies Itaú Unibanco, Marfrig, Rabobank, Santander and Vale. The company’s mission over the next 20 years is to restore and protect four million hectares of native forest in some of Brazil’s most valuable ecosystems, including the Amazon, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes — an area approximately equivalent to the size of Switzerland or Rio de Janeiro state, in Brazil.
Initially called ‘Biomas’, the company will restore two million hectares of degraded land by planting approximately two billion native trees, as part of a complex operational project on a vast scale. The company will also conserve and preserve two million hectares.
How International Paper Manages Healthy & Abundant Forests
International Paper’s leadership in forest stewardship centers on two targets that are driving their progress toward its Vision 2030 goal.
The first target, to source 100% of its fiber from sustainably managed forests or recovered fiber, applies to the fiber bought from a network of landowners and suppliers.
The second target, to conserve and restore 1 million acres - about 400,000 hectares - of ecologically significant forestland, is one being pursued both within and outside of its supply chains. Conservation and restoration are two areas where the company can have a significant global impact through its long-standing partnerships with nonprofits such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and The Nature Conservancy.
Why Are These Sustainability Initiatives Important?
As we can see, political and corporate landscapes are evolving quickly as environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives are transitioning from vagaries just a few years ago into tangible, operational expectations. And the investment community is increasingly applying these non-financial considerations as part of its analysis in identifying material risks and growth opportunities.
Moving forward, corporations will be expected to articulate their ESG strategies as part of a social license to operate. They must do this while also maintaining their reputations with the public and nurturing relationships with consumers in order access capital markets. Those that do it well will participate in a virtuous feedback loop with their communities, customers and shareholders, and those that don’t will destroy value – a breach of their primary fiduciary duty.
