In 2006, few suppliers or paper mills held FSC chain of custody certification. Most mills, including the NewPage mills, were committed to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and had implemented the procurement practices needed for SFI certification. At first glance, seeking further certification appeared to be redundant. After exhaustive analysis however, it was decided that FSC is one of the most comprehensive forest products certification systems and both NewPage and Williams-Sonoma recognized an opportunity to advance their sustainable goals through the FSC brand of forest management chain of custody certification.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Independent, third-party certification organizations carry out assessments of forest management to determine if standards have been met and to verify that companies claiming to sell FSC certified products have tracked their supply back to FSC certified sources. This chain of custody certification assures the credibility of the FSC label.
“The people at Williams-Sonoma were genuinely concerned about their impact on the world. They pushed us to meet their needs and we met the challenge,” states Paul Olney, NewPage account executive for Williams-Sonoma.
In response to Williams-Sonoma’s directive, NewPage initiated a crash course in FSC requirements, procedures, risk assessments and certification bodies. “We moved quickly to define the differences between SFI criteria and standards—already met—and those of the FSC. There are similarities, but the devil is in the details, demanding a lot of sweat equity,” notes Jim Okraszewski, who implemented FSC systems at the NewPage mill.
“Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is committed to responsible paper procurement practices that promote the sustainability of forests—and we believe that FSC is the gold standard when it comes to forest products certification systems”, said Pat Connolly, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. “We could not have achieved this certification without the determined efforts of our supply chain partner, NewPage Corporation.”
In November of 2006, Williams-Sonoma began sourcing virtually all of its catalog paper from FSC. By becoming the first major catalog company to print all catalogs on FSC certified paper, Williams-Sonoma was able to “assume an environmental leadership position in the industry,” according to Todd Paglia, Executive Director of ForestEthics.
FSC certification builds upon earlier environmental efforts by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. that include incorporating 10% post-consumer recycled (PCW) content into its catalog, as well as achieving up to 50% post-consumer recycled content in other components such as shipping cartons, gift wrap, gift boxes, copy paper and corporate stationary. Store newsletters contain up to 80% PCW (and up to 20% FSC™); in-store collateral contains 30% to 100% PCW.
Since its 2006 collaboration with Williams-Sonoma Inc., NewPage, the Escanaba, Michigan mill, as well as many other mills, have encouraged landowners to develop forest management plans based on strict environmental standards and to pursue certification with the Sustainable Forest Initiative (sfi), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). By sharing knowledge with business partners and supporting organizations and others, including the American Tree Farm System (ATSF), NewPage is making a significant contribution to broadening the practice of responsible forestry and promoting the long-term health of the environment.
Partnerships like that of Williams-Sonoma and NewPage acknowledge the power of working together across industries. Partnership inspires companies to think beyond their own markets, to broaden the scope of their initiatives and to continue to learn and advance as they reduce their environmental impacts.
Case Study Summary
Challenges:
• To identify the differences between FSC and SFI systems and procedures and to modify processes and practices as needed.
Results: • NewPage met FSC certification and Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s objectives to give preference to catalog paper from FSC certified sources, with the added goal of incorporating the FSC Mixed Sources label on all catalogs and across all titles. • As of 2008, all ten NewPage mills meet FSC certification. • All NewPage products meet FSC controlled wood requirements. • The company’s product portfolio includes paper that carries single, dual and tri-certified chain of custody from SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative), FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). • NewPage products include paper manufactured with up to 30% post-consumer recycled fiber.
Headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, NewPage Corporation is the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America. The company’s product portfolio includes coated freesheet, coated groundwood, supercalendered, newsprint and specialty papers used for corporate collateral, commercial printing, magazines, catalogs, books, coupons, inserts, newspapers, packaging applications and direct mail advertising.
NewPage owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nova Scotia and Wisconsin. These mills currently have a total annual production capacity of 4.5 million tons of paper, including 3.3 million tons of coated paper, 900,000 tons of uncoated paper and 300,000 tons of specialty paper.
