October 17th, 2008

From Green Right Now reports

The Forest Products Association of Canada and PricewaterhouseCoopers have released a Canadian
buyer’s guide for purchasers of wood and paper-based products. It provides guidance on what to consider when writing procurement policies and programs that need to be based on sustainable and socially responsible forest practices.

The guide focuses on areas critical to ensuring that purchasing practices contribute to the positive development of communities and do not harm the environment. It recommends that organizations that purchase forest products take a complete life-cycle approach to evaluating the sustainability attributes of these products. That assessment helps to determine environmental impacts of products, processes or services through production, usage and disposal of the products.

Businesses are encouraged to go beyond traditional considerations of price, quality, service and availability, by also considering other aspects of the production process and their impact on the environment. The guide address topics such as climate change, traceability, certification, legality and social desirability.

“In a world where illegal logging and deforestation are causing irreparable damage to the planet and our climate, responsible buyers of wood and paper-based products are seeking assurances that what they are buying comes from responsible sources – sources that harvest legally, regenerate promptly, recycle, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and welcome independent scrutiny,” Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada, said in a statement.

The Buyers’ Guide to Canada’s Sustainable Forest Products is available on the FPAC website.