Sustainable Forestry

2010 – International Paper Co.

 

 

WHEREAS: As a global paper and packaging company, forests provide significant raw materials for International Paper’s (IP) products.  Forests are rapidly declining at a rate of 55 football fields per minute according to the United Nations. Only 20% of the world’s original forests remain undisturbed.

 

Forests store extensive amounts of carbon, critical to mitigating the effects of climate change.  Forests store the equivalent of 175 years of global fossil fuel emissions and forest loss is responsible for 20-25% of total annual carbon dioxide emissions globally. 

 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading international network of climate scientists, has concluded that global warming is “unequivocal.” The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change states greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation are greater than emissions from the global transportation sector. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that greenhouse gases threaten Americans’ public health and welfare.

 

Climate change impacts from deforestation and poor forest management can be reduced by increasing the use of recycled fiber and sourcing virgin fiber from well-managed forests harvested according to independent and internationally recognized sustainable forestry standards. 

 

Credibility is the most important criterion for the selection of any certification scheme. Our company relies upon the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and CERFLOR certification schemes.  Both were developed by the forestry industry.  The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the only independent forest certification system in the world accepted by the conservation, aboriginal and business communities. FSC is the world’s largest and fastest growing certification system, by hectares.

 

IP has announced FSC chain-of-custody certification for most of its North American mills. IP’s 2009 Sustainability Update notes that chain-of-custody certification “ensures that our company has a reliable accounting system for tracking the sources of wood fiber.”  Chain-of-custody certification is not synonymous with purchasing or producing FSC-certified fiber or products.  Our company predominantly purchases SFI-certified fiber.

 

Our company can ensure it is purchasing sustainably harvested fiber by purchasing FSC-certified fiber. IP customer companies such as Staples, Office Depot, Corporate Express and FedEx Office already have FSC-certified paper procurement preferences. Large IP paper packaging customers are adopting environmental paper procurement policies.  We believe that continued reliance on non-FSC certification systems may threaten IP’s future positioning in the marketplace relative to competitors that are embracing FSC on a large scale.

 

RESOLVED:  Shareholders request the Board to prepare a report, at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, by November 30, 2010, assessing t the feasibility of increasing our company’s use of FSC certified fiber and increasing the use of postconsumer recycled fiber as a means to reduce our company’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions. 

 

Supporting Statement: The report should discuss the Company’s goals and timeframes with respect to:

 

* Increasing the use of FSC-certified fiber with the goal of phasing out virgin fiber certified by less credible certification schemes;

* Increasing the use of recycled fiber as a means to reduce reliance on virgin materials; and

* Estimating avoided greenhouse gas emissions from these activities.