Why should your in-plant be FSC chain-of-custody certified? Vic Barkin explain why sustainability matters

By Vic Barkin

Know Your Organization's Paper Policy

Google whatever your parent organization's vertical market is, plus "paper purchasing policy" (university paper purchasing policy, church paper purchasing policy, etc.). Many statements will start out with the obvious: increase recycled content, followed by a general (or specific) statement that any virgin fiber must come from certified sources. Here are some snippets:

Bank of America: "…We require that our forest products suppliers document the sustainability of their fiber sources and that they be third-party certified to an acceptable forest certification standard."
City University of Seattle: "…We're teaming with vendors that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit organization that promotes the responsible management of the world's forests."
Pardee Hospital: "…After all, we consider ourselves the community's hospital, so whenever we print marketing pieces they are FSC certified 100% recycled."
"…The Hartford's Group Benefits Division is proud to print on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. FSC certification ensures that the paper we print on contains fiber from well-managed and responsibly harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards."
Oxford University: "…We use paper from sustainably managed forests. Nearly all journals and promotional materials are now printed using paper from sustainable sources, which has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council scheme (FSC), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)."
And finally, just for the sake of coolness, this is from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by His Excellency Deval L. Patrick, Governor. Executive Order No. 515, Establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy: "…The EPP Program shall, when appropriate, utilize independent, third-party standards and certifications, including but not limited to Green Seal, EcoLogo, ENERGY STAR, (U.S. Department of Agriculture's) BioPreferred, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), GREENGUARD, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and others, to verify the environmental claims of products or services." (Author's note: I love it!)

I TRAVEL for a living it seems. Invariably in a plane or at a hotel I'll get into the typical "So what do you do?" conversation with another fellow road warrior. My answer has been boiled down to a classic "elevator speech" (a.k.a., the 30-second enlightenment).

"I'm a consultant in the wood and paper industry, primarily dealing with chain-of-custody certification, which tracks trees and reclaimed material from their source all the way to the end user through transparent, credible, third-party auditing systems. FSC, the Forest Stewardship Council, and SFI, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, both offer labeling systems where certified organizations are licensed to apply trademarks to their products and advertising. Anything made from wood or wood fiber, like paper, can be certified to ensure that the material used came from legal, ethical and responsibly managed sources."

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Vic Barkin Author's page

Vic Nathan Barkin has more than 35 years of experience in the printing, paper and wood products industries and currently owns a consulting practice specializing in business development, workflow, and technology implementation, focusing on “Green Procurement and Production” practices. Vic is a QMS Lead Auditor certified to ISO 9001:2008 standards, is a consultant for the Rainforest Alliance as an FSC Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood senior auditor, is an FSC, SFI and PEFC lead auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers and SGS North America, and has engaged in more than 700 site assessments and audits.

Justifying Paper Certification