|
Corporate Social Responsibility
News
9.20.2006 ET
|
CSR News from:
|
|
|
News Category:
|
|
Alberta-Pacific Awarded Forest Stewardship Council Certification
(CSRwire) Boyle, AB - Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac), a
private company in northeastern Alberta owned by Mitsubishi Corporation
(70 per cent) and Oji Paper Co. Ltd. (30 per cent), has been certified by
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited certifier, SmartWood, in
recognition of the company's demonstrated environmentally responsible,
socially beneficial and economically viable forest management
practices.
The certification of 5.5 million hectares (13.6 million acres) of
Alberta-Pacific's forest management area in northeastern Alberta
represents the largest FSC-certified forest in the world. FSC is
recognized internationally as one of the most independent, rigorous and
credible forest certification systems.
The certification follows a comprehensive 10-month assessment according to
FSC Canada's National Boreal Standard, which conforms to FSC's 10
international principles and 56 criteria that reflects regional conditions
and practices to be applied in a well-managed Canadian boreal forest.
"This FSC certification independently validates the direction we have
taken as a company since we started operations in 1993," explains Andy
Neigel, Alberta-Pacific's general manager and vice president operations.
"The achievement also exemplifies our team members' commitment to
continuous improvement and to ensuring the forest is well managed and
forest values are protected."
Neigel says Alberta-Pacific chose to pursue FSC certification because of
it's credibility in the global marketplace, track record as a
results-oriented independent organization, endorsement by Aboriginal
people, conservation groups and business, and focus on achieving social
and economic as well as environmental standards.
"FSC certification is a good fit for our company, our customers and our
position in the global market. We are now able to satisfy requests we are
receiving from customers worldwide who are introducing FSC-certified paper
and seeking suppliers of FSC-certified kraft pulp."
Neigel also acknowledges the contributions of Alberta-Pacific team
members, the collaboration with local communities and conservation groups,
and the leadership of the provincial government in its commitment to
sustainable forest management and responsible stewardship to the
successful certification.
Alberta-Pacific's Forest Management Agreement Area (FMA) is within
publicly-owned land that is awarded by the Province of Alberta's
Department of Sustainable Resource Development.
"The Alberta Government supports any initiative that enhances forest
practices and the sustainable management of Alberta forests," notes
Sustainable Resource Development Minister David Coutts. "We congratulate
Alberta-Pacific on the company's significant achievement."
FSC's Executive Director International Heiko Liedeker says the size and
location of Alberta-Pacific's forest area will have a ripple effect on the
supply and demand for FSC-certified products on the global market.
"We expect other companies and other countries to take notice of the
achievement of Alberta-Pacific and the progress of Canada in embracing the
responsible management of their forests, particularly in the boreal
forests," says Liedeker. "We know from our surveys that the demand for
many FSC-certified products is greater than the supply. Customers and
consumers are becoming more aware and are requesting more products from
well-managed forests, which now includes Alberta-Pacific's forest."
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
and Ducks Unlimited were instrumental in helping the company meet
ecosystem management objectives relating to forest, ecology and wildlife
required under FSC certification. They also assisted Alberta-Pacific in
identifying High Conservation Value Forests and areas that should be
deferred from harvest and act as ecological benchmarks to compare to
harvested landscapes.
"Alberta-Pacific's successful approach to responsible forest management
demonstrates that good forestry practices can also be good for
business,"says WWF Canada President Mike Russill. "The certification of
13.6 million acres of boreal forest in western Canada will result in more
choices for the increasing number of environmentally-conscious consumers
who want FSC-certified products and will help ensure communities that rely
on Alberta's forests for their livelihoods will continue to prosper into
the future. We congratulate Alberta-Pacific on their achievement and look
forward to continually working with them in the future to make further
conservation gains."
Alberta-Pacific initiated the certification process in 2000 with a review
of its forest management practices compared to FSC principles & criteria.
The company engaged SmartWood, a program of the Rainforest Alliance, to
develop a detailed audit that their assessment team conducted in late
2004. The audit included verification of Alberta-Pacific's forest
management operations, interviews with more than 100 stakeholder,
Aboriginal and community representatives, and reviews of written responses
to surveys sent to 200 residents in the area.
"This certificate is significant because of both its size and location,"
notes SmartWood Director and Rainforest Alliance Chief of Forestry Richard
Donovan. "Alberta-Pacific has joined in the FSC community's journey towards
sustainability. Perhaps most importantly to those interested in, or
affected by, the company's operations, this journey will include future
annual FSC audits by SmartWood and continued interaction with interested
parties on the key issues embodied within FSC's Principles and Criteria."
The Athabasca oilsands area of Al-Pac's FMA, representing just under
300,000 hectares, was excluded from the certified area because this area
is not managed according to Al-Pac's ecosystem management principles.
With Alberta-Pacific's certification, Canada is now the leading country in
the world for FSC-certified forests with 14.3 million ha., or 22.8% of the
global total. Alberta-Pacific's certification is also the first in Alberta
as well as the first within the boreal forest of western Canada.
Alberta-Pacific, a private company in northeastern Alberta owned by
Mitsubishi Corporation (70 per cent) and Oji Paper Co. Ltd. (30 per cent),
operates Canada's newest, and North America's largest, single-line bleached
kraft pulp mill. Alberta-Pacific is responsible for conducting inventories,
planning roads and harvesting in an area of about 5.8 million hectares
under its Forest Management Agreement with the Province of Alberta.
Alberta-Pacific is a signatory to the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework
and a member of the Boreal Leadership Council.
An overview of Al-Pac's Certification Assessment Report by SmartWood is
available under 'public summaries' at
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/forestry/smartwood/.
Backgrounders
Mitsubishi Corporation
Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is Japan's largest general trading company
(sogo shosha) with over 200 bases of operations in approximately 80
countries worldwide. Together with its over 500 group companies, MC
employs a multinational workforce of approximately 48,000 people. MC has
long been engaged in business with customers around the world in virtually
every industry, including energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, food and
general merchandise including forest products. In 2002, MC announced a
corporate policy of endorsing third-party certification for all of its
forest product operations and would seek FSC certification wherever
practical. For more information visit
http://www.mitsubishicorp.com.
Oji Paper Co. Ltd.
Founded in 1873, Oji Paper Co. Ltd. strives to be a leader in the pulp and
paper industry and is world renowned for its application of technology and
innovation in the field. Oji is committed to protecting the global
environment through afforestation, materials recycling, energy saving and
ecologically friendly production. The company has embraced third-party
certification and has been FSC-certified in a number of its operations,
including in New Zealand. For more information visit
http://www.ojipaper.co.jp/english/.
Forest Stewardship Council Canada
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organization
founded in 1993 to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial
and economically viable management of the world's forests. It supports the
development of national and regional standards to evaluate whether a
forest is being well-managed. FSC's membership consists of a diverse group
of representatives from environmental and social organizations, forest and
product industries, Indigenous People's organizations, community forestry
groups and certification bodies from around the world. For more
information visit http://www.fsccanada.org.
World Wildlife Fund - Canada
World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) is part of the WWF International
network, the largest independent conservation organization in the world.
WWF-Canada has been working with governments, the business sector and
communities throughout Canada to carry out its mission, which is to stop
the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future
in which humans live in harmony with nature, by:
conserving the world's biological diversity
ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is
sustainable
promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
For further information visit the WWF-Canada web site at www.wwf.ca.
SmartWood/Rainforest Alliance
The mission of the Rainforest Alliance is to protect ecosystems and the
people and wildlife that depend on them by transforming land-use
practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Companies,
cooperatives and landowners that participate in Alliance programs meet
rigorous standards that conserve biodiversity and support workers and
local communities. The SmartWood Program, the world's first and most
recognized independent forestry certifier, has certified nearly 22 million
hectares globally since 1989. For more information visit
http://www.rainforestalliance.org.
Boreal Forest Conservation Framework
The Boreal Forest Conservation Framework is a comprehensive, balanced
approach to protection and development that calls for at least half of
Canada's vast Boreal region to be permanently set aside from development,
and cutting-edge sustainable development practices on the remaining
landscape.
Signatories to the Framework include: Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries
Inc., Domtar Inc., Suncor Energy Inc., Tembec Inc., Dehcho First Nations,
Innu Nation, Poplar River First Nation, Canadian Parks and Wilderness
Society, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Forest Ethics and World Wildlife Fund
Canada.Together, they are the founding members of the Boreal Leadership
Council, first convened by the Canadian Boreal Initiative in 2003. For
more information visit
http://www.borealcanada.ca.
|
|
