As the conversation around sustainable packaging alternatives continues to grow, the topic of “sustainable forestry” is gaining more attention. But what does sustainable forestry actually mean, and why has it become increasingly important for pulp and paper packaging? In this Deep Dive, we’ll examine what sustainable forestry involves, why it matters to the pulp and paper industry, and the role it plays in responsible packaging.
Why is sustainable forestry for pulp and paper important?
Around the world, sustainability efforts are increasingly focused on moving away from conventional plastics and toward paper-based packaging as a key way to reduce environmental impact. Many paper products, such as corrugated cardboard, are often easier for consumers to recycle, which has led many to assume that paper is always the more sustainable choice. But, as is common with most questions in sustainability, the reality is a bit more complex.
The question of whether paper-based packaging is truly a more sustainable alternative to plastic depends on a variety of factors, including whether the fiber used originates from certified sustainably managed, or “responsibly sourced,” forestry systems.
So, what exactly is sustainable forestry, and why is it important? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) defines sustainable forestry as “managing forests in a way that will keep forests healthy and usable for local communities and society as a whole for generations to come.” Forests offer more than just their economic or material value; they offer space for learning about nature and wildlife, opportunities for recreation, and places for spiritual connection. Through sustainable forestry, we can continue to benefit from these resources while also protecting biodiversity, preserving habitats for wildlife and endangered species, maintaining soil health, and safeguarding areas of cultural and spiritual importance. One of the most significant values of forests is their ability to act as carbon sinks, absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and mitigating climate change. As forests shrink, so does our capacity to capture carbon dioxide.
Beyond its environmental significance, sustainable forestry is increasingly viewed within the pulp and paper industry as a strategy that enhances stakeholder trust, fosters innovation, and mitigates operational and reputational risks. The rate at which brands and retailers are requiring 100% of fiber for their paper and packaging to be sustainably and responsibly sourced continues to rise, putting pressure on companies to meet certain standards.
It may seem counterintuitive, but increased demand for paper and pulp products—specifically those that are sustainably sourced—actually helps protect these areas from deforestation by keeping them as “working forests.” Working forests are areas of land managed to provide a steady, ongoing source of wood without losing the important environmental benefits that forests naturally offer. Think of them as agricultural land—except the crop is trees. Through the continuous cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting, working forests maximize the land’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, provide clean air and water, and protect key habitats. When trees are harvested, new ones are planted to ensure the forest regenerates. This means that the land is kept forested, rather than being clearcut to make space for agriculture or commercial development. Taken to scale, responsible sourcing helps members of the pulp and paper industry meet sustainability goals, ensure environmental protection, and builds trust with consumers.
Understanding Deforestation and the Pulp & Paper Industry
Responsible for 13-15% of total wood consumption and 33-40% of all industrial wood traded globally, the pulp and paper industry has enormous stakes in the sustainable forestry game, which necessitates enormous responsibility. In addition, the United States is the second-largest paper producer and consumer country in the world, giving us both the opportunity and responsibility to be a leader in the conversation and action around responsible and sustainable forestry.
Deforestation is one of the most frequently discussed issues associated with pulp and paper production. While it’s undeniably a major global concern and a significant contributor to climate change, the role that the pulp and paper industry plays in deforestation is smaller than many might assume. According to the U.N., between 2015 and 2020, approximately 24.7 million acres of forest were impacted by deforestation globally. However, conversion of land for agriculture (such as cattle, palm oil, and soybean monocultures) makes up the majority of this deforestation at 73%, with commercial agriculture accounting for 40% and local subsistence agriculture accounting for 33%.
Just because pulp and paper production is not the primary reason for global deforestation does not mean that deforestation’s impact shouldn’t be monitored and improved. One of the biggest issues in the industry related to deforestation is unregulated and illegal logging. Illegal logging occurs when timber is harvested, transported, or traded in violation of local legislation. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that the illegal logging industry is worth $51-$152 billion per year and contributes to nearly half of tropical deforestation. Illegal harvesting primarily occurs in countries without robust laws and effective enforcement. For example, in 2013, 85% of illegal wood originated from only three producer countries: Indonesia, Brazil, and Malaysia.
Because illegal logging tends to occur in countries without clear legal frameworks and effective law enforcement, it is significantly less of an issue in the United States. According to the FSC National Risk Assessment, the continental United States is considered low risk for illegally harvested wood, wood harvested in violation of traditional and human rights, and commercial wood from genetically modified trees. This is due to better governance and legislation, such as the U.S. Lacey Act, which makes it illegal to acquire, transport, sell, purchase, export, or import any fish, wildlife, or plant species that are taken or traded in violation of U.S. or foreign law.
With one-third of U.S. total land being forested and more than 1 billion trees being planted each year, the state of U.S. forests is strong. 90% of the wood that is used to produce American paper and wood products is sourced from privately managed working forests, and only about 2% of working forests is harvested each year, which is then replanted. So, in general, wood that is derived from U.S. forests can typically be trusted to be forested and harvested sustainably.
As in the United States, paper and wood products originating in Canada and the European Union are generally produced under robust legal frameworks for sustainable forest management—including mandatory management planning and regeneration (Canada) and the EU’s deforestation-free due-diligence regime—and are widely covered by third-party certification. That said, sustainability outcomes vary by country and supply chain, and natural disturbances (such as wildfires) and occasional traceability gaps warrant continued scrutiny. For those who want verifiable assurance that their fiber is being sustainably forested or sourced, certifications can be very useful.
What Certification Works to Address
Certification is a voluntary mechanism used by foresters and companies that purchase tree fiber to demonstrate the sustainable sourcing of their products. These certification standards address a wide range of environmental, economic, and social factors—including the origin of the fiber, avoidance of controversial sources, responsible harvesting practices, and fair labor conditions. In addition to illegal logging, certifications aim to address other issues with forestry such as loss of biodiversity, deforestation, reduced water quality, wildlife habitat loss, and species risk. These certifications, verified by a third-party auditor, can provide confidence for companies and consumers that their products are sustainably sourced.
There are three types of forestry certifications: forest management certifications, wood procurement certifications, and chain of custody (CoC) certifications. Forest management certifications are awarded to land managers and apply directly to forest land to confirm that it’s being managed in accordance with certification standards. Forest management certifications maintain a stricter set of standards than wood procurement or CoC certifications. Only 11% of the world’s forests are certified to this high standard, and more than 90% of that area is in the Northern Hemisphere (40% in Canada, 11% in Russia, and 9% in the U.S.)
Wood procurement certifications are applied to suppliers or manufacturers and aim to lower risks of unlawful or unsustainable procurement of fiber, especially when the fiber is sourced from uncertified forests. It’s important to remember that, especially in the United States or Canada, fiber sourced even from uncertified forests is typically considered sustainably forested, but certification is a good way to ensure that. Although they apply to suppliers and manufacturers rather than forest managers, wood procurement certifications indirectly impose expectations or conditions on the primary producers with standards that outline acceptable harvesting practices and require risk assessments to be conducted.
Chain of custody (CoC) certifications, similar to wood procurement certifications, apply to suppliers or manufacturers with the objective of tracking fiber procurement information through the supply chain. Not only do CoC certifications provide verification that fiber comes from certified forests, but they also create mechanisms for tracking information such as amount and volume, species, ownership, use, and more. Because paper mills tend to accept fiber from a variety of sources, CoC certifications work to ensure that the sustainably sourced materials are kept separate for processing so they can be traced and accounted for within the supply chain.
Understanding FSC and SFI: Scope, Geography, and Key Differences
It’s difficult to talk about sustainable forestry certification without bringing up the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)—two of the primary organizations that work to promote sustainable forestry practices through certification. While both organizations have similar goals, there are important differences to understand.
FSC is an independent, non-profit organization focused on ensuring responsible forest management practices on a global scale. The FSC certification standard was developed by the World Wildlife Fund and other NGOs in 1993 with the goal of utilizing increased consumer demand for sustainable wood products in combination with market incentives to promote sustainable forest operations. The certification also aims to address issues of deforestation, unsustainable logging practices, declining forest ecosystems and biodiversity, and injustices toward indigenous communities and workers. Historically, the FSC has been seen as the leading certification standard internationally for responsible forestry and supply chain management, with most brands preferring FSC-certified paper to other standards.
SFI, on the other hand, was established by the American Forests & Paper Association (AF&PA) in 1994 with the goal of promoting sustainable forest production in the United States, later expanding it to include Canada. SFI’s focus on the U.S. and Canada is one of the biggest distinctions from FSC’s global scope. It’s worth noting that in 2001, SFI became one of the earliest members of PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification), an international alliance of national forest certification systems dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. Because of SFI’s membership with PEFC, they are technically recognized internationally. However, despite their international recognition, their scope remains in the U.S. and Canada (see the graphic below for clarity). Additionally, because SFI standards were initially developed by the wood products industry, it differs from FSC in that it attempts to find balance between environmental, social, and economic considerations.
Although both certification standards share common goals of sustainably managed forests, as well as similar governance structures, there are several key differences in how SFI and FSC address certain issues. In general, FSC tends to have stricter guidelines than SFI. For example, FSC prohibits certain practices permitted under SFI, such as the use of genetically modified trees and the conversion of natural forests to plantations. FSC also bans persistent or bioaccumulative pesticides, whereas SFI allows their limited or “prudent” use. In terms of transparency, FSC’s audit results are made public and are subject to appeal, whereas SFI’s audit results are private and cannot be appealed.
Organizations such as the Sierra Club have consistently referred to FSC as superior to SFI, even in light of noted imperfections in FSC standards and improvements to SFI standards. The Sierra Club has made specific notes of the FSC’s superiority in responses to climate and biodiversity crises, their identification of forest products associated with genuinely well-managed forests, and in areas such as governance, auditing, and accountability.
This prompts the question that if FSC is generally considered to be a more robust certification standard, why not just certify all paper with FSC? Depending on various factors including location, products certified under the FSC standards can be more expensive or harder to find. In addition, it’s often easier to gain SFI certification, so paper producers may opt for that. This has led many companies and manufacturers to question whether the “best of the best” certification is truly necessary, especially considering the general trust in products forested in America or Canada.
How We Think About Sustainable Forestry
Atlantic helps many customers move from single-use plastics to fiber-based options for packaging, such as from poly mailers to paper mailers. When we source paper options, we first understand where the paper is coming from. If it’s coming from the U.S., Canada, or the E.U., we can be fairly confident that it’s being grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. Of course, if a certification is available on top of that, we are glad to have it and we encourage others to pursue certification. However, certification is not a must-have for us if the paper is coming from those safe geographies, as it is often expensive and challenging for forest owners and manufacturers to acquire.
Where we begin to strongly urge certification is when paper is coming from outside the U.S., Canada, or the E.U., as the legal frameworks are weaker elsewhere and tend not to protect forests as well. An FSC certification goes a long way in providing assurance in these cases.
For the paper products we convert ourselves, Atlantic’s converting facilities maintain chain of custody certifications for SFI or FSC, and both at select sites, so we can help facilitate certification for our converting customers. By supporting and maintaining these certifications, companies help strengthen responsible forestry practices and ensure that the fiber used in packaging continues to come from renewable, well-managed sources. It’s one more way we’re all working to protect forests, support sustainability goals, and promote a circular packaging system.
Check out our Sustainability Terms Glossary, where we’ll add key terms from each of our Deep Dives over time. Bookmark this page for future reference!