How to understand environmental certification

Environmental certifications can be a good way for organisations to understand, monitor and select suppliers and manufacturers who are committed to reducing their impact on the natural environment. For many people, however, environmental certification proves to be a confusing non-core area of business. There seems to be a continual stream of new terminology, new labels or certifications that need to be understood and either adopted or ignored.

Environmental certifications can be categorised into three basic types: environment management systems, eco labels and forestry certifications.

Environment management systems

Firstly, there are environment management system certifications. The most widely known management standard is ISO14001, an international standard for organising and improving environmental management systems. It does not specify levels of environmental performance; rather, it is used to help a firm set up a management structure to control environmental impact of its activities, improve its environmental performance and implement an approach to setting environmental targets. This certification applies across a broad range of industries.

Eco labels

The second type of certification is eco labels. These certifications usually require the company and the products to achieve certain environmental performance criteria. Examples of these certifications include Good Environmental Choice (Australia) and the European Ecolabel known as ‘the flower’. These certifications are typically audited by third parties which give customers confidence that goods carrying the marks are environmentally preferable products. These certifications apply across a broad range of industries.

Forest management certifications

The third type of certifications cover forest management and supply chain integrity. The Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and Program for the Endorsement of Forestry Certifications (PEFC) are currently the only two internationally recognised forestry certification schemes. The other 160 or so national forestry schemes are either under the control of national governments or national labelling organisations. The differences between forestry certifications are mainly due to the dissimilar nature of forests around the world. Forestry in tropical areas is completely different from cold-climate forest and snow covered regions towards the North Pole. The diversity of animal life and indigenous communities also impacts tremendously on the structure of forestry certifications.

Primarily, forestry certifications aim to ensure that where a country or region has a forestry industry that the processes that are used ensure that sound management practices are in place in order to support an environmentally responsible business. Forestry certification around the world is at this point in time a voluntary process. While the amount of forest that is currently certified is more than double what it was only five years ago, still in 2011 less than 10% of the world's forestry is certified. The vast majority of forestry certification is currently in Europe or North America. The pressure to certify forestry in the tropical regions is gathering intensity.

Asia Pulp and Paper and certification

Solaris Paper purchases its raw materials from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), the world’s third largest pulp and paper company. Today, 100% of APP’s pulpwood supply is verified legal under Indonesian law and the company is going beyond compliance in establishing its certification goals. By the end of 2020, APP has committed to achieve 100% Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification and by 2015 it has publicly stated it will source 100% of its pulpwood from sustainable plantation stock.

By the end of 2015, the company will require its independent pulpwood suppliers to be certified under the Indonesian government’s Sustainable Production Forest Management (Pengelolaan Hutan Produksi Lestari/PHPL) standard. To date, more than 1.3 million hectares, or about 52% of the area managed by APP’s pulpwood suppliers, have been certified. Today, less than 10% of the world’s forests are certified.

For the Indonesian pulp and paper industry, sustainable forest management and conservation begins with strictly adhering to government of Indonesia spatial planning and plantation development regulations as well as Sustainable Forestry Management certification requirements. These standards define requirements for preserving High Conservation Value Forest, restrictions for development on peatland and community engagement in the plantation development process.

“APP has a policy to embrace all credible certification standards which are relevant to and in support of Indonesia’s policies, law and regulations and we will always strive to meet the highest standards that are expected by our customers and partners worldwide. We will continue to apply standards and principles from other globally recognised certifications, including international TLTV, ecolabelling and PEFC,” Aida Greenbury, Managing Director of APP Group, said.

Certification workshop

To demystify the complex issue of tissue and paper product certification, Solaris Paper is hosting workshops for procurement and sustainability managers. Speakers will include independent experts Kayt Watts, Chief Executive Officer Australian Forestry Standard Limited/PEFC Australia, Phillip Lawrence, Principal, Eco Logical Strategies and Khalil Hegarty, Principal Consultant, ITS Global.
Tentative dates are Tuesday 5 April in Sydney and Wednesday 6 April in Melbourne. For more information visit the website, www.solarispaper.com.au.

*Steve Nicholson - Director Corporate Affairs, Solaris Paper Pty Ltd