P&G family care accelerates forest conservation efforts

On International Forest Day, P&G’s Family Care brands provided an update on the organization’s 2019 forestry commitments and how they are further raising the level of forest certification and conservation, transparency, and accountability. These accelerated actions and commitments span all P&G Family Care brands, including Charmin, Puffs and Bounty, and help to achieve P&G’s Ambition 2030 goal of protecting and improving forests.

P&G ACCELERATING FOREST CERTIFICATION GOALS

P&G’s Family Care products are made with 100 percent 3rd party certified pulp sourced from responsibly managed forests. These forest certification systems – Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification – adhere to multiple criteria for sustainable forest management:

1. Maintaining Forests: Ensuring forests are responsibly managed. For every tree the company uses, at least one is regrown.
2. Respecting People: Respecting the rights of workers and Indigenous Peoples supporting Free, Prior, and Informed Consent from all groups and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
3. Protecting Habitat: Protecting, conserving, and enhancing the habitats for wildlife and endangered species that call forests their home.

P&G prefers the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification, the most trusted forest certification system. This standard has been recognized by many non-government organizations or NGOs for protecting forests, biodiversity, and habitat to the highest level available. Yet, the availability of FSC-certified wood pulp is insufficient to meet demand. For more than five years, P&G has worked with experts to increase the number of forest acres that are FSC-certified in the U.S. and Canada. As part of this effort, we committed to nearly double our FSC-certified fiber use to 75 percent across all P&G Family Care brands by 2025.

Now, P&G considers itself years ahead of its schedule and has shared some information:

• P&G Family Care will deliver on the 2025 commitment of 75 percent of the FSC commitment before 2022, three years ahead of the company’s goal. As part of this accelerated progress, 95% of the wood pulp that is purchased from Ontario and Quebec, an area of ​​focus for the protection of the caribou, will be certified by the FSC before 2022.
• P&G Family Care will set a new ambition to deliver 100% FSC by 2030, setting a new standard for the pulp industry.
• P&G Family Care currently uses 98 percent recycled fiber in its fiber-based packaging. The company remains dedicated to using recycled fiber where it has the greatest impact, so today they are accelerating the goal of reaching 100 percent recycled fiber in their fiber-based packaging before 2023, two years ahead of the original target. Paper fibers can be reused 5 to 7 times* in cardboard and paper packaging. In addition, recycled fibers can be used efficiently in cardboard and cardboard products, with less waste in the manufacturing process than when used in premium toilet paper products.

P&G HAVE STRENGTHENED SOURCING ACCOUNTABILITY

Although it does not own any forest, the company sees its responsibility and, through its purchasing practices, guarantees the sustainability of the world’s forest resources. P&G demonstrates this responsibility by committing itself to sustainable forest management practices throughout its supply chain.

In order to fulfill this commitment, the company strengthened its Wood Pulp Supply Policy by clarifying expectations of non-deforestation, guaranteeing the protection of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and stricter forest certification requirements. P&G also has a complaint mechanism to report violations against its Wood Pulp Supply Policy.

Now, the company will also share actions taken to remedy violations against our Wood Pulp Supply Policy.

P&G TO EXPAND FOREST POSITIVE PROGRAMS

The company and its Family Care brands go beyond responsible sourcing and support efforts to maintain forests as forests for future generations. We have partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, the American Forest Foundation, and the Rainforest Alliance to promote the protection of forests. Check out some of the actions developed in these partnerships:

• P&G is planting more than 1 million trees between 2020-2025 in areas devastated by natural disasters with the Arbor Day Foundation.
• In partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, it is focusing on restoring the forest landscape and planning efforts to rehabilitate the Atlantic Forest on the east coast of Brazil.
• Are working with family forest owners in the United States to better manage their forests through the Nature Conservancy and the American Forest Foundation.
• P&G is partnering with the Rainforest Alliance, with whom it has been working since 2003, investing in the development and launch of the Forest Allies Community of Practice.

“P&G remains committed to the responsible sourcing of wood pulp and has increased the pace, scale, and rigor of our efforts. We share these actions and commitments to help keep forests as forests for today and for generations to come. We’ve been stepping up for more than 180 years and will continue to push ourselves to do more,” says the company in an article on its blog.

Read the complete article here.

* TAPPI, how is paper recycled? (Paper U, Earth Answers: 2001). https://tappi.org