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When I read IP’s press
release, I was reminded of an expression my mom uses: “You don’t get a medal for
doing what you were supposed to do anyway.”
My mom would use this expression when
I was fishing for more praise than was really due for doing my minimum share of
chores like cleaning my room or sweeping the kitchen floor.
Last week International
Paper announced the company’s intention to pursue the bare minimum
chain-of-custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) on some
of their mills in the South. The company didn’t say which mills or how many of
them.
I mean, it’s great that IP
finally made this first step toward responsible forestry practices. Dogwood
Alliance and our
broad-based network have called on IP to pursue FSC certification for over 10
years. FSC , or Forest Stewardship Council, is the independent, international
certification program that is endorsed by the broader environmental community.
IP has been hiding behind that phony green-washing SFI certification forever.
SFI, or Sustainable Forestry Initiative, is a deceptive industry-founded scheme
designed to keep business as usual in our forests. And IP is still focused on
tooting the SFI horn. The company really wants to convince the marketplace that
SFI is a legitimate certification, but it is not.
SFI is completely
controlled by paper industry executives—in particular John Faraci, CEO of IP—and
certifies some of the most destructive forest practices as “sustainable”. You
can learn more information on certification and a comparison of FSC and SFI starting
here.
So, forgive me if I’m not
ready to sing IP’s praises. That company should have embraced FSC across the
board a long time ago. With IP’s influence and power the company can and should
lead the way toward true sustainability.
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