7 Innovations Driving Sustainable Markets

Yesterday, our president Tensie Whelan shared some of the most important themes to come out of the Rainforest Alliance’s Certification and Sustainability Innovation Workshop with the folks at Green Biz. Here, we’ve included highlights from that blog.

Certified sustainable segments of industries with the biggest environmental and social footprints–agriculture, forestry and tourism–have been growing for a decade. Rainforest Alliance Certfied™  farms produce 4.6 percent of the world’s coffee, 10.2 percent of cocoa, 11.2 percent of tea, and 15 percent of bananas. Forest Stewardship Council forests worldwide cover an area about the size of Chile. Sustainability certification is expanding into new markets, like the first certified cattle ranches and the first FSC-certified TV set. The list of businesses committed to 100 percent sustainable sourcing is impressive and growing.

This sort of growth is a new normal, and in a way, old news, although no less welcome for being an established trend. But beyond that, something else is emerging in the certification and sustainability sectors these days: The sense that as they grow, they’re supplying the knowledge and innovations their entire industries will need to function well as sustainability challenges ramp up.

According to KPMG, “sustainability megaforces”–from population growth and food security to deforestation and climate change–will affect every business’s performance and profitability within 20 years. A new study finds the food and beverage sectors are at the highest risk. Pioneers of sustainable production and sourcing are confronting problems and evolving solutions today that the rest of their industries may depend on tomorrow. Their work was showcased at a Sustainability and Certification Innovation Workshop the Rainforest Alliance organized last week in New York, featuring business leaders and experts sharing what they’re learning and inventing as they climb the sustainability curve.

Throughout the workshop, common themes emerged:

Cut waste – IndoTeak Design purchases reclaimed teak at auction and re-uses it to craft flooring, paneling and decking. It’s finding major savings by reducing packaging and changing package shape to optimize it for shipping containers, which cuts transport costs 40 percent. Kingfisher, Europe’s leading home improvement retailer, reduced landfill waste 70 percent and cut packaging costs by dumpster diving to investigate what its stores were throwing away and why.

Visit Green Biz to learn more about the themes that emerged at our workshop.

The Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood Program Celebrates Twenty Years

This month, the Rainforest Alliance — a nonprofit leader in sustainable forestry, agriculture and tourism certification and verification — celebrates the 20th anniversary of its first foray into sustainability certification. In October of 1990, under the leadership of then Rainforest Alliance director Daniel Katz and SmartWood director Ivan Ussach, our SmartWood program issued the first-ever certificate for responsible forest management on a teak plantation located on the Indonesian island of Java.

Today, led by vice president of forestry Richard Z. Donovan, SmartWood director Jon Jickling, and business operations manager Ron Wald, the Rainforest Alliance has certified 376 forestry operations covering more than 157 million acres (63.8 million hectares) and issued more than 3,000 chain-of-custody certificates in 70 countries.

The Rainforest Alliance pioneered independent, global forest management certification, an approach that allows consumers and businesses to support sustainable forestry by purchasing products that come from well-managed, certified forest operations. The Rainforest Alliance was also the first organization to link forest certification with “chain-of-custody” certification — the process of tracking a product from the forest to the consumer (including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution) — creating a clear and credible connection between forests and forest products.

“When I first joined the Rainforest Alliance in 1992, critics said we were crazy to try to certify forests around the globe,” reflects Donovan. “Convincing companies that they needed to track their products back to the forest was, without a doubt, one of the greatest hurdles we faced.” Today, knowing the origin of forest products continues to be a challenge, but the fundamental concept of tracing supply back to the forest or farm is a key component of virtually every credible certification initiative around the world, from palm oil and soybean certification programs to coffee and tea certification initiatives.

Dr. Timothy Synnott, the first director of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), remarked that, “the establishment of the SmartWood program by the Rainforest Alliance was a historic event, which increased the energy going into the embryonic idea of creating a Forest Stewardship Council.” The Rainforest Alliance played a major role in helping to establish the FSC — today the most respected standard-setter in the world of forest certification — and served as a founding member and participant at its 1993 Founding Assembly in Toronto, Canada.

As our certification initiatives enter their third decade, the Rainforest Alliance continues to innovate, fostering natural resource stewardship and sustainability around the world. “Much of our ground-breaking work certifying farms and forests around the world is built on the experience we gathered through the development of the SmartWood program,” observes Rainforest Alliance president Tensie Whelan.

Artists in Bolivia Carve the FSC Message from Certified Wood

It’s not surprising that many woodworking artists care about the forests where their raw materials originate. That’s why from October 9th to the 16th, artists from around the world will come together for the 3rd International Gathering of Sculptors in FSC-Certified Wood* in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

During several days of workshops, large sculptures will be crafted in front of the public. The week-long event will give thousands of people an opportunity to interact with artists as they make their art and, along the way, provide a platform for public education about the benefits of FSC certification. Manzana 1, a nonprofit art organization, hosts the event and maintains an FSC Chain-of-Custody certificate — independent, third-party documentation that the wood used to create the exhibition pieces is FSC-certified.

Several important national and international businesses contribute to the gathering by donating FSC-certified logs of copaibo, jichituriqui, ajunau, tarara, curupaú and other South American varieties. This year’s event will feature a diverse roster of international artists including Claudio Gomez (Argentina), Agapito Céspedes (Bolivia), Abel Marquez and Liliana Zapata (Bolivia), Verónica Astaburuaga (Chile), Mauricio Guajardo (Chile), José Pablo Arriaga (Spain) and Masahiko Ikeda (Japan).

Once the workshops and exhibition period end, the sculptures will be transferred to the “certified forest walkway,” a central square dedicated to FSC certification in Santa Cruz. There, they will be permanently displayed next to sculptures created in previous years, along with public information about the value of FSC certification.

Where does the Rainforest Alliance fit in?

“This event gives us an opportunity to talk about certification as a tool for conservation in a way that is accessible, artistic and appeals to various age groups. The socio-cultural importance is enormous,” says Freddy Peña, regional manager of the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program in South America. The Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood team contributed by waiving the audit fee for Manzana 1.

For more details on the gathering or to donate to Manzana 1, please contact manzana.uno@gmail.com.

*The biennial event began in 2006 with support from the World Wildlife Fund. It provides a unique opportunity to educate citizens about certification and conservation, and brings together seemingly disconnected subjects like forest conservation and art. In the past, artists have hailed from countries as diverse as Japan, France and Mozambique.

Saving Forests with Carrots as well as Sticks

Rainforest Alliance president Tensie Whelan takes to the Huffington Post to address our work to combat deforestation as well as recent legal gains in the fight to protect the world’s forests…

“Forests cover about a third of Earth’s land area and contain about 70 percent of the carbon found in living things. They are one of the keys to climate change, especially tropical forests, which also harbor 95 percent of the planet’s terrestrial biodiversity and 40 percent of terrestrial carbon, and are responsible for at least one-third of the annual exchange of carbon dioxide between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Today deforestation and forest degradation accounts for 20 percent of global atmospheric carbon emissions, and the bulk of that comes from tropical countries.

“Protecting forests, especially tropical forests, is one of the most cost-effective ways there is to reduce emissions as well as preserve biodiversity. Yet globalization has accelerated the alarming rate at which we have been losing forests worldwide, including sensitive tropical forests in Latin America, Asia and Africa…

“Organizations like mine have been fighting forest loss since the awareness broke in the 1980s of the crisis in the Amazon rainforests. But now there is evidence that the fight is starting to go our way, and the tide is turning.”

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of Whelan’s blog.

A Paper Trail That Leads to Well-Managed Forests

A blog may seem like a strange place to talk about paper — after all, these words were written on a computer, uploaded to a server and are probably being read on a desktop, smartphone or laptop — but even in this age of virtual communication, paper still plays a big role in our daily lives. The United States remains the largest consumer of paper in the world, using approximately 650 pounds of paper per person each year.

Nearly half of the trees that are cut down in the US every year are used to produce pulp and paper. Many of these trees are harvested from intensively managed plantations that took the place of healthy, biodiversity-rich forests. In addition, poorly managed paper production can contaminate natural environments through the improper use and disposal of bleaches and the creation of sludge byproducts.

Though the recycling of paper can be part of the solution — taking pressure off of forests and reducing the consumption of virgin fiber and the amount of paper waste that enters landfills — it is not a panacea. Wood fiber can’t be recycled indefinitely, and there’s not enough supply to meet current demand. A third of the fiber used to manufacture paper and paperboard products in China, for example, is derived from waste paper, a substantial portion of which comes from the US, Europe and Japan. As we seek to minimize our carbon footprint, the act of shipping waste halfway around the world is less than ideal.

Even when waste paper is given a second lease on life, recycling can create a new set of problems, including excessive water and energy consumption and chemical use. The de-inking process (the removal of ink, toner, labels, glues and other materials from paper fiber) produces sludge that can end up in landfills.

It is possible to manage paper production in a responsible way while meeting the needs of communities and businesses. The Rainforest Alliance has spent over 20 years promoting the sustainable management of forestland around the world. As an independent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifier, our SmartWood program evaluates forest businesses and awards the FSC and Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seals to those that meet a comprehensive set of criteria, which include protecting soils, waterways, wildlife habitat and the rights and welfare of workers and local communities. Chain-of-Custody certification is awarded to paper manufacturers and printers that can trace their products from the sales floor all the way back to well-managed, FSC-certified forests.

We also award the FSC Recycled label to products that are made from 100 percent recycled content — of which at least 85 percent is post-consumer waste and no more than 15 percent is post-industrial waste.

Do your part: choose FSC-certified or FSC Recycled papers and help to ensure the conservation of the world’s forests.

From Trees to Staples

How FSC-certified logs are helping a local forestry operation withstand the recession

In 1998, when Jack Bell started working for Russell Barnes, an independent logger, he had no background in logging, but knew that he wanted to work in the woods and practice environmentally sound forestry. More than a decade later, Bell is managing Long View Forest Contracting, a business he co-owns and helped to start with Barnes and a third partner, Jim Hourdequin. What he didn’t know when he began logging, but knows now, is that his responsible production practices would not only give his business an edge during the recent economic downturn but would garner the attention of retailers like Staples that are selling an increasing number of wood and paper products made from sustainably harvested lumber.

Long View Forest Contracting, based in Westminster, Vermont, is a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified operation, meaning that it has met the FSC’s strict standards for sustainability. FSC-certified operations conserve forestlands, protect wildlife habitat, and ensure that workers are paid living wages and treated with respect.

As a group member of The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, Long View Forest Contracting qualifies for certification under the FSC’s group Chain-of-Custody (CoC) model, which allows small logging operations to purchase FSC-certified trees from local landowners, harvest the wood and haul the logs to FSC CoC certified mills or brokers across the northeastern United States. Group certification also permits various small businesses to collectively gain FSC certification at a reduced cost, since they work together to make improvements and share the expense of FSC-mandated annual auditing.

Though the certification process is detailed and can be challenging, the goals are simple: to ensure that the timber that leaves the forest is legally and sustainably harvested — and traceable from the forest floor to the shelves of the store. Many of Long View’s certified logs make their way to Verso Paper in Maine — a company which processes the logs into an assortment of finished paper products that are then sold at Staples stores nationwide.

To earn FSC CoC certification, Long View must ensure that it accurately tracks and handles the certified material coming out of its forests. These forests are audited annually by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, the largest FSC-accredited forest certifier in the world.

This spring, Rainforest Alliance staff visited Long View’s headquarters and spoke with Bell and Barnes about how FSC certification has helped their company weather the economic downturn, which has decreased the overall global demand for forest products.

“We had a dramatic experience demonstrating [the benefits of] FSC certification this winter. We received a lot of white pine timber, at a [time when none of our customers] were excited about buying that variety. Then I said, ‘this is FSC-certified wood’ and it was like I had flipped a switch. [Suddenly, my buyers said,] ‘This is totally different — we want all of it,’” explains Bell.

With this kind of market advantage, one might imagine that Bell would want to keep his success with FSC certification a secret. Instead, he’s trying to spread the word to fellow loggers and landowners. “My hope is that eventually it’s just the standard — everyone will be seeking certification.”

Bell’s reason for promoting the FSC: he believes that people should know where products come from and at what environmental and social cost. Explaining the value of the FSC seal, he says “We’re competing with [potentially illegal] sources of timber and consumers need a way to distinguish between finished products made from sustainably harvested wood and those made from wood that’s been irresponsibly harvested.”

Conscientious consumers can support Bell, Barnes and others like them by choosing wood and paper products bearing the FSC/Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seals. Available at stores across the US, Canada and beyond, FSC-certified products are becoming easier to find everyday. Part of the reason for their increasing ubiquity: Staples — the world’s largest office products company — has committed to increasing the percentage (by weight) of all paper products sold containing post-consumer recycled or sustainable alternative fiber content (with a preference for FSC-certified fiber). The Rainforest Alliance is helping them to realize this goal by assisting Staples in the implementation of their paper policy, including the development of an online supplier reporting system and associated audits of supplier claims. The Rainforest Alliance also provides technical assistance related to forest management practices throughout the world and identifies associated risks and opportunities, while offering education and training to suppliers throughout the chain who need help meeting Staples’ requirements.

As Bell and his team have demonstrated, the benefits of big commitments like Staples’ can make their way right back to the forest where it all starts.

The frog leaps to make another mark

For nearly 20 years our little green frog has been leaping around appearing on our logo and certification seal, popping up on tea boxes, coffee jars and wood products all over the world. Well, our little green friend has just taken a leap in a new direction, onto a Rainforest Alliance verification mark. This new mark recognises businesses and projects that have achieved significant and measurable sustainability milestones. The new mark is awarded to forest carbon projects and tourism and certain forestry enterprises that meet standards developed by the Rainforest Alliance itself or by other organisations with which we are aligned.

When consumers or businesses see the new Rainforest Alliance verification mark, they can be sure that a particular enterprise or project — whether it be a hotel, carbon-offset project or company selling wood products — has complied with strong standards for sound management that benefits the environment and communities.

An example of how the mark will be used in forestry is the verification of the legality of wood sources, which is particularly important since illegal logging throughout the world continues to undermine efforts to promote social equity, environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth in many nations.  We have developed standards for verification of legality to respond to a growing need for companies to provide assurances — to customers, owners, investors and the general public — that answer questions about the legal status of timber sources.

Hotels and tour operators that meet Rainforest Alliance sustainable tourism requirements, which follow the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, can also earn the right to display the verification mark on brochures or advertisements.  Carbon credit projects verified by the Rainforest Alliance to standards such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard can also use the mark on their Web sites, for example, so that consumers know that greenhouse gas sequestration promoted by the project has been credibly demonstrated.

For nearly 20 years the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal has been used to designate farms and forestlands that meet the rigorous, third-party standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network or the Forest Stewardship Council. These standards for environmental, social and economic sustainability are developed through an independent, participatory process. The standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network and the Forest Stewardship Council are rigorous and transparent, and we continue to believe that achieving independent, third-party certification of sustainability efforts should be the goal of every responsible enterprise.

Along the road to sustainability there are, however, other significant and measurable milestones not yet recognised by third-party certifications. We believe consumers deserve to know which businesses are making long-lasting differences to this planet’s well being.

The new verification mark can be used only on off-product marketing and public-information materials, such as Web sites, brochures and advertisements, never on products.  As with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, all usages of the verification mark must be approved by the Rainforest Alliance prior to publication.

Climate Benefits of Forest Stewardship Council Certification

Today we’d like to offer an extra arrow for you to add to your quiver of talking points about why Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is the premier system for promoting responsible forestry: FSC certification can be part of a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from forest degradation. Forest degradation is a major cause of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — amounting to 20 percent or more of total emissions from tropical forests.

In many cases, the best practices implemented by forest managers in order to earn FSC certification lead to reduced carbon emissions compared with non-certified, commercial forestry operations (TNC, et al., 2009). These climate-beneficial best practices include:

Increased forest area under conservation and restoration — Activities such as protecting High Conservation Value Forests, prohibiting the conversion of natural habitats and encouraging forest restoration mean that FSC-certified forests retain more biomass — and emit fewer GHGs — than their non-certified counterparts.

Reduced harvest volumes — FSC-certified tropical forests generally harvest lower mean volumes per unit area of logged forest. Short-cycle, re-entry logging practices common in non-certified forests reduce living biomass and carbon stocks on forestland, contributing to greater emissions.

Reduced harvesting impacts — Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) practices are the norm in FSC-certified forests. RIL is an established set of timber harvesting practices designed to reduce the collateral damage resulting from timber extraction. These practices have been estimated to represent possible emissions reductions of at least 10 percent (Putz et. al., 2008).

Measures to prevent unauthorized activities and fire — FSC-certified forests use preventive management systems, personal training programs, and monitoring and mitigation measures to reduce the frequency and impacts of unauthorized encroachment and extraction, illegal logging, and wildfires.

The Rainforest Alliance has been actively promoting these, and other, climate benefits of FSC-certification. For more information, please see the following documents: FSC Certification Keeps Trees Standing and Forests Intact; The Hidden Frontier of Forest Degradation (chapter 5); and The Potential Role of Responsible Forestry in REDD.