FSC®
Papirus has the FSC® stamp, an international certification granted to companies that promote respect for good forestry practices and control of all recovered material. The FSC® stamp ensures the responsible use of forests and the preservation of their natural resources, and was only obtained after a rigorous audit process carried out by Imaflora, which represents the Rain forest Alliance in Brazil. Papirus does not have forests, but it ensures that the fibers used to produce its paperboard with recycled and virgin fibers come from good forest management practices and other controlled sources. The FSC® stamp is a symbol of Papirus’ concern for the environment and society. And the guarantee that we believe our effort can change the world for the better.
What is FSC®?
The FSC® – Forest Stewardship Council® is an international organization established in 1993 by environmentalists, researchers and businesses, concerned in preserving native forests tat still existed in the world. This council prepared a set of principles and criteria to guide responsible forest management, preserving biodiversity and the rights of people living in or near forests, and not using genetically modified plants. To obtain the FSC® stamp, a company must demonstrate that it practices these principles and criteria or that it complies with the requirements of the FSC® chain of custody standards (Papyrus’s case). This is done through an audit process, carried out by an independent institution, accredited to FSC®. In Brazil, one of these institutions is Imaflora.
What is Forest Management?
Forest management is a set of care and techniques used in harvesting forest raw material, in such a way that it respects the ecosystem and ensures the preservation of the forest for future generations. It focuses on production, profitability, work safety, compliance with legislation, and attention to surrounding societies and forest preservation.
How does FSC® apply to Papirus?
Since we have no forest, but a mixed source of raw material, we are part of a Chain of Custody* and we have to prove that the virgin fibers, which we use as raw material, come from good forest management practices. Thus, Papirus uses a credit control system, that is, certain groups of raw materials will generate credits. From this, a calculation is made every month, defining that an X volume of products can be labeled with the FSC® stamp. The sources that generate credit are the certified fibers that Papirus acquires and also post and pre-consumer scrap. All other non-certified materials are controlled by Papirus so that they do not come from sources considered unacceptable by FSC®. In addition, Papirus will carry out audits on suppliers that are not certified, whether they are supply virgin or recovered fibers. With all this control, we can guarantee that the raw material used in our products comes from good forest management practices, does not use slave labor and does not come from illegal wood, as well as does not use slave labor, or any other conditions of inadequate work or that do not comply with the law.
* Chain of Custody: path taken by raw materials, processed materials or finished products, from the forest to the consumer, (in the case of recycled / recovered materials, from the recovery point to the consumer) including all successive processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution phases.
FSC® Controlled Wood
Controlled Wood is virgin material from forests or plantations without FSC® certification included in the due diligence system * (verification) of organizations certified in accordance with standard FSC-STD- 40-005 V3 – Requirements for Sourcing FSC® Controlled Wood (to obtain a copy please access www.fsc.org).
FSC® Controlled Wood standard aims at helping certified companies to mitigate the risk of using wood products from undesirable sources in their FSC®-labeled products. With this, certified companies can control their sources of non-certified wood, excluding those from socially and environmentally harmful forest activities.
FSC® chain of custody certified companies that mix FSC® and non-FSC® wood in their products must demonstrate that non-certified wood has been controlled, avoiding sources in the following categories listed below:
- Illegally harvested forests;
- Forests that were harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights;
- Forests where High Conservation Values are threatened by management activities;
- Natural forests that were converted to crops and other non-forest uses;
- Forests with genetically modified trees.
Learn more about FSC® Policies
Self Declaration
Due Diligence Summary Dec19 POR
Sourcing Policy
Learn more about the Forest Stewardship Council – FSC®: br.fsc.org/pt-br
Check our IMA-COC-004479 by clicking here.
For complaints and reports about the chain of custody, receipt of controlled wood and the correct use of the FSC® stamp, please contact the email: comunicacao@papirus.com
