What is sustainable forest certification?

Paper and fiber-based packaging is a natural and renewable material.  EPPA members are committed to sourcing it from sustainably managed forests that play an important role in mitigating climate change by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere through reforestation.

There are several sustainable forestry certification programs that are run by organizations, such the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®). Their forest management certification standards address a wide range of economic, social, environmental and technical aspects of forest management such as forest conversion, forest plantations, reforestation, pest management, forest management plans, health, safety and working conditions.

Certifications help establish common principles in different environments as global forest ownership is diverse. Public owners typically hold large forest areas, whereas ownership is more fragmented among private owners. The scale of ownership has an impact on forest management targets and practices.