Office Supply Industry
Dogwood Alliance partnered with San Francisco-based ForestEthics to change the way paper is made in the United States by focusing efforts in the marketplace in 2000. The project, entitled The Paper Campaign, targeted the largest U.S. retail sellers including, Office Depot, Staples and OfficeMax.
Objectives for the Paper Campaign included:
· Phase out products originating from endangered forests in the Southern U.S., Canadian Boreal, and U.S. National Forests · Immediately commit to increasing the average post consumer recycled content in all paper products to 30 percent and set goal of achieving an average of 50 PCR content in all paper products. · Work with suppliers to end unsustainable forestry practices, such as: conversion of forests to plantations and to ensure any virgin wood fiber comes from well-managed forests
Staples Campaign. Victory (2002): A joint press conference between Staples and the Dogwood Alliance publicly announced the company’s environmental paper procurement policy. In this policy Staples committed to: · 30 percent PCR content across all paper products · Phase out products from endangered forests in all of Dogwood’s specified areas of interest. · Commit to supplying annual reports toward reaching these goals. · Create an environment affairs division headed by a senior executive that reported directly to the Staples CEO.
One year later (2003) Staples announced: · 26.6 percent average amount of PCRC in all paper products. · Set bench marks to suppliers in Indonesia · Publicly opposed Bush Administration’s exemption of the Tongass National Forest from protections granted to areas without roads in the U.S. National Forests. · Considered Southern Forest region a priority area for implementing their policy.
According to the Dogwood Alliance's Green Report Cards, released in 2007, Staples continues to improve their paper supply policy, but improvements remain necessary. According to this report, Staples: · Policy does not prohibit forest conversion. Staples knowingly buys from conversion sources and does not show any initiative to reduce conversion. · Has strong internal chain of custody program, but it is not independently verified, nor as robust as Office Depot · Taken important action to sever Canadian Boreal endangered forest links, but maintains links to endangered forests in Indonesia · Recently adopted their goal to make majority of product content FSC certified by the end of 2010. · Has achieved 30 percent average of PCR content, (including all product tonnage); new goal is 50 percent average PCR.
Office Depot Campaign. Victory 2004: After Office Depot failed to include protecting Southern endangered forests in their environmental policy, Dogwood Alliance challenged the company to clearly state their to protection endangered forests commitment. One year later, Office Depot revised its policy by committing to: · Identify endangered forests, including rare or vulnerable forests, containing exceptional bio-diversity that are subject to unsustainable management or are illegally logged; · Engage in landscape level conservation planning, including the establishment of ecological reserves; · Work with its suppliers to end the conversion of natural forests to plantations; · Work with suppliers to prevent the use of genetically modified trees; · Increase PCR content to at least 30 percent.
According to the Dogwood Alliance’s Green Report Cards, Office Depot continues to improve their paper supply policy, but necessary improvements remain. According to the report, Office Depot: · Has the best internal, third-party verified chain of custody program, of all the companies targeted by the Dogwood Alliance; · Remains the only company among the five to eliminate products specifically linked to forest conversion, but still buys from other known forest converters; · Has achieved modest goals for PCR content, but lags behind other companies. · Has taken some action to sever endangered forest connections, yet maintains links to endangered forest in Indonesia. · Makes no FSC preference by promoting FSC and substandard certification systems equally.
Office Max Campaign. Victory 2007. Office Max committed to work through suppliers to resolve Dogwood Alliance’s paper concerns through supply chains. In Office Max’s new environmental paper policy, Office Max committed to: · Notify its suppliers about areas of concern, the Cumberland Plateau and the impact of fiber originating from Canadian forests. · Continue to urge its suppliers to resolve these matters through their supply chains.
According to Dogwood Alliance’s Green Report Cards, Office Max continues to improve their paper supply policy, but necessary improvements remain. According to the report, Office Max: · Has a policy goal for an average of 30 percent PCR content, but no public timeline for achievement. · Has no public commitment to endangered forest protection · Has no requirement that suppliers avoid converting forests, only states an expectation. · Has no FSC preference and no significant quantities of FSC-certified fiber or products. · Lacks an adequately verified system for acquiring information about the origin of forest source from suppliers.
Read more about this topic: Dogwood Alliance
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