Procter & Gamble Co. has committed to use only third-party certified pulp for its tissue-towel, baby care and feminine hygiene products by 2015, as one of several fiber-sourcing goals the company developed with the World Wildlife Fund.
P&G said all of the pulp in these products will be certified from one of five certification programs used throughout the world, including the Forest Stewardship Council, which the company will try to give preference to. P&G also will used third-party certifications from Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Systems, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the Brazilian National Forestry Certification Scheme, and Canada’s National Standard for Sustainable Forest Management.
P&G said at least 40 percent of the pulp used in its tissue-towel products will be Forest Stewardship Council-certified.
P&G began to require certification from all suppliers managing forests six years ago. In 2008, P&G joined WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network program, which helps companies source more of their wood and paper products from responsibly managed forests. As part of this WWF collaboration, P&G has engaged more closely with suppliers to encourage FSC certification, and established a baseline from which to set these targets.
A growing number of companies have dropped Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified products and moved toward FSC certification over the past two years. In May, US Airways, Shutterfly, Energizer, Allied Electronics, Phillips Van Heusen, Pitney Bowes and Ruby Tuesday announced they would stop using the Sustainable Forestry Initiative seal on their products, marking a growing exodus from the eco-label. At least 21 major brands have distanced themselves from SFI in the wake of a ForestEthics report criticizing the eco-label program for what the non-profit called inadequate standards to protect forests.
Details on P&G’s commitment as well as information on the company’s other environmental efforts are included in the company’s corporate sustainability report, which was released Monday. P&G’s progress towards its fiber-sourcing goals will be shared in future corporate sustainability reports as well, the company said.
Environmental Leader will provide a more detailed report of P&G’s corporate sustainability report soon.
Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the Forest Stewardship Council as the Forest Stewardship Fund. This has now been corrected.
