[Company Name] Forest Resources Policy
VISION STATEMENT
As an industry leader, [Company Name] is committed to leveraging its influence in the marketplace to
conserve, preserve and protect natural resources. As a cornerstone of that commitment, [Company
Name] will pursue a Forest Resources Initiative to promote the development of markets for
environmentally responsible forest products.
PREAMBLE
[Company Name] recognizes that leadership in its sector of the marketplace carries a responsibility to the
environment and, in particular, a responsibility to the world’s forests. [Company Name] is positioned to
influence both supply and demand in the market, and thus contribute to the development of
environmental solutions in the forestry sector. [Company Name] fully supports those responsible forest
management practices that promote ecosystem sustainability and bio-diversity and that result in longterm environmental, social and economic benefit.
Toward these ends, [Company Name] hereby establishes the following policy commitments:
POLICY
1. [Company Name] will give purchasing preference to Certified Forest Products 1.
Explanation: [Company Name] intends to promote the development of markets for
environmentally preferable products by supporting credible certification of best management
practices through the purchase of certified forest products when price and availability allow.
1
We define Certified Forest Products as those raw, milled, remanufactured and finished materials that:
1) originate in forests that have been independently audited and certified as well-managed under the provisions of
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or approved equivalent (see criteria statement, attached); and
2) whose certified origin can be verified throughout the manufacturing and distribution processes via chain-ofcustody documentation.
2. [Company Name] will reduce and by [DATE] eliminate its purchase of pulp and other wood
fiber from endangered forest regions around the world.
Explanation: [Company Name] intends to expedite the transition away from forestry practices that
lead to environmental degradation and will embrace a scientifically credible, land-based
assessment to identify endangered areas in its management decisions.
3. [Company Name] will promote the appropriate and efficient use of wood and wood fiber in
products.
Explanation: [Company Name] intends to contribute to efforts to maximize utility of the full fiber
resource and to assist reduction of per capita consumption.
4. [Company Name] will advocate the responsible development of alternative environmental
products.
Explanation: [Company Name] intends to support the expansion of the natural resource base and
to promote life cycle assessment as a metric of environmental merit.
5. [Company Name] will require that all vendors and associated suppliers demonstrate
compliance with all legal requirements for forest management, harvest and manufacturing.
Explanation: [Company Name] intends to assure that no market advantage is realized by those
entities that circumvent the law and to support existing forest conservation, protection and
enforcement mechanisms.
IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES
In order to fulfill the policy commitments in its Forest Resources Initiative, [Company Name] will:

use a supply vendor audit to benchmark its forest product consumption and to determine the
forest of origin for these products.

develop and execute an action plan to coordinate the implementation of this initiative.

establish targets and timelines for increasing the use of certified forest products and phasing out
products from endangered forests.

institute an internal monitoring and feedback system to assure continuous quality improvement of
this initiative.

require all suppliers to submit annual performance reports detailing their progress in quality
management, environmental management, and forest management programs.

join the Certified Forest Products Council and look to the Council for insight regarding the
development and implementation of this initiative.
What is a Certified Well-Managed ForestSM?
The Certified Forest Products Council provides its members with evaluations of forest certification,
environmental management, and labeling programs. These evaluations are intended to enable members
to assess the various programs and determine which are the most credible, comprehensive, and
effective.
In order for a forest to be considered a Certified Well-Managed ForestSM by the Council, the forest must
have been certified under a program meeting the following criteria:
1) The program must be voluntary, non-governmental, and must specifically evaluate forestry, not
general environmental issues.
2) The program shall develop international principles and criteria for forest stewardship. These shall
serve as a basis for the development of detailed performance standards on a national or regional
level.
3) Criteria shall address three primary areas of concern: environmental performance, social
responsibility, and economic viability.
4) Criteria, including performance standards, shall be developed through an open, transparent,
democratic and collaborative process involving a diverse range of environmental, social, and
economic interests. No single interest, including the forest industry, should be the sole or dominant
interest represented among the program’s partners or members.
5) The program must evaluate on-the-ground operations, not merely procedures and/or management
systems.
6) The program must provide for independent validation of on-the-ground forest management operations
in each individual forest to be certified.
7) The program must employ site-specific, on-the-ground audits. Such audits must be conducted by
independent third parties that have been accredited by the program. Audits must be conducted at
least once every five years and reviews must be completed on an annual basis for both forest
management and chain-of-custody certifications.
8) Audit teams should reflect a broad, interdisciplinary range of expertise. Audit team members should
be independent from parties with either an equity interest in, or decision-making authority over, the
specific forest operation or chain-of-custody business being assessed.
9) To ensure the integrity of the certification, the program shall require detailed documentary tracking of
wood and fiber from certified forests to the end purveyor. In the case of wood components and fiber
from both certified and non-certified sources, the program shall require identification and tracking
throughout the value chain of such components until they are combined and accurately labeled.
10) The program shall provide a structure, rules and procedures for accurate, credible on-product
labeling, including disclosure of percentage content.
© 1999 Certified Forest Products Council. All rights reserved.
Certified Forest Products Council  14780 SW Osprey Drive, Suite 285  Beaverton, OR 97007
Phone 503/590-6600  Fax 503/590-6655  Email: info@certifiedwood.org  Web: www.certifiedwood.org