Forest Industry Leaders Address Climate Change and Sustainability in Shanghai
June 07 2007, Shanghai, China
Today the 3rd CEO Roundtable of the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) took place in Shanghai, China. More than 70 CEO’s and association leaders attended the meeting to address issues of common interest including sustainability, climate change and energy.
On the occasion of the G8 Summit in Berlin this week the industry representatives launched their first sustainability update and recognised the importance of tackling the issue of climate change.
The wood and paper sector affirmed the vital and constructive role that it plays in combating climate change and confirmed its intention to further reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Industry leaders noted that the forest industry can contribute to mitigate climate change in a number of ways:
- Where communities can earn a living from the forest and sustain a livelihood, there is an incentive to keep, renew and expand the forest, thus avoiding deforestation and its negative impact on climate and biodiversity. This supports the industry’s commitment to sustainable management of forests, which are a renewable resource.
- Forests and forest products provide excellent storage of carbon and wood has a preferable carbon footprint to alternative materials. Moreover, recycling of paper and wood reduces emissions from landfills.
- The industry is committed to innovative energy solutions that increase efficiency, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and expand the use of renewable energy sources.
According to the first ICFPA “Sustainability Progress Update” launched today, the industry has continuously improved its sustainability performance through a variety of initiatives. ICFPA members have invested in certification systems ensuring sustainable forest management standards are met. They also actively participated in initiatives to protect forests from illegal logging. Additionally, many ICFPA members have formally adopted paper recovery goals or signed on to broader multi-product recycling programmes to increase the amount of recovered paper available.
“The ICFPA is committed to providing sustainability updates on a biennial basis to keep stakeholders informed of the industry’s actions and performance as well as to motivate continual improvement among members.” says Teresa Presas, President of the ICFPA and Managing Director of CEPI, the Confederation of European Paper Industries.
A full copy of the Sustainability Progress Update is attached and the original leadership statement is available on the ICFPA Web site at: http://www.icfpa.org.
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For more information:
Daniela Haiduc
Communications and Public Affairs Officer
CEPI aisbl - Confederation of European Paper Industries
Tel.: +32 2 627 49 15
d.haiduc@cepi.org
Isabelle Des Chênes
Director, Communications
Forest Products Association of Canada
(613) 563-1441 ext : 323
ideschenes@fpac.ca
ICFPA (http://www.icfpa.org) is comprised of trade associations in 43 countries representing industries accounting for 90 percent of the world’s paper and more than 50 percent of the world’s wood production. ICFPA serves as a forum for joint action in areas ranging from communications to data collection. ICFPA is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to working with other stakeholders to ensure that environmental, social and economic benefits of our natural resources are available to current and future generations.
PRESIDENT
Teresa Presas, Confederation of European Paper Industries
WORK GROUP
Avrim Lazar, Forest Products Association of Canada
Mario Leonel, Associação Brasileira de Celulose e Papel
Donna A. Harman, American Forest & Paper Association
Yoshiaki Umemura, Japan Paper Association
SECRETARIAT
c/o CEPI aisbl
250 Avenue Louise
Box 80
B - 1050 Brussels
Belgium
