In this series of posts featuring highlights from our 2016 Annual Report, which provides both financial and sustainability information, we explore how Resolute brings principled leadership to every aspect of our business, in order to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Our woodlands operations are spread across North America – with locations mostly in Ontario and Quebec, in Canada, and small woodlots in the Southeastern and Northwestern U.S. But wherever our fiber supply comes from, you can be sure it has been responsibly sourced. We verify that 100% of the forestlands we own or manage are certified to internationally recognized standards.
How can we provide such assurance to our customers?
First: Resolute maintains certification for 100% of the forests we manage or on which we hold significant harvesting rights to at least one of two internationally recognized forest management standards: Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®). We continue to be one of the largest holders of both forest management certifications in North America. The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS), which is specific to the United States, is a forest management standard that applies to small family-owned forestlands. ATFS certification does not apply directly to Resolute’s operations, but we recognize ATFS certification and encourage it among such forestland owners.
For our U.S. operations, much of the fiber is sourced externally, through a supplier network, from numerous small, non-industrial private forest landowners, most of whom have chosen not to pursue third-party certification for their typically small holdings due to the applicable costs and administrative requirements involved. Nonetheless, we are continually working with suppliers and industry trade associations to encourage these small landowners to certify their properties to forest management standards that are designed specifically for them, such as the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and the FSC® Family Forests Program.
Second: We have instituted fiber-tracking systems at our North American facilities to ensure that our wood fiber supply comes from acceptable sources such as certified forests and legal harvesting operations. These fiber-tracking systems are third-party certified according to one or more of three internationally recognized chain of custody standards: SFI, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and FSC.
Dedicated to our customers and our products
And, because our business is integrated from our woodlands to our sawmills and on to our pulp and paper mills, we are further able to assure our customers of the integrity of our supply chain and the long-term sustainability of our fiber supply.
For more information about our woodlands operations and other interesting facts about Resolute, check out our 2016 Annual Report.
