Major corporation wins FSC certification

One of the world’s largest brands of cut-sheet paper has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program.

Xerox Corporation will now be able to purchase and sell FSC-certified paper at 77 distribution centres in 17 countries in North America and Europe - covering the greatest geographic area of any FSC Chain-of-Custody certification to date, a report from the Rainforest Alliance said.

“The scale of Xerox’s commitment to FSC certification shows how large corporations are making serious commitments to greening their supply chains,” Rainforest Alliance Executive Director Tensie Whelan said.

“Supporting FSC certification helps ensure the conservation of the world’s working forests for generations to come.”

Paper and other wood products that bear the FSC logo originate from forestlands that have met criteria covering the maintenance of high conservation value forests and the protection of soils, waterways, wildlife and the rights and welfare of workers and local communities, the Rainforest Alliance stated.

Connecticut-based Xerox had to pass several audits from the Rainforest Alliance at 11 facilities in four countries to verify that the company was complying with the standards of the FSC, the global standard-setter for responsible forest management, and had a system in place for tracking and segregating FSC-certified paper.