Canada's Forest Industry Tops Competitors in Environmental Progress

 

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Ottawa, Ont., Canada, reports that the Canadian forest sector continues to score well in comparison with other countries in the most recent international sustainability report. The 2015 report by the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), see article above--shows that global sustainability is improving and that Canada is doing especially well.

The report notes that Canada has 161 million hectares of certified forest, by far the most in the world with more than 40% of the global total. Certification is an independent assessment that a company follows sustainable forest management practices. The international report also mentions the importance of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, the world's largest conservation agreement, which sets a world precedent for boreal forest preservation and forest sector competitiveness.

Canada's forest sector continued to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has cut its GHG intensity by 20% since 2008, while the average in the rest of the world was a 17% drop since 2004, a longer time period.

Another measure shows that Canada has a 70% recycling rate, higher than the global average of 58%. Canada is also a global leader in waste to landfill with 98% of wood residue in 2013 being used for either energy generation or composting, FPAC notes.

"This report is the yet another indication of the impressive world-leading environmental credentials of Canada's forest products industry," says FPAC President and CEO David. Lindsay. "However we are not resting on our laurels but are on a journey of continual improvement."

The ICFPA report notes how the Canadian forest sector's Vision2020 has set the goal of a further 35% decrease in the environmental footprint of the industry by the end of the decade.

FPAC provides a voice for Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. The $58-billion-a-year forest products industry represents 2% of Canada's GDP and is one of Canada's largest employers, operating in hundreds of communities and providing 230,000 direct jobs across the country.