Features Environment & Sustainability
ICFPA publishes 2017 Sustainability Progress Report

Dec. 11, 2017 – The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) has unveiled the results of its 2017 Sustainability Progress Report.

The ICFPA represents 19 pulp, paper, wood and fibre-based associations that encompass 36 countries, including many of the top pulp, paper and wood producers around the world.

The sixth biennial report, which highlights the members’ progress on the sustainability commitments agreed upon in the 2006 CEO Leadership Statement on Sustainability, finds the global sustainability performance of the forest product industry is improving, with aggregate indicators for reporting associations showing progress from their respective baseline years:

• Since 2004/2005, ICFPA members reduced their greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 16 per cent, and increased the share of bio-energy in the fuel mix by 10.3 percentage points.
• The total sustainable forest management-certified area used to supply the global industry reached 54 per cent in 2015, up from just 12 per cent in 2000.
• The global paper recycling rate reached 58.9 per cent in 2015 – a 12.4 percentage point increase from 2000.
• Members improved their onsite energy intensity by 1.1 per cent since the 2004/2005; reduced their SO₂ emissions by 48 per cent from 2004/2006; and reduced their use of process water by 7.2 per cent since 2004/2005.
• Members’ recordable incident rate was improved by 24.5 per cent since 2006/2007.

“We are proud to announce our global industry’s continuous progress, which represents our commitment to social and environmental aspects associated with forest management and the manufacture of forest-based products,” said ICFPA president Jane Molony. “We look forward to continuing to supply the growing global demand for sustainable products, including fuel, fibre and forest products, while moving towards a greener economy.”

ICFPA members that contributed to the report are: Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), American Forest & Paper Association, Australian Forest Products Association, Confederation of European Paper Industries, Corporación Chilena de la Madera, the Brazilian Tree Industry – Ibá, Japan Paper Association, New Zealand Forest Owners Association, and Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa.