Jan 21 2010
Georgia-Pacific Wood Products, a leader in the building and construction industry, announced today it has achieved certifications to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) chain-of-custody standard across its engineered lumber facilities and the SFI fiber sourcing certification for its engineered lumber, structural panels and softwood lumber products.
"Obtaining these SFI certifications is an important part of our ongoing commitment to the responsible use of natural resources," said Caryn King, director of marketing, Georgia-Pacific Wood Products. "We are confident that the certifications will help us service the increasing market demand for forest products from responsible sources and will provide our customers with additional support as they make sustainable choices about the building products they use," stated King. "That's a win for our business, our customers, and our forests," concluded King.
With more than 170 million acres certified across North America, the non-profit SFI sustainable forestry certification program is one of the largest in the world, with a standard based on principles and measures that promote sound forest management including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests with exceptional conservation value.
Through SFI chain-of-custody certification, the Georgia-Pacific engineered lumber facilities all have a tracking system in place to identify the amount of wood fiber originating from forests certified to SFI. Additionally, Georgia-Pacific engineered lumber, structural panels and softwood lumber product mills are all SFI fiber sourcing certified, which means that the raw material in the supply chain comes from legal and responsible sources.
"At a time when just 10 percent of the world's forests are independently certified, Georgia-Pacific Wood Products joins a growing community of companies, landowners, and social and environmental organizations who have demonstrated their environmental commitment and leadership by achieving SFI certification," said SFI Inc. President and CEO Kathy Abusow.
Source: http://www.gp.com/