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The following guidelines and recommendations are designed to
serve as a basis for publishers as they develop strategies for
converting to newsprint with improved social and environmental
attributes. They are based upon standards developed by both the
U.S. EPA and the Environmental Paper Network.
Improved paper characteristics will conserve natural
resources and help to preserve Endangered Forests. Some
publishers will incorporate these policies directly through
changes in their purchasing policies and other publishers will
implement changes through their printers.
I Maximizing Postconsumer Recycled Content
Postconsumer recycled fibers are derived from recovered paper
and thus are fibers that are ensured not to be directly sourced
from ancient or endangered forests. Publishers committed to
eliminating the use of fiber from old growth and endangered
forests in their newspapers will set goals and objectives to
maximize their use of postconsumer recycled fiber.
II Maximizing the Use of Virgin Fiber Certified to the
Best Standards in Forestry (FSC)
Currently the FSC [Forest Stewardship Council] certification
for virgin fiber is widely accepted in the conservation
community as the best practice standard for forest management.
Accordingly, publishers committed to eliminating the use of
paper with fiber from Endangered Forests, preventing forest
conversion, and valuing indigenous rights will set goals and
objectives that incorporate the recommended strategies below for
sourcing environmentally preferred virgin fiber.
- Where available, the paper will be certified by the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC).
- If FSC certified paper is not available, publishers will
encourage suppliers to use Chain-of Custody forms to track the
source and origin of any virgin fiber, work in partnership to
eliminate papers with fiber from Endangered Forests, and set
goals for incorporating FSC fiber into paper.
Goals and Benchmarks
Publishers have the opportunity, through the products they
choose and those they reject, to serve as environmental stewards
in improving the production practices of the entire newspaper
publishing sector. Establishing goals is the best way to provide
clear signals and build alliances with the supply chain. The
process for implementation will vary between publishers, however
all publisher are encouraged to meet or exceed the following
goals:
- By 2012, achieve an aggregate average (based on weight) of
50% recycled content (majority postconsumer), and
- By 2012, utilize FSC (or equivalent) certified papers, for
at least 20% of paper-use.
Publishers are also encouraged to develop their own
incremental benchmarks which can assist in realizing the above
objectives. (For example, 40% recycled content, and 10% FSC
certification by 2010; 45% recycled content and 15% FSC by 2011,
etc. ). |
