2015 ICFPA Sustainability Progress Report

May 8, 2015

The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) has launched its 2015 Sustainability Progress Report, showing improvements on a range of sustainability indicators and focusing on the industry’s contributions toward a green economy.

The full report is also available on the ICFPA website at http://www.icfpa.org/uploads/Modules/Publications/2015-icfpa-sustainability-progress-report.pdf.

Read the press release on the topic here.

The global sustainability performance of the forest product industry is improving, with all aggregate indicators for reporting associations showing progress:

• Greenhouse gas emissions intensity was reduced by 17% between 2005 and 2013.

• The share of bio-energy in the industry’s fuel mix increased by 8 percentage points, to 61%, since 2005.

• The number of hectares certified to a third-party sustainable forest management certification system increased by 41 percentage points, to 52% of wood supply, since 2000.

• The global paper recycling rate increased by 11 percentage points, to 58%, between 2001 and 2013.

• Onsite energy intensity was reduced by 4.3% between 2005 and 2013.

• Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions decreased by 40% between 2005 and 2013.

• Employees’ recordable incident rate decreased by 9% between 2007 and 2013.

In addition to reporting on performance, the Sustainability Progress Report illustrates how the forest and paper industry is supporting a green economy through resource efficiency, carbon sequestration, innovative technologies, bio-based products, and benefiting communities.  Contributing to the 2015 report are forest and paper industry associations from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States.

For more information about the sustainability of the global forest and paper industry, visit icfpa.org.