Tuesday, 15 May 2001
Top ten companies can help save the world’s forests, a new WWF report shows
Why FSC matters
According to World Wildlife Fund’s report “The Forest Industry in the 21st Century," if the 10 global companies that dominate the industry were to adopt the effective management processes of the Forest Stewardship Council, the growing demand of the world’s consumers could continue to be met by as little as 1.5 billion acres of forest — about twice the size of India, or a fifth of the world’s forests. Their support of FSC would provide the critical mass necessary to change forestry practices worldwide, and halt the destruction of old growth forests or fragile ecosystems.
“The findings of this report are very encouraging," said Bruce Cabarle, Director of WWF-U.S.’ Global Forest Campaign. “But responsible forest management is crucial. If the top 10 global forestry processors and buyers all insisted on FSC certification, this would be a big step toward securing the future of the world’s forests."
Home Depot, Lowe’s and IKEA already actively support FSC and Stora-Enso has secured FSC certification for its forests in Sweden. WWF is calling upon the remaining processors and buyers to seek full FSC certification and to take the lead in saving the world’s forests.
The full text of WWF’s report “The Forest Industry in the 21st Century," can be found atwww.worldwildlife.org
5 largest wood processing companies:
International Paper
Georgia Pacific
Weyerhaeuser
Stora-Enso
Smurfit Stone Container
5 largest wood buyers
Home Depot
Lowes
IKEA
Kimberly-Clark
Proctor and Gamble