17 Oct
2006 - Sydney, Australia – In a move to encourage
Australian businesses to support responsible forestry,
six timber companies have signed on to WWF’s forest
and trade network in Australia.
The signatories include forest
products companies ITC Limited and Timbercorp,
timber importer and wholesaler Simmonds Lumber,
print management business Complete Print Solutions,
commercial printer Complete Colour Printing and
integrated communications consultancy UP&UP
Creative.
“It is great to these companies
commit to eliminating from their supply chain
timber products from unknown and potentially illegal
sources, and to increase the amount of timber
products sourced from well-managed forests,” said
Jana Blair, WWF-Australia's Forest and Trade Network
Coordinator.
The Australian Forest and Trade
Network (AFTN) is the local arm of the Global
Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), WWF’s initiative
to eliminate illegal logging, improve the management
of the world's valuable and threatened forests,
and promote credible forest certification.
“As an importer of tropical
timber we recognize that our trading position
gives us the opportunity to take a proactive lead
in reducing the trade in illegal timber,” said
Paul Elsmore, CEO, Simmonds Lumber. “Participation
in the AFTN will demonstrate our commitment to
encouraging responsible forestry to our customers
and suppliers.”
In addition, two other forest
product companies, ITC Limited and Timbercorp,
have both secured Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
certification for the bulk of their plantations.
The Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) is an independent, non-profit organization
that provides standard setting, trademark assurance
and accreditation services to companies and organizations
interested in responsible forestry. Founded in
1993 by a diverse group of stakeholders, including
WWF, FSC’s mission is to promote environmentally
appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically
viable management of the world’s forests.
“As a major Australian supplier
of woodchips, FSC certification of our plantations
demonstrates our commitment to the environment,
local communities, and gains us recognition in
the world market for sustainable forest products,”
said John Vaughan, Executive Director, Timbercorp.
Vince Eramsus, CEO of ITC Ltm
added that his company was in a good position
to be able to respond to growing national and
international customer demand for FSC certified
forest products.
Two of the new AFTN participants
— Complete Print Solutions and Complete Colour
Printing — are also responding to the business
demand for publications printed on FSC-certified
paper.
“Our clients are increasingly
seeking more environmentally responsible paper
choices,” said Peter Scott, General Manager of
Complete Print Solutions.
“By sourcing paper from FSC-certified
forests we are supporting our eco-design and values-based
approach into our communication solutions,” added
Monique McNamara, Director, UP&UP Creative.
Participation in the AFTN is
open to all Australian businesses that supply
or use timber and paper and are seeking to support
responsible forest management.
END NOTES:
• ITC Limited is a major Australian
forestry company, managing over 150,000 plantation
hectares throughout Australia. ITC is also Australia’s
largest hardwood timber processor, receiving re-growth
logs from native forests in Victoria, New South
Wales and Tasmania. In Tasmania, ITC operates
a joint venture wood chips facility, Smartfibre,
exporting wood chips to various customers in Asia.
WWF has a corporate partnership with ITC to promote
responsible forestry practices.
• Timbercorp Limited is a major
Australian agribusiness investment company, managing
over 80,000ha of blue gum tree plantations across
three states, as well as numerous agribusiness
projects.
• Simmonds Lumber is a major
Australian wholesaler of domestic and imported
timber. The company has appointed Certisource
to undertake DNA-based third party verification
to assure that the tropical timber it imports
comes from known, legal sources.
• Complete Prints Solutions
provides print management solutions to a large
range of Australian businesses. The company has
set themselves some challenging targets to audit
their paper procurement supply chain and to increase
the proportion of FSC certified paper they purchase.
• Complete Colour Printing is
a print solutions provider, specializing in corporate
publications. The company offers environmentally
responsible offset and digital printing services.
• UP&UP Creative is an integrated
communications consultancy. As a leader and industry
advocate of eco-design practices and research,
the company has a sustainable focus as well as
setting corporate social responsibility project
targets with and for their clients.
Charlie Stevens, Press Officer - WWF-Australia
Jana Blair, AFTN Coordinator - WWF-Australia
