Displaying items by tag: FSC

Sydney-based print shop Macdonald & Masterson has merged with Southern Colour Printing in a move directors say will boost its presence in the market without going further into debt.

Peter Bounas director of Macdonald & Masterson told Australian Printer the decision to merge was influenced by Southern Colour’s equipment and accreditation portfolio. The company hosts two A1 Heidelberg presses as well as its ISO, FSC and PEFC certifications.

He says, “Our business was getting to the point where we had to make some important choices so we decided to go with Southern Colour as they already had the equipment we wanted and the accreditations, which are becoming more important in the market.”

Bounas continues, “The industry is ripe for consolidation at the moment and our two companies were an ideal fit in terms of the markets we operate in. We also had a healthy respect for each other.”

Around half of Macdonald & Masterson’s 22 staff will make the move to Southern Colour’s premises in St Leonards with the rest to be made redundant. The majority of the equipment from the company’s Botany site will be sold.

After the merger is finalised Macdonald & Masterson will be operating under the Southern Colour name. Peter Bounas will be employed by Southern Colour as an account manager.

Itaú has also started an education program to promote the benefits of FSC certification among partners and employees. Itaú’s commitment to FSC confirms the increasing awareness of FSC among Brazilian businesses and consumers. São Paulo’s daily newspaper Metro, with a circulation of over 150,000, is also printing on FSC paper.

Friends of the Earth – Brazilian Amazonia conducted a poll in 2009 to assess the knowledge of the population on environmental issues. Results showed that recognition of FSC among the Brazilian public has increased to 22% in 2009 from 1% in 2006. They also showed that 81% of the population would prefer certified forest products, and are willing to pay a little more than for non-certified products.

Mondi, a global leader in the manufacturing of paper and packaging, will host the Digital Specialist Forum (DSF) on April 15, 2010, offering customer-representatives an opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the rapidly burgeoning digital print market. Industry experts will convene in Vienna for this day-long event to discuss current and upcoming printing and paper trends, machine technology, and print quality features.

The DSF agenda includes key training sessions designed to impart knowledge and create discourse about digital market trends, digitally suitable papers, various printing technologies, and print quality know-how. According to Johannes Klumpp, Marketing and Sales Director of Mondi Uncoated Fine Paper, “The key to growth in the digital print market will be the understanding and utilization of variable data printing, and education is needed across the board for paper sales, print sales, print buying and print execution.”  CEOs, top Marketing Directors and Marketing agency representatives will be among the participants taking part in discussions about key topics such as Transpromo, the future of printed communication media in the face of new online media, and the effects of digital printing on the paper market.

Among the speakers presenting at the DSF, Andreas Weber, founder of the “DigitaldruckForum” and CEO of Value Communication will deliver the keynote address. The list of guest speakers invited to take part in the DSF podium lectures and roundtable discussions includes internationally recognized entrepreneurs and innovators active across Europe and the globe.

In response to the current industry trends, Wolfgang Kropiunik, Head of Marketing Uncoated Fine Paper contends, “Digital printing is a rapidly growing market. Mondi recognizes this and we are developing our technology and product portfolios in tandem with the evolving digital print industry.  Our paper and printing expertise can be seen in our new Digital SRA3 Product Sample Folder, which showcases the high quality print results from Mondi’s Digital Printing Paper Portfolio.”

The digital printing papers by Mondi can be used on all modern printing machines and come in the most important digital formats. They are tested and enhanced for toner and ink-jet, for sheet-and continuous feed and will – together with the printers’ skills – yield the benefits of digital printing: small print runs, print-on-demand and variable data applications to create highly customized print materials. Part of the Green Range product family, these papers are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, totally chlorine free, or 100% recycled.

A complete overview of Mondi’s digital product portfolio and its environmental accreditations can be found at: www.mondigroup.com/digitalprinting. For further details and information about the speakers at the Digital Specialist Forum, please visit: www.mondigroup.com/digital-specialist-forum

Ms. Ana R. Young Downey was elected in March 2010 to represent the Southern Economic Chamber. Ms. Downey has been a member of FSC since 2000 and the Executive Director of FSC Chile since 2008. She has extensive experience in forestry and received various environmental management awards by universities, NGOs, industry and government institutions.

Mr. Roberto Waack and Mr. Mario Abreu were re-elected to the FSC Board of Directors in November 2009. Mr. Waack is currently the FSC Chairman. A dedicated professional in the areas of technology management, strategic planning, corporate governance and sustainability, Mr. Waack is the partner and CEO of Brazilian forestry company AMATA S.A. and was the former President of Orsa Florestal. He represents the Southern Economic Chamber.

Mr. Mario Abreu has been a member of the Board since 2006 and is currently the Forestry and Supply Chain Environmental Support Director of Tetra Pak. Mario has extensive experience in the paper industry and has worked in Brazil, North America and Europe. Mr. Abreu serves as the Treasurer and represents the Northern Economic Chamber.

The FSC Board of Directors members are elected by and accountable to the FSC members. It is made up of nine individuals who are elected from each of the chambers for a three-year term. The FSC Board of Directors is also sub-chamber balanced between the Global North and South.

For more information about FSC governance, please visit www.fsc.org/governance.html To view a list of FSC members including new members elected in March and other membership documents, please go to www.fsc.org/membership_documents.html

PEFC has called on the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to live up to its mission to truly 'transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated' by promoting the use of certified wood as one of the most environmentally-friendly building materials.

The USGBC has ended its 3^rd public comment period on the draft benchmarks to evaluate forest certification systems yesterday. The expressed intention of these benchmarks, according to USGBC, is to set high standards for forest certification systems and to incentivize 'their evolution towards more stringent requirements'.

"We have to bear in mind that after 20 years of activity, only eight percent of the world's forest are certified to the already strict requirements set out by the worlds two global forest certification systems, FSC and PEFC", said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International Secretary General. "While wanting to raise the bar even higher is an admirable objective, it is rather unlikely that it will support efforts to increase the area of forests certified as sustainably managed."

PEFC is the world's largest forest certification system, and with about half a million certified forest owners the certification system of choice for small forest owners.

Mr Gunneberg added that the green buildings movement will lose its ability to promote changes if it settles at levels which are too demanding, elitist, and catering only for the boutique end of the market for wood. At the same time it is clear that the green buildings movement will lose its credibility if it is too undemanding, business-as-usual, and certifying the lowest common denominator.

He voiced his concern that if global certification systems have not been able to mainstream forest certification with the existing set of requirements, all that more stringent requirements will do is to continue to exclude forests from achieving certification for some time to come. "And if obtaining certification ceases to be a viable option for forest managers, there is a huge risk that they will re-focus their attention from implementing sustainable management methods to producing at low cost. And low-cost management methods are not necessarily sustainable."

Sustainable forest management is widely recognized as an essential component in tackling a number of societal issues, including climate change. Global forest leaders, gathered under the auspicious of The Forest Dialogue, an initiative hosted by Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, has identified the substitution of high-emissions materials and fuels with sustainably produced forest products as an important component of the most effective forest-based approaches dealing with climate change.

In the U.S., buildings are of fundamental importance in the climate change debate as they account for almost 40% of the total CO2 emissions. Studies estimate that CO2 emissions for wood-based buildings are 20-50% lower than emissions associated with comparable steel or concrete based buildings.

"Both global forest certification systems are based on widely accepted requirements, with PEFC basing its understanding of sustainable forest management on broad societal consensus expressed in international, intergovernmental, multi-stakeholder processes and guidelines involving thousands of interested parties," concluded Mr. Gunneberg.

"While we believe  that the USGBC is truly interested in 'enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment', its efforts must be targeted towards increasing market demand for certified wood instead of potentially excluding one – or both – global forest certification systems from  their credit system."

Further information

• Letter to Steve Baer ( 203 kb), Chair, USGBC Materials & Resources Technical Advisory Group (14 March 2010)
• Press release: USGBC LEED Standard: Friend or Foe in Global Movement to Fight Climate Change? (8 October 2009)
• Letter to Richard Fedrizzi ( 37 kb),  USGBC President and CEO (8 October 2009)

The Policy and Standards Committee approved the report submitted by the Policy and Standards Unit (PSU). The standard is approved as of 24th February 2010.

The standard will come into effect for all forest management certification in Sweden from 1st June 2010.  The intervening 3 month period is in place for Certification Bodies to adapt their systems to the revised standard.  The Certification Bodies are required to inform all of their clients in Sweden that they will be assessed against the revised standard from 1st June 2010.

Certificate holders and new applicants may opt to be audited against the revised standard from the approval date, but all assessments shall be against the revised standard from 1st June 2010.

This revised standard replaces what was the first national standard to be approved in the FSC system back in 1998.  Bringing the standard into line with current FSC requirements has been a major task for FSC Sweden.  Much criticism has been leveled at the old Swedish standard, which was written prior to the introduction of Principle 9 and the concept of High Conservation Value Forest.

The revised standard is now in compliance with current FSC requirements, and is a major achievement for FSC Sweden.  Indicators for Small and Low Intensity Managed Forest have also been developed and are currently being assessed by the FSC Policy and Standards Unit.

The standard is a public document, available on request from the FSC Working Group in Sweden or the FSC Policy and Standards Unit.

For further information, please contact Richard Robertson by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Certified Brazil Trade Fair, a biannual event on FSC certified forest products since 2004, will now also include certified agricultural products. It will bring together producers and potential clients of products that are environmentally appropriate and socially beneficial.

Certification is a market tool that assures the consumer that the origin of the product he buys, either from the forest or the farm, is known and that it meets strict international standards. In order to obtain certification, forest and agricultural enterprises must undergo social and environmental evaluations that confirm that they are managed in a way that favor environmental conservation and social benefits.

The trade fair will focus on products certified according to two types of certification schemes: the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which develops international standards for responsable forest management and the SAN (Sustainable Agriculture Network), whose Rainforest Alliance Certified label ensures responsible agricultural practices.

During this three day event, participants will be able to take part in the Business Forum, a space designed to host discussions on environmental issues related to the agricultural and forest sectors.

Time and place
April 07-09 2010 São Paulo, SP - Brazil
General Visitors Hours: 01:00 pm to 08:00 pm

Södra Odlarna, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Södra, has started a project to develop a mechanical method for protecting plants against pine weevil infestation. The objective is chemical-free forest regeneration.

The Södra Odlarna board recently resolved to develop a proprietary - and non-toxic - method of protecting forest plants against pine weevil infestation. The project will initially run for two years and Andreas Alvehus has been employed as full-time project leader. Andreas was previously head of forest conservation in Tingsryd, Småland. The project is being jointly run by Södra Odlarna and Södra Skog.

"We are working on a broad and open-ended basis and are looking at the effect of the protection itself as well as the entire chain from seedling to planting and degradability of the protection device. Two experienced pine-weevil researchers are involved in the project and we are working with the university and specialists in the fields of material, biology and mechanisation," says Andreas Alvehus.
"Putting such an effort into mechanical protection is natural given Södra's FSC membership and our ambition to run sustainable and ecofriendly forestry," says Göran Örlander, Södra's chief forester.

The project will be evaluated in two years, and plans made to scale it up. If the project succeeds, it will be at least three or four years before a fully-functional and cost-effective mechanical plant protection device has been field-tested and can be made available for Södra members.

Pine weevil infestation is by far the biggest cause of damage to forest plants in southern Sweden, causing substantial damage to planted seedlings each year. An average of 80 per cent of plants not protected against the pine weevil die. Some 90 per cent of plants sold in Götaland are currently treated with chemical insecticide.

For further information, please contact:
Andreas Alvehus, Project manager mechanical plant protection, +46 346 29605
Per Braconier, Director of communications, +46 70 534 5166
Göran Örlander, Chief forester, +46 470 89362