HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 03-06 3M will require sustainable forest practices PIONEER PRESS 3M will require sustainable forest practices
Updated:03/O6/2015 06:55:56 AM CST � TWIf1CItIeS.COfT1
After years of environmental lobbying and protests,3M Co.is partnering with forest-protection groups to
ensure its paper and wood-pulp suppliers use sustainable forestry practices.
The Maplewood-based conglomerate,which uses these materials to manufacture such signature
products as Scotch masking tape and Post-it Notes,on Thursday introduced a revamped sourcing policy
and outlined stringent new standards for its paper suppliers.
The company itself will enforce these standards,no longer relying on third-party sustainability
certifications.
"We are taking responsibility for making sure our pulp and paper suppliers meet the requirements of the
policy,and help them to raise their performance if necessary,"said Jean Sweeney,3M's vice president of
environmental,health,safety and sustainability operations.
Environmental group ForestEthics worked closely with the company to develop the policy.The group--
once a vocal critic of 3M's paper and wood pulp sourcing practices--heaped praise on the company
Thursday,its executive director Todd Paglia calling the policy"an audacious undertaking."
"LeYs not forget that ForestEthics and 3M were in a disagreement--a public one,"Paglia said."We put
away our egos to do what is right.We all compromised,and thaYs not a dirty word."
3M said its new policy will require its wood products to be harvested using methods that do not damage
the environment,that respect the rights and territory of indigenous people and that do not put the safety of i
workers at risk.
3M will work with environmental nonprofit The Forest Trust to trace its paper and wood pulp supply chain I
back to individual sources,ensuring along the way that its standards are being adhered to.3M works with
about 5,000 suppliers in more than 70 countries.The company will offer them training in sustainable
forestry practices. I
Sweeney said 3M has already severed ties with Royal Golden Eagle,an Indonesian company that has I
interests in the timber industry.
She doesn't expect 3M's new policy to significantly increase its costs but said the company had not yet
calculated the dollar amount.
"We believe the costs associated with implementing this policy will be outweighed"by the benefits,she
said."We are slowly killing the myth that whaYs good for the environment is bad for the economy."
3M previously required its wood products suppliers to comply with standards set by the Sustainable
Forestry Initiative,but ForestEthics objected to these standards,arguing that they are toothless.
The intense lobbying effort that helped set in motion 3M's policy change began more than five years ago.
ForestEthics representatives first met with 3M officials in 2009 to discuss its wood products supply chain.
The environmental group also staged visible protests and released studies linking the company to
deforestation.During the 2014 All-Star Game in Minneapolis,ForestEthics arranged for an airplane to fly
over Target Field towing a banner that read,"3M do the right thing for forests."
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But behind the scenes,"It was really a continuous dialogue over several years,"ForestEthics spokesman
Eddie Scher said of the organization's relationship with 3M."We don't just beat up on companies and then
walk away.There's a public part of the campaign,and then there's a collaborative discussion going on."
Nick Woltman can be reached at 651-228-5189.Follow him on Twitter at @nickwoltman.