Introduction

Almost half of the Earth’s original forest cover has been converted to other land uses (Bryant et al., 1997). Although estimated rates of net loss seem to indicate a slowdown, the total forest area continues to decrease; today forests extend over an estimated 30% of the total land area (FAO, 2006).

Interest in procurement of wood and paper-based goods produced in a sustainable manner is growing. Concerned consumers, retailers, investors, communities, governments, and other groups increasingly want to know that in buying and consuming these products they are making positive social and environmental contributions.

In what is often described as “sustainable procurement”, organizations are looking beyond price, quality, availability and functionality to consider other factors in their procurement decisions including environmental (the effects that the products and/or services have on the environment) and social aspects (labor conditions, indigenous peoples’ and workers’ rights, etc.) (Environmentally and Socially Responsible Procurement Working Group, 2007).

Sustainable procurement can help maintain a company’s social license to operate (Kemp, 2001). It can help reduce reputation risks and, ultimately, help secure sustainable supplies (Kennard, 2006). Sustainable procurement can also be used to align companies with their stakeholders’ values and make organizations along the supply chain (from forest owners and producers to retailers) more resilient to changing business conditions.

The growing demand for sustainably produced wood and paper-based goods can lead to improved forest management. Sustainably managed forests are a renewable source of raw materials; these forests also provide services such as clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and sometimes recreation opportunities (Figure 1).

Sustainably produced wood and paper-based goods can be a wise choice compared to other materials, because:

• They come from a renewable resource – trees, the product of sunlight, soil nutrients and water.
• They capture carbon – through photosynthesis, most trees take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. In sustainably managed forests, the carbon released through harvesting is offset by that which is taken up through regeneration and re-growth, making these forests carbon neutral.
• They store carbon over the long term – solid wood and paper-based products can effectively store carbon for decades or even centuries.
• They are recyclable – they can be reused, or converted into other products, extending their useful life and adding to the available resource pool of wood fiber.

Table 1: Tools highlighted in this guide

The resources highlighted in this guide can roughly be divided into two categories: requirements for sustainable procurement, and resources to assess requirements.

PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS	RESOURCES TO ASSESS REQUIREMENTS
Private sector initiatives Confederation of European Paper Industries’ (CEPI) Legal Logging Code of Conduct Timber Trade Federation Responsible Purchasing Policy	Private sector initiatives CEPI Certification Matrix Paper Profile The report: Public procurement policies for forest products and their impacts
Public sector Danish Government Procurement Policy for Tropical Forests German Government Procurement Policy Japanese Government Procurement Policy	Public sector Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement (CPET). CPET is an initiative of the UK central government to assist in the implementation of its procurement policy.
Ratings Systems Green Building Initiative's Green Globes Rating System Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System	Ratings Systems Environmental Paper Assessment Tool (EPAT) WWF Paper Scorecard WWF Tissue Scoring
Certification Systems Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Controlled-Wood Standard Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Guide for the avoidance of controversial timber Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)Procurement Objective	NGO/Other initiatives Forest Certification Assessment Guide (FCAG) WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN) Green Purchasing Network (GPN) Tropical Forest Trust's guide: Good Wood. Good Business Wood for Good Campaign WWF's Guide to buying paper (companion to WWF's Paper Scorecard)

Key sources of information on these tools are available in the references section. These selected resources represent significant efforts by different actors. FSC’s Controlled-Wood Standard and PEFC’s guide for controversial sources are recent efforts addressing concerns related to unwanted sources. Different components of the FSC and PEFC sustainable forest management (SFM) certification standard are covered in other sections of this guide.

Purpose and Scope of this Guide:

The purpose of this Guide and resource kit is to assist sustainability officers and business procurement managers, especially major purchasers of wood and paper-based products that do not have “in house” forest and forestry expertise. It identifies and reviews central issues, and highlights tools that can be used to assist sustainable procurement. It should be noted that not all aspects of potential concern and risk apply to all forested regions of the world.

The guide will help purchasers to define requirements for their procurement policies, engage in dialogue with stakeholders, seek resources to meet procurement policy requirements, and assess suppliers.

The past few years have seen a proliferation of tools – projects, initiatives, publications and labels – to aid sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products. To help those who are new to the subject, a selected number of these tools are highlighted and characterized for the first time (Table 1).

This guide is a companion to the report: Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products: An introduction. To obtain a copy of the introductory guide please visit www.sustainableforestprods.org.

More information, commonly cited instruments, tools and processes, and updates, are also available at www.sustainableforestprods.org

Structure of the Guide:

The information in this publication is organized in five sections:

• A list of ten key issues, presented as questions. The list can be used as a checklist and as a tool for structuring discussions with stakeholders.
• An overview of each issue: what is it, why it matters, and typical terminology. This section also includes a general sense of how the highlighted resources address each issue; it provides factors for company consideration.
• An overview of the selected resources highlighted in the guide.
• Sources of additional information: commonly cited instruments, tools, processes, etc.
• A key to the terminology, in the form of acronyms and a glossary of terms. The field has developed a rich terminology which may be a source of confusion and misunderstanding.