In an unprecedented collaborative effort, Woolworths, Avery-Dennison and Rotolabel have jointly put the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal of approval on labelling material.
Marking an African first, stakeholders in the sustainability chain have come together to help retailers. Brand owners and consumers fulfil their preferences for choosing paper products – in this case paper-based pressure-sensitive label stock – sourced from responsibly managed forests.
Pushing this worthwhile initiative from the retail aspects was Tom McLaughlin from Woolworths Foods Good Business Journey, Grant Watson from Rotolabel, Mark Ellis and Andrew Zwicky from Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials. And the glue holding the project together was Manushka Moodley, FSC Sub-Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa.
These players recently came together at Rotolabel’s Cape Town Plant to commemorate their pact and celebrate this innovative industry collaboration.
The Starting Point: Woolworths Foods Good Business Journey
It all started with Woolworths Foods Good Business Journey. A programme which was launched in April 2007 as a formalisation of Woolworths sustainability commitments. It underlines the retailer’s dedication to selling products that cause minimum harm to the natural environment, that help maintain biodiversity and improves the lives of workers throughout the supply chain. Inter alia, this includes recognising the environmental imperative of safeguarding the world’s remaining ancient and endangered forests, and the role played by reducing deforestation in mitigating climate change.
“We look for ways to work with our suppliers and NGO partners to ensure that the products (such as paper) are sustainably sourced,” Tom explains. “We are committed to reducing and eventually removing deforestation from any of our operations and supply chains.”
As a market leader in label printing, Rotolabel was keen to join the initiative, recognising a critical need to invest in an environmentally sustainable future.
“We incorporate environmentally-responsible practises in all levels of our business. For instance we reduce the use of precious resources through efficient practices; reuse materials wherever possible; and recycle waste where recycle methods are available.” Says Grant Watson who is the Sales Director.
As part of this philosophy, he adds paper is purchased from suppliers who source them from reputable mills using only responsible forestry practices.
“At Rotolabel we pride ourselves on doing the right thing”. Grant Comments. Underlining this culture our FSC Certification (FSC-C119866) joins other key certifications such as the Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2008) and Food and Safety Management System (ISO 22000:2005).
Paper is an important raw material for Avery Dennison and the company is committed to sourcing pulp and paper materials sustainably.
“Though we don’t own or manage forests, we support the use of sustainable forest management practices, explains their Commercial Director Mark Ellis. “We also promote the use of certified fibre in our products and have attained FSC Chain of Custody certification for 49 Avery Dennison facilities in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America, providing third party assurance to our customers that fibre was sourced from responsibly managed forests.
FSC Certification
“To earn FSC Certification and the right to use the FSC label, an organisation must conform to all applicable FSC requirements, often requiring adaptation of management and operations. “added Manushka Moodley.
The FSC logo on product labels has become the globally trusted mark and offers a credible link between responsible production and consumption, providing businesses ongoing value and enabling consumers to make socially and environmentally responsible purchasing decisions.
Almost 200-million hectares of forest are FSC certified in more than 80 countries, an increase of 50-million hectares in the past three years. This unprecedented growth rate is a response to pressing market demand for FSC-certified products. This, in turn, affects forests in a positive way by driving demand for improved forestry practices and recognition for independent review.