Responsible Fibre Sourcing
Procuring wood fibre from responsibly managed sources is a growing opportunity for the paper industry globally. Australian Paper is a key supporter and certified member of the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and holds a Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) license. These are highly recognised certification systems developed to promote the use of fibres from responsibly managed forests.
Our Commitment
In our commitment to producing paper products in a responsible manner, we seek to procure fibres from responsible and sustainably managed sources.
Because Australian Paper does not own any forests, we source all wood products and fibres from third party suppliers including plantations and State managed forests in Australia. We also import pulp from Chile, Brazil, Canada and New Zealand.
In each case, Australian Paper seeks evidence from suppliers that these sources are managed for long-term sustainability and that at no time is any of the fibre sourced from old-growth forests. We have previously ceased procurement from suppliers that could not meet our standards in relation to verifying the origins of their fibre sources. Accordingly, we insist that all imported pulp is certified to FSC, PEFC or an equivalent standard, accredited to ISO 14001:2004 and contains no elemental chlorine. We rigorously assess our suppliers' credentials, question their environmental commitment and undertake audits to verify their performance.
Our Performance
The fibre used in Australian Paper's manufacturing is sourced from responsibly managed forests, managed plantations, cardboard waste, de-inked pulp and imported pulp.
Key indicators of our performance in 2008/09 include:
- FSC Chain of Custody Certification for our Maryvale maintained.
- FSC Chain of Custody Certification of Reflex A4 office paper maintained.
- AFS Chain of Custody Certification and PEFC licence maintained.
Future Plans
As plantation timber becomes available within Australia, we plan to reduce the amount of fibre we source elsewhere. In the next decade, the Maryvale Pulp Mill upgrade will enable us to use more fibre from state managed forests.
Significant planning and investment is currently underway to establish a sustainable Eucalyptus plantation that will assist us in significantly decrease the amount of fibres sourced from Victorian State managed forests in our communication papers. Furthermore the projected increased quantities of pulp manufactured from the upgrade will enable us to supply our other mills, thereby reducing our reliance on imported fibre.
Reflex is awarded the Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification.
Australia’s leading office paper manufacturer Australian Paper has been awarded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody certification for Reflex A4 80gsm manufactured at the Maryvale Mill in Victoria.
FSC Certificate Number SW-COC-1966 (Mixed Sources) was issued on July 27, 2006, following a full review of the Maryvale operations by an independent auditor. The FSC Chain of Custody system ensures environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests.
The FSC certification is an example of environmental leadership taken by Reflex, the leading brand in the Australian office papers market for more than 20 years. The environmental credentials of Reflex have been systematically enhanced and these improvements are now fully endorsed by this achievement of FSC chain-of-custody certification.
Customers can continue to buy Reflex with full confidence that it is manufactured from fully sustainable fibre sources. Reflex is renowned for its premium quality and guaranteed reliability and is also Australian made which means it generates Australian jobs and makes a strong contribution to the local economy.
The FSC certification applies to Reflex A4 80gsm Pure White, A4 Colours and Recycled Pure White manufactured at Australian Paper’s Maryvale Mill. Reflex Recycled is now the only office paper available in Australia or New Zealand that combines FSC mixed certification with 50% recycled fibre diverted from Australian landfill.
