Wood and Paper Products
The
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an industry-independent organization.
To find out more, the web site is
www.fsc.org and the
The American Forest & Paper Association has founded the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification program. Reputable national conservation organizations such as NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) say this is just a cover for avoiding true certification (www.DontBuySFI.com). NRDC has identified Kimberly-Clark as bad: www.nrdc.org/land/forests/tissue.asp. RAN (Rainforest Action Network) has identified Weyerhaeuser and Sierra Pacific, two SFI certified companies as bad: ran.org/what_we_do/old_growth/smartpaper. On the other hand, Weyerhaeuser sells some Potlatch products and it seems to be a good company with a fair amount of FSC certification.
Paper Products
BACKGROUND Paper production uses a lot of water and potentially harmful chlorine bleaches. If recycling is done, wood can be diverted to other uses. Paper manufacturing produces scrap which has always been "recycled". On the other hand, post-consumer waste (PCW) is real recycling of material that would otherwise have been in a landfill and so avoids using more trees. Look for products that are high in post-consumer waste or that are FSC certified. For more information, check out Conservatree.
SOURCES Here are some results from a limited search of stores and the web. Information on others is appreciated. ebender@ucsd.edu
Supermarket products:
or NRDC's shopper's
guide.
Towels for dispensers: Staples carries Marcal products (see NRDC guide), including C- & M-fold towels, bathroom tissue and napkins.
Copier and printer supplies:
It's relatively easy to find 30% PCW papers; e.g., Office Depot & Staples. Higher percentages and FSC certified are harder to find, although Staples carries 100% recycled which may be 100% PCW. Some manufacturers have locators for suppliers in your area. Domtar makes earth-friendly products and has a locator guide on their site. Those stores are likely to carry other products.
For paper and more, check out online sources of office products such as the Recycled Products Cooperative whose products include a reasonably priced 10-ream box of 100% PCW paper. The brand is Boise Aspen, which is also available in 30% PCW.
Other information sources include Green Seal's report, Conservatree and the California state recycling directory.
AVOID buying products from companies with bad records. RAN has identified Weyerhaeuser, Sierra Pacific and Xerox as bad: ran.org/what_we_do/old_growth/smartpaper. NRDC has identified Kimberly-Clark as bad: www.nrdc.org/land/forests/tissue.asp. ForestEthics has been battling with OfficeMax.
Lumber
Quite a few U.S. companies are turning out FSC certified lumber, but it may not be easy to find locally. I have only begun to check out San Diego area stores and that project is currently on the back burner.
Home Depot: The only FSC certified products I found were some Claymark select white pine boards and some Waddel hardwood legs. Some wood was SFI certified; however, there are doubts about how good this certification is. Apparently none of the Home Depot products (e.g. molding) are FSC certified, so this might be a good direction for action. Unfortunately Home Depot carries SFI certified products.
Lowes: Not yet checked.
Furniture
Help here would be appreciated. ebender@ucsd.edu
IKEA: The company takes corporate responsibility seriously. For example, they say "IKEA imposes strict rules governing the use of high-value tropical tree species. At present these must be certified [by FSC]." For more information, www.ikea-group.ikea.com.
POTTERY BARN: Supposedly has FSC certified products, but I haven't yet checked it out.