sustainability in the office: smart sourcing ideas from the rainforest alliance

sustainability in the office


R A I N F O R E S T A L L I A N C E 1

Every ream of paper, stack of cartons, pound of coffee and bag of tea in your office started life in a forest or on a farm. When managed responsibly, those same forests and farmlands can provide roosts for birds, havens for wildlife, improved livelihoods for workers, and carbon storage capability for the greenhouse gasses that lead to global warming — all while continuing to produce the goods and services upon which we’ve come to depend. Responsibly managed forests are particularly important when you consider just how muchpaper is used around the world each year. In the US alone, we print, communicate, and transact business on 100 million tons of paper annually. And there is simply not enough recycled fiber to meet these growing demands. Besides, even recycled paper and cardboard once originated in forests that may not have been well-managed. Responsibly produced paper and packaging not only protects forests; it ensures that loggers and other forest workers are treated well and paid decent wages. It also means that waste is reduced and recycled, and production is efficient. To look at it another way, consider just how much coffee our society consumes: More than 400 million cups of java – including lattes, mochaccinos, cappuccinos and macchiatos – are polished off each day in the US alone. And all that caf and decaf is brewed from beans grown in the tropics, where the coffee industry generates the livelihoods of more than 25 million workers and their families. Just like forests, healthy coffee farms are vital ecosystems that support plants, animals and migratory birds like the warblers, hummingbirds and tanagers whose songs herald the arrival of spring each year. At the Rainforest Alliance, we help companies get started on the road to sustainable sourcing.Staples, Goldman Sachs and IKEA are just a few of the forward-thinking businesses that are goingbeyond simple recycling and reduced energy consumption. With our help, they’re thinking about the sources of all of the products they purchase. Whether your company is large or small, we’ll work with you to develop realistic, cost-effective strategies and procedures to secure a dependable supply of responsibly-produced office products.

WHY NOT TURN YOUR IDEAS INTO ACTION? NOW’S THE PERFECT

TIME TO STEP UP YOUR COMMITMENT TO GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

AND SUSTAINABLE SOURCING.

green?

growing a more

sustainable world.Rainforests don’t just grow trees. They function as parts of interconnected ecosystems that support vast numbers of plants, animals and people. The Rainforest Alliance works around the world with farmers, foresters and tourism businesses to protect all kinds of forests; to ensure that workers and their families and communities are treated well; and to help responsibly produced goods and services reach the global marketplace, where the demand for these items continues to grow. From the Earth’s most remote corners to our own backyards, we certify forests that meet the environmental, social and economic standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Consumers know that products bearing the FSC trademark and the Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM seal have met comprehensive standards to protect soils, waterways and wildlife habitat and promote good conditions for workers and their families and communities. The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal is also awarded to farms that meet our standards for sustainable agriculture. Farms are inspected annually, and to keep their certification, they must continue to comply with 200 comprehensive sustainability criteria. Companies like Kraft, Unilever and Naked Juice, which purchase crops from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, are permitted to display the frog seal on products containing certified farm ingredients.

THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE WORKS TO CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY AND

ENSURE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS BY TRANSFORMING LAND-USE PRACTICES,

BUSINESS PRACTICES AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR.

The Mark of Responsible Forestry

SW-COC-002844

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CANADA

USA

MEXICO

GUATEMALA

BELIZEHONDURAS

NICARAGUA

PANAMAEL SALVADOR

COSTA RICA

ECUADOR

PERU

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

BRAZIL

BOLIVIA

COLOMBIA

VENEZUELA

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC OF THE

CONGO (DRC) TANZANIA

KENYA

RWANDA

ETHIOPIA

CAMEROON

GHANA

COTE D’IVOIRE

PORTUGAL

UK DENMARK

RUSSIA

ROMANIA

SLOVAKIA

CZECH REPUBLIC

POLAND

LITHUANIA

LATVIA

ESTONIA

FINLAND

SPAIN

GUINEA


R A I N F O R E S T A L L I A N C E

getting to the source

of healthier forests.Your paper, pencils, coffee and tea travelled a long way to reach your office supply room and pantry. But if they came from a Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM source, you’ll know the end results were well worth the trip. From the furniture and stationery in your office to the coffee and fruit juice in your employee break room, the purchasing decisions you and your colleagues make have tangible impacts around the world. The tea stocked in your office kitchen can help support the Kenyan farmers who grew it, and ensure their children have access to schools and medical care. The paper on which you print your company brochures can keep an FSC/Rainforest Alliance Certified forest standing in Canada, and ensure that its waterways are clean enough to support a thriving population of brook trout.

Sourcing sustainable office products is not only good for people and the environment; it’s also a smart business decision, because it helps you…

• Ensure the products you use are available for the long term.

• Safeguard the quality of these products and the materials used to make them.

• Protect your company from boycotts or legal action as a result of irresponsible sourcing policies.

• Build your company’s reputation for good corporate citizenship.

• Market your company and its brands to socially responsible investors, clients and consumers.

• Boost employee morale and improve staff retention rates.

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SRI LANKA

RUSSIA

CHINA

NEPAL

INDIA

LAOS

INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

REPUBLIC

OF KOREAJAPAN

VIETNAM

ROASTED COFFEE BEANS

COFFEE CHERRIES

On Finca Buenos Aires, coffee grows beneath the

shade of the forest canopy. Deer, wild boar, wildcats, armadillos and 65

species of birds roam and roost on these forested farmlands. Felipe Guzman’s

family has owned the farm for five generations, and he takes great pride

in their ongoing commitment to cultivating coffee in harmony with nature.

“I learned these values from my parents, I teach them to my children, and

we make it a family project,” he says. As a Rainforest Alliance Certfied™

farm, Finca Buenos Aires complies with 200 criteria that guarantee a healthy

environment and the well-being of workers and their families and the

community. Thanks to the Guzmans’ responsible approach to coffee

farming, they count among their customers Kraft Foods, which is

committed to supporting sustainable farms like Finca Buenos Aires.

That’s a good deal for the farmer, the farm families and all of the

wildlife that calls Finca Buenos Aires home.

Our SmartSource program was specifically designed to help you improve purchasing policies and manage your supply chain. We start by conducting a comprehensive assessment of your company’s sourcing procedures, and then help you develop and implement an environmentally and socially responsible purchasing plan for the full spectrum of forest products and many of the farm products you use in your office. If your current suppliers cannot meet these needs, we can connect you with alternative sources from our global network of sustainable businesses. As part of this process, we also offer customized training for your staff, verification services to confirm that you and your suppliers are making real progress toward your goals, and assistance in communicating your achievements to a wide range of audiences. Once you have made verifiable progress in “greening” your supply chain, we will support your efforts with our own communications outreach, on your behalf.

a responsible sourcing policy

THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE MAKES SUSTAINABLE SOURCING EASY.



SmartOffice: A smarter office starts with you. But it’s about more than smart people or catchy slogans.

Thinking green means fully examining the way you do business, and incorporating an environmental and social ethos into

all of your decisions — from responsible waste disposal and energy consumption to carbon dioxide emission offsetting and

sustainable office products sourcing. A SmartOffice is one that uses resources wisely and reaps the many benefits that go

hand in hand with doing the right thing.

Coffee and Tea

Low Water-Usage Plants

Office Water UsageOffice Recycling Programs

Fruits in Cafeteria

Including:

bananas,

kiwi, grapes,

mangoes,

Brazil nuts,

pineapples,

avocado, guava,

and citrus

Chocolate

Energy-Efficient Lighting

The Mark of Responsible ForestrySW-COC-002844



Copier Paper

6

Wood Building Materials

Wood Office Furniture



Un i l e v e r– Known for a wide range of familiar consumer brands, the multinational corporation Unilever is also the world’s largest tea producer and the maker of Lipton tea products. In 2007, the company announced plans to source its entire tea supply sustainably, starting with Rainforest Alliance certification of its farms in East Africa. The Lipton Tea Gardens — a 33,000-acre Unilever-owned property in Kericho, Kenya — was the first tea farm in the world to become Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM, and has been followed by more than 30 tea estates in places like Tanzania, Argentina, India and Indonesia. By 2015, Lipton aims to source all of the tea in its tea bags sold globally from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

“ In the first year since the introduction of certified tea into our brands in Western Europe, we’ve already experienced, for example, more than ten percent growth in sales in Italy and Sweden. And our commitment to sustainability helped us land a contract to supply tea to McDonald’s in Australia and several European countries.”

— Michiel LeijnseGlobal brand development manaGer

for UNILEVER’S lipton divis ion

The Rainforest Alliance has worked with some of the world’s most influential companies. Together, we’ve proven that it is possible to be green and earn green at the same time. Here are just a few of our success stories.

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Kn o l l – Headquartered in East Greenville, Pennsylvania, Knoll produces office furniture systems, including seating, storage, tables, desks and accessories. With over 40 of its products in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Knoll has long been a leader in modern design, but the company is also at the forefront of responsible design. In 2003, Knoll became the first major furniture manufacturer to earn FSC Chain-of-Custody certification, which confirms that a manufacturer is able to track the certified wood it is using from its origins in an FSC-certified forest through to an end product. In addition to energy- and carbon-reduction initiatives, Knoll has implemented a responsible wood policy that requires the company, by the year 2010, to source its wood and wood products exclusively from forests that have achieved independent third-party certification.

“ We take seriously our responsibility to customers who rely on our high standards of accountability for the wood used in our products to help them achieve their own responsible goals.”

— Lou Newett KNOLL environmental, HealtH and safety manaGer

do m ta r – As North America’s largest producer of uncoated freesheet paper, Domtar recognizes its unique responsibility to protect renewable resources. That’s why over eight years ago, the company began working with the Rainforest Alliance to encourage responsible paper production and fiber sourcing. By using FSC-certified virgin fiber, Domtar helps protect the values and long-term viability of the working forests of the world, to ensure that communities and wildlife that depend on those forests will have them as a resource for many years to

come. By supplying customers with environmentally responsible paper, Domtar not only reduces its own environmental impact; it also enables companies everywhere to “green” their individual supply chains, contributing to a more earth-friendly approach to doing business.

“ What began as a shared vision and commitment to better forest management has evolved into the creation of the largest line of FSC-certified printing papers ever assembled. Today, our partnership has expanded even further, to include companies who put their environmental commitment on Domtar EarthChoice paper every day.”

— Lewis Fix vice pres ident of brand manaGement and

sUstainable prodUct development

DOMTAR

LETTERHEAD

ENVELOPES

ANNUAL REPORTS

BROCHURES

COPIES & MEMOS

FAXES

REPORTS &

PRESENTATIONS

BUSINESS

CARDS

EVERYDAY

OFFICE PAPER

APPLICATIONS






co l U m b i a fo r e s t pr o d U c t s – Founded in 1957, Columbia Forest Products is North America’s leading manufacturer of hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer products, which are used in cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural millwork and commercial fixtures. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, this employee-owned company operates plants throughout the US and Canada. In 1998, Columbia began producing plywood with logs harvested from FSC-certified forestland. In 2007, Columbia introduced PureBond®, formaldehyde-free panel assembly technology in FSC panel constructions to meet requirements of the US Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System for interior air quality.

“ More than ever before, specifiers, manufacturers and retailers are considering the environmental and social impacts of purchased wood products. Being FSC-certified by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program helps Columbia differentiate itself and cater to discriminating markets. By choosing certified wood for cabinets, furniture, store fixtures and other uses, customers can support environmental practices without sacrificing the look they want.”

— Paul Davisenvironmental proGrams manaGer

COLUMBIA FOREST PRODUCTS

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K r a f t f o o d s – The largest food company in North America and the second largest in the world has been integrating increasing volumes of coffee and cocoa from Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM farms into many of its consumer brands, including Yuban, Maxwell House, Kenco, Suchard, Gevalia and Jacques Vabre. Since 2005, Kraft Foods has purchased more than 66 million pounds of coffee and more than seven million pounds of cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. The company’s commitment to certification has had an impressive impact in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, where thousands of farms have adopted sustainable methods. The results of their efforts include better worker housing, healthcare, education and the protection of forests, wildlife and rivers.

“ It was important for us to align ourselves with a certification model that fully addresses the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable farm-ing. The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal allows our brands to communicate to consumers the benefits that a sustainably sourced product brings to farmers, local communities and the land.”

— Elisabeth Wenner director of sUstainabil ity

KRAFT FOODS

na K e d JU i c e – For over 25 years, Southern California–based Naked Juice Company has been producing all-natural juices and juice smoothies using only 100% fruit and vegetable juice without added sugar or preservatives. First sold on the beaches of Santa Monica, the beverages are now available in supermarkets, natural products stores and coffee shops across the US, Canada and Great Britain. In 2009, the company pledged that it would source all of the bananas it uses from Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM farms. Its roster of drinks currently features 15 juices and smoothies that contain certified bananas.

“ We’re big on environmental responsibility, especially when it affects the very fruits we put in our delicious products. We know that our consumers care deeply about their impact on the environment and we’re always working hard at Naked Juice to reduce our footprint. Working with the Rainforest Alliance is a great way to make a big difference – one banana at a time.”

— Mike Durham General manaGer

NAKED JUICE COMPANY



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R A I N F O R E S T A L L I A N C E

• Review the full spectrum of products integral to your business.

• Identify strengths, weaknesses and steps for improvement in your current supply chain.

• Conduct internal training sessions on corporate social responsibility, responsible products purchasing, sustainable forest management practices, third-party certification, progress monitoring, and trends and developments within sustainable product markets.

• Develop comprehensive purchasing policies in collaboration with your suppliers, as well as those in our global network.

• Improve an existing purchasing plan and help find solutions to any challenges you may have encountered.

• Assist your existing suppliers who are moving toward sustainable practices and certification.

• Verify your progress regarding sustainability goals, as well as validation of supplier claims and wood origin legality.

• Educate various audiences, including consumers, about your progress toward building a more sustainable, socially responsible business.

Let the Rainforest Alliance help you make the transition from thinking green to working green.

For more information about SmartSource and

to get started on the path to sustainability,

please contact: Mark Comolli

[email protected]

The Rainforest Alliance offers you a full range of sustainable sourcing services.

We can help you...

Domtar EarthChoice®

put your commitment on paper. The simplest applications can have the greatest impact. You want paper today that makes a difference tomorrow — and the good news is that Domtar makes a variety of dependable paper products that allow you to put your principles into practice every day. That’s why Domtar introduced EarthChoice®, a full line of environmentally and socially responsible papers. FSC-certified EarthChoice offers more products for the widest variety of end uses than any other “green” product line on the market today. Domtar has worked with the Rainforest Alliance for many years on responsible paper production and fiber sourcing. In fact, Domtar’s forest management practices supporting the EarthChoice product line have earned the company an endorsement from Rainforest Alliance.

Look for the frog on all EarthChoice products – an ideal partner for today’s sustainable offices.

P R O D U C T S :

• Cougar®

• Cougar® DigitalChoice™

• Lynx® Opaque Ultra

• Recycled Lynx® Opaque

• Lynx® Digital

• HOTS®

• Saturn®

• JupiterTM

• Domtar® Reply Card

• EarthChoice® Office Paper

• Domtar Multi-System Ultra

• First Choice®

• EarthChoice® Wove Envelope

• ci2000® Envelope

For more information about Domtar, please visit us at: www.domtarearthchoice.com

10%

SW-COC-002844

USA BOLIVIA COSTA RICA ECUADOR GUATEMALA INDONESIA MEXICO NICARAGUA SPAIN UNITED KINGDOM

665 Broadway, Suite 500

New York, NY 10012-2331

tel 212.677.1900 fax 212.677.2187

www.rainforest-alliance.org

Printed on 80 lb. Cougar® Cover, Super Smooth Finish

SKU30012916

Printed in USA 09/2009

PHOTO CREDITS: p. 1 Will Carson, Julia De La Torre; p. 2-3 (clockwise from top left) stock, Charlie Watson, D. Brent Young, Caroline Irby, stock, Caroline Irby,

Alessandro Donà , stock, Caroline Irby, Robert Goodier, Robert Goodier, Charlie Watson; p. 5 (top) Robert Goodier, (bottom) courtesy of Aventuras del Sarapiquí;

p. 8 (top) Caroline Irby, courtesy of Unilever, (bottom) courtesy of Knoll ; p. 9 courtesty of Domtar; p. 10 (top) photo 1: North Cascades Environmental Learning Center,

Winner–Designing & Building with FSC Award 2006, photo 2: Green Hammer, Inc. , Winner–Designing & Building with FSC Award 2008, courtesy Columbia Forest Products,

(bottom) courtesy of Kraft Foods, Charlie Watson; p. 11 (top) courtesy of Naked, (bottom) stock; p. 13 courtesy of Domtar; cover, inside cover, p. 4, 7 , 12 stock

ALL ILLUSTRATIONS: Ernesto Pacheco

sustainability in the office: smart sourcing ideas from the rainforest alliance

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