Weyerhaeuser First to Adopt New SFI Chain of Custody Standard
Weyerhaeuser has become the first company to offer products meeting the new Sustainable Forestry Initiative chain of custody standard.
Weyerhaeuser has become the first company to offer products meeting the new Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) chain of custody standard.
Three Weyerhaeuser Residential Wood Products operations in the southern United States have successfully completed an independent audit of their raw material chain of custody procedures and have been assessed to be in full conformance with the SFI chain of custody requirements. The three are located in Valdosta, Ga.; Evergreen, Ala.; and Natchitoches, La.
Under the SFI chain of custody standard, the wood from certified forests used in certain Trus Joist® brand I-joists is tracked through each stage of production. Besides tracking wood back to a certified forest, the SFI chain of custody also ensures that non-certified material used by participating mills comes from non-controversial sources. With a chain of custody, Weyerhaeuser can make certified content claims about the products manufactured by the participating mills.
"Having a certified procurement system means an independent third party has verified our process to track our sources of wood," said Cassie Phillips, Vice President, Sustainable Forests and Products. "It allows us to assure our customers that a verified portion comes from forests managed to international standards for sustainable forest management. It is one more way to demonstrate to the marketplace Weyerhaeuser's commitment to strong environmental performance."
The chain of custody option was added to the SFI standard label rules in May. Modeled after a similar provision used by Europe's largest forest certification system, the new chain of custody provision opens the door for SFI-certified products to earn preferred status in European markets. For example, in August Great Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) declared that SFI-certified products with chain of custody qualify for preferred status. Weyerhaeuser has several I-joist customers in Great Britain.
Both of the sustainable forestry standards used by Weyerhaeuser -- the SFI standard and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA/Z809) Sustainable Forest Management Standard -- are now recognized by DEFRA. All of Weyerhaeuser's managed forests in North America have been independently certified to either the SFI or CSA standard. In addition, all have environmental management systems registered to the ISO 14001 standard.
Three Weyerhaeuser Residential Wood Products operations in the southern United States have successfully completed an independent audit of their raw material chain of custody procedures and have been assessed to be in full conformance with the SFI chain of custody requirements. The three are located in Valdosta, Ga.; Evergreen, Ala.; and Natchitoches, La.
Under the SFI chain of custody standard, the wood from certified forests used in certain Trus Joist® brand I-joists is tracked through each stage of production. Besides tracking wood back to a certified forest, the SFI chain of custody also ensures that non-certified material used by participating mills comes from non-controversial sources. With a chain of custody, Weyerhaeuser can make certified content claims about the products manufactured by the participating mills.
"Having a certified procurement system means an independent third party has verified our process to track our sources of wood," said Cassie Phillips, Vice President, Sustainable Forests and Products. "It allows us to assure our customers that a verified portion comes from forests managed to international standards for sustainable forest management. It is one more way to demonstrate to the marketplace Weyerhaeuser's commitment to strong environmental performance."
The chain of custody option was added to the SFI standard label rules in May. Modeled after a similar provision used by Europe's largest forest certification system, the new chain of custody provision opens the door for SFI-certified products to earn preferred status in European markets. For example, in August Great Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) declared that SFI-certified products with chain of custody qualify for preferred status. Weyerhaeuser has several I-joist customers in Great Britain.
Both of the sustainable forestry standards used by Weyerhaeuser -- the SFI standard and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA/Z809) Sustainable Forest Management Standard -- are now recognized by DEFRA. All of Weyerhaeuser's managed forests in North America have been independently certified to either the SFI or CSA standard. In addition, all have environmental management systems registered to the ISO 14001 standard.
