September 2, 2009—Environmental groups ForestEthics and Dogwood Alliance released on August 26 their collaborative Green Grades office supply report card to inform American consumers and large purchasers of office supply products about which companies’ paper practices safeguard the environment and the world’s forests.
“Companies like FedEx Office, Unisource, Office Depot, United Stationers, and Target have used their purchasing power to stop the purchase of paper from some of the world’s most destructive companies,” said Daniel Hall of ForestEthics.
This year’s grades reflect that more companies recognize the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as the most authoritative and credible forest certification system, and are moving away from forest sources certified by the industry-driven Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification scheme, which ForestEthics and Dogwood Alliance say has been called into question.
The report card also finds the sector moving away from companies known for their environmentally destructive habits. In a special “Greenwash” section, certain paper wholesalers are called out for making boasts about their sustainability positions that are not borne out by the facts, and that mislead customers who are looking to green their businesses and supply chains.
