Kawerau paper mill gets greener with FSC certification

Kawerau paper mill gets greener with FSC certification

SCA, globally recognised for its leadership in sustainable and ethical business practices, has announced the achievement of Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) Chain of Custody certification for its Tork® paper manufacturing site in Kawerau.

FSC certification is an independent global standard for tracing a product back along the supply chain to the origin of its fibre, and represents global best practise in responsible forestry.

Mark Stevens, SCA Hygiene Australasia’s Head of Sales New Zealand, says the FSC certification applies to a wide range of Tork toilet tissue, hand towel and wiper products, and adds further strength to its existing environmentally responsible range.

“The rigorous ‘chain of custody’ approach taken by FSC analyses every processing step from harvesting and pulping to paper and tissue production.

“This means buyers of Tork products bearing the FSC mark have the security of knowing that our wood raw materials are not logged illegally, and don’t come from forests with a high conservation value, or from areas where human rights or indigenous peoples’ rights are violated.

“This level of accreditation goes right to the heart of the sustainability and environmental issues that many businesses like ourselves - and many consumers - are seeking to address.”

Mr Stevens says that as well as being a global company with more than 45,000 staff and operating in some 100 countries, the Sweden-based SCA Group was last year rated one of the world’s most ethical companies by the New York-based Ethisphere Institute.

“As a company SCA has had a long commitment to sustainable business practises. We are currently working to reduce our emissions from fossil fuels by 20% between 2005 and 2020. Locally, SCA Hygiene Australasia reduced its water use by 25% between 2005 and 2010.”

SCA is the largest private owner of forestland in Europe, where it has had FSC certification since 1999.

This latest development for the Kawerau mill comes on the back of the implementation of geothermal (steam) energy at the site late last year. This geothermal project was the result of a partnership with local iwi and will reduce the site’s CO2 emissions by up to 39%.*

* Based on Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting – Data and Methods, 2008. New Zealand Ministry of Environment, Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

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