What Publishers Need to Know About Foreign-Sourced Papers: A Q&A with Green Press Initiative’s Todd Pollak

The alternative is to ensure that virgin paper is FSC certified. FSC certification is the only certification system that requires a consensus solution when conflicts arise between logging companies and communities that rely on the land.

Extra: What can you tell me about the expansion of the Lacey Act that could help to address illegal logging? What are other actions that are currently in the works to help address these concerns?
Pollak: The expansion of the Lacey Act to include illegally sourced forest products is definitely a positive step in that it sends a clear message that products derived from illegally harvested wood [are] unacceptable in this country. What remains unclear is how this change to the law will be enforced or how effective enforcement will be. We have always encouraged publishers to work with suppliers to fully understand the source of the fiber in the paper they use; the expansion of the Lacey Act will hopefully motivate more publishers to do that.

… Publishers should be aware … that having paper from legally sourced fiber does not, by any means, ensure that the paper is derived from well-managed forests and is free of any social conflict. The best way to ensure that social and environmental impacts are minimized is to use recycled and FSC-certified paper. There are a number of resources that can help publishers address these concerns. PulpWatch.org documents the environmental performance of paper mills throughout the world, and at GreenPressInitiative.org, we maintain a list of environmentally responsible papers as well as printers that can supply them.