Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products

This report, a joint project between WRI and the WBCSD, helps organizations of all sizes find their place in ensuring the sustainability of the earth’s forest resources by studying the long-term impacts of forestry goods, and gives procurement specialists a way to find the best sources for products they need.

Decisions regarding the purchase and use of wood and paper-based products can have far-reaching, long-term impacts for the forests where they are harvested, the communities supported by wood-using industries, and the places where those products are purchased and used.

The information in this joint WRI/WBCSD publication is organized around ten key issues, posed as “essential questions” that procurement managers might address related to the sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products:

1. Origin: Where do the products come from?

2. Information accuracy: Is information about the products credible?

3. Legality: Have the products been legally produced?

4. Sustainability: Have forests been sustainably managed?

5. Special places: Have special places, including sensitive ecosystems, been protected?

6. Climate change: Have climate issues been addressed?

7. Environmental protection: Have appropriate environmental controls been applied?

8. Recycled fiber: Has recycled fiber been used appropriately?

9. Other resources: Have other resources been used appropriately?

10. Local communities and indigenous peoples: Have the needs of local communities or indigenous peoples been addressed?

The publication is designed as an information tool to help customers develop their own sustainable procurement policies for wood and paper-based products. It is also a decision support tool providing simple and clear information on twenty-two existing approaches to the procurement of wood and paper-based products from legal and sustainable sources, as well as providing additional references and resource materials.