|
Environmental Certification
ISO 14 001
An effective environmental management system (EMS) is the consistent and systematic control of procedures and operations, products or services which can have a significant impact on the environment. ISO 14001 is an international standard that outlines the planning and operational elements of an EMS, and requirements for review and improvement. It also helps companies establish and achieve their own objectives and targets. The ISO 14001 EMS model, if applied diligently, is an extremely effective model that can raise the bar on environmental practices and performance.
The ISO 14001 standard is widely acknowledged because it provides a consistent system-based approach to improve environmental performance. Organizations that are certified to the ISO 14001 standard provide assurance to their customers that they are managing environmental issues with some thoroughness. Certification also facilitates sales and access to markets. For Abitibi-Consolidated, which employs and operates in more than one country, the implementation of an international standard across all of its divisions has brought consistency and strength to the way it manages environmental issues.
ISO 14001 also supports the Company's Corporate Environmental Audit Program that was implemented in 2003. This program requires that all individual sites conduct legal compliance audits. These audits, coupled with independent third-party ISO 14001 audits, are the basis for improving our environmental performance on a continuous basis.
|
Sustainable Forest Management Certification
The implementation of a sustainable forest management (SFM) standard that is audited by an independent third-party is one of the most rigorous and transparent ways for companies to provide assurance that their forest products come from forests managed in an environmentally and socially responsible way. The forests managed by Abitibi-Consolidated are certified to credible and globally recognized standards.
The SFM Certification options available to companies in North America include:
CSA - Canadian Standards Association's SFM Standard
SFI - Sustainable Forestry Initiative++ Program
FSC - Forest Stewardship Council
|
Chain-of-Custody
Chain of custody takes the certification process to the next level, enabling the Company to trace the source of a given product from the forest right through the mill and accurately attest to the percentage of certified fibre it contains. It is verified through an independent third-party audit and is essentially a wood flow accounting and tracking process that follows the products from a certified forest through each stage of the production chain.
The chain of custody certificate is often required by customers as proof of SFM certified content and is mandatory to obtain a certified label/logo on the Company's products.
|
EcoLogo Program
The EcoLogo is North America's most widely recognized and respected environmental certification mark. Launched in 1988 as Canada's national eco-labelling program, the Eco-Logo Program belongs to the Government of Canada, but is managed by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.
Since 1999, the EcoLogo program has developed criteria and certified companies in the renewable green power sector in North America. An EcoLogo is only granted to those generation sites that use water, solar, biogas, biomass or wind, and have superior environmental performance as prescribed by the criteria document CCD-003.
A number of our facilities use biomass as their primary fuel to generate steam and/or electricity and two of them have received the EcoLogo mark. Biomass is a clean, green, carbon-neutral energy source derived from industrial by-products such as bark, wood shavings and sawdust, and is Canada's second-largest renewable energy source. In fact, biomass represents the largest non-hydro renewable energy source - more than wind, geothermal, solar and tidal combined. Besides providing assurance of our commitment to the sustainable management of resources, EcoLogo certification of biomass cogeneration will allow us to market green power to third parties and confirm the green manner in which the energy was produced.
Additional information
Developed and maintained by Metafore, the Forest Certification Resource Center (FCRC) provides comprehensive, objective information and customized tools to a broad audience interested in forest management, forest certification and responsible wood and paper purchasing. This site introduces the concept of forest certification, provides information on the major certification programs around the world and describes the markets for certified wood products.
www.certifiedwood.org
|
