[MCN] Fwd: NEW REPORT: SFI's new standard is weak and SFI should still be considered greenwash.

[Matthew Koehler]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jim Ace <jimace at forestethics.org>
Date: Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 12:30 PM
Subject: NEW REPORT: SFI's new standard is weak and SFI should still be
considered greenwash.
To: Jim Ace <jimace at forestethics.org>


ForestEthics published a report on SFI yesterday that can be found here
<http://www.forestethics.org/sfi> or downloaded directly as a PDF here
<http://www.forestethics.org/sites/forestethics.huang.radicaldesigns.org/files/SFI-unimproved-report.pdf>.
The press release follows. Please contact me if you have any questions or
would like more information. Thank you for your work!

Jim Ace
ForestEthics
360-734-2951 x202


*Changes to SFI Still Allow Massive Clear Cuts and Human Rights
Abuse: Analysis of Revised Standards Finds SFI New and Unimproved*

[Bellingham, WA] Today, ForestEthics released SFI New and Unimproved
<http://www.forestethics.org/sites/forestethics.huang.radicaldesigns.org/files/SFI-unimproved-report.pdf>,
an analysis of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative revised 2015-2020 Standards
and Rules <http://www.sfiprogram.org/sfi-standard/>. ForestEthics concludes
that changes announced in January 2015 fail to correct the most serious
problems with the forest product certification and labeling program. The
report identifies gaps and loopholes that will allow pulp and fiber from
illegally-harvested forests, logging that violates indigenous rights, and
other controversial sources into products that carry SFI labels.

The top findings, include:

   -

   SFI does not require adequate consultation with stakeholders and experts
   during assessments – this is especially problematic for indigenous and
   rural communities whose health, human rights, and sovereignty are
   threatened by industrial logging operations.
   -

   SFI allows massive clear-cuts and timber harvest rates that exceed
   forest growth rates.
   -

   SFI permits the routine, intensive spraying of toxic chemicals,
   including herbicides and pesticides that can contaminate waterways and
   poison nearby people and wildlife.
   -

   SFI permits the destruction of the last-remaining habitat of
   federally-listed threatened and endangered species and riparian areas that
   protect waterways, drinking water, and endangered fish species.
   -

   SFI has no requirement to protect old growth forests and no meaningful
   limits on the size and intensity of clear-cuts.
   -

   SFI includes loopholes that can allow products from illegally-managed
   forests to receive an SFI label.

“SFI is the fox guarding the henhouse, a marketing scheme operated by
logging companies to mislead customers,” says Jim Ace, ForestEthics healthy
forests campaign director. “Consumers who see an SFI label may think they
are buying environmentally-sustainable products. Instead they are
supporting the worst logging practices in North America.”

Companies use eco-labels to communicate their commitment to social and
environmental responsibility, and to reach a market for certified forest
products that the UN estimates at $20 billion per year
<http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/Portals/88/GETReport/pdf/FullReport.pdf>.

“SFI’s revisions require plans, but don’t actually require logging
companies to protect forests, wildlife, water quality, or human health,”
says Ace. “SFI remains a significant threat to the integrity of any company
using an SFI label to claim environmental sustainability or social
responsibility.”

In January 2015 ForestEthics released Peeling Back the Eco-Labels
<http://www.forestethics.org/january-15-2015-sfi-backround>, a report
comparing the rigor of forest audits conducted in Canada by the two leading
forest certification systems: the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).

Download: SFI New and Unimproved
<http://www.forestethics.org/sites/forestethics.huang.radicaldesigns.org/files/SFI-unimproved-report.pdf>

##

ForestEthics is a U.S. and Canadian coalition that demands that
corporations and government protect community health, the climate, and our
wild places. We’ve secured the protection of 65 million acres of wilderness
by pushing major companies to shift hundreds of millions of dollars to
responsible purchasing. We are three aligned organizations: ForestEthics in
the U.S. and ForestEthics Advocacy and ForestEthics Solutions in Canada.
Visit us at www.ForestEthics.org <http://www.forestethics.org/>
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