Warneke Paper Box Co. Honored with Listing in FSC MARKETPLACE

The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) has honored Warneke with an official listing on the FSC MARKETPLACE

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The Forest Stewardship Council’s mission is to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests. Their vision is to meet the current needs for forest products without compromising the health of the world’s forests for future generations.

Over the past 20 years, FSC has earned a reputation as the most rigorous, credible forest certification system. As a result, there are significant advantages to choosing FSC-certified products:

• Credibility – FSC is an independent, member-led group organized into social, environmental, and economic chambers that have equal authority. Members elect the board of directors and vote on major decisions. Anyone committed to responsible forest management can become a member of FSC. This open and balanced approach is unique to FSC and ensures a diversity of perspectives are represented in decision making.

• Environmental Protection – FSC’s forest management standards expand protection of water quality, prohibit harvest of rare old-growth forest, prevent loss of natural forest cover and prohibit highly hazardous chemicals, which are all unique aspects of the system. For example, FSC prohibits the use of atrazine, which is otherwise legal in the US but banned in Europe because it has been shown to cause water pollution and birth defects. Other certifications allow atrazine use, including aerial spraying of the chemical.

• Community Engagement – FSC requires forest managers – on both public and private lands – to engage local community members and to protect customary rights of indigenous people, ensuring their voices are part of the certification process and impacts of forest operations are addressed. In addition, FSC requires the results of certification audits to be released to the public, even on private lands, which makes FSC unique among forest certifications.

• Access to Markets – Many major companies have policies that state a preference for FSC-certified products. Green building standards, including the US Green Building Council’s LEED program, provide incentives for using FSC-certified materials. Increasingly, consumers are requesting FSC-certified products in retail stores across the country. Many governments require the use of FSC-certified products. Companies that produce FSC-certified products gain access to these markets, and many others.