Why it’s time to turn the page on paper products to protect the future of our planet

If forests are the ‘lungs of the earth’, they’re in poor health. It’s up to us to care for them and help them thrive, or else suffer the consequences.

According to the World Bank, 1.3 million square kilometres of forest were lost between 1990 and 2016. More than half of this was to make way for farming, livestock grazing and mining, but logging operations also played their part.

It’s not sustainable. Failing to protect our forests leads to permanent destruction, which has and is having devastating implications for climate change and habitat loss across the whole world.

The choices we make as a business and that you make as a consumer can make a difference.

The ‘integrity of the forest’

It’s important to note that forests are also home to people and local economies: an estimated 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods, food, fuel for cooking and heating, medicine, shelter, and clothing.

So, while there is a clear need for forest-derived products, both locally and internationally, there is an urgent need to preserve the ‘integrity of the forest’. This means working with the ecosystem, not against it.

High standards of environmental management can hugely mitigate the negative effects of deforestation on ecosystems, putting in place a solid strategy for how forests are ‘farmed’, as well as the conditions in which workers operate, local communities are impacted, and biodiversity is maintained.

When we say ‘well-managed forests’, we mean environmental management that takes into account the following principles:

• Environmental (conservation and carbon) values and impact
• Compliance with laws
• Workers’ rights and employment conditions
• Monitoring and assessment
• The rights of indigenous peoples
• Community relations
• It’s a complex undertaking. But it’s already being delivered effectively in thousands of forests around the world.

More than a logo

We believe that forest-derived products are the right choice. For this reason, our range of paper for copiers and printers features logos that show that they have been sustainably sourced and come from well-managed forests.

How? Through certification programmes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC^?) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). They give businesses and consumers the confidence that forest-derived products have entered the market in a responsible and sustainable way that supports livelihoods and the integrity of forests.

When you purchase products that show the FSC or PEFC logo, it means you’re choosing a sustainably produced product. Our ethical choices as consumers, in a competitive world, can force non-ethical choices out of the marketplace.

That’s why we choose to supply paper for copiers and printers with the FSC and PEFC logos proudly on display. It’s just one of the ways in which we’re working with the planet for the future of the planet.

Learn more about Canon’s vision for sustainability.