Avery Dennison Corporation has become a member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), signaling the company’s desire to reinforce its commitments to paper procurement that helps protect and preserve the world’s forests and the habitats and ecosystems they support.

As a leading stakeholder in the pulp and paper supply chain, Avery Dennison’s formalized relationship with FSC builds on a decade-long engagement with FSC to help the company realize more sustainable and responsible use of paper.

FSC promotes the responsible management of forests through voluntary independent certification of forest practices. As an FSC member, Avery Dennison will bring its market knowledge to the group, aiding in the extension and advancement of FSC principles and certification criteria. Over the past 25 years, more than 200 million hectares of forests has been certified to FSC standards in over 80 countries worldwide. FSC members include individuals and organizations (businesses, non-profits, and government agencies) who support the idea of responsible forest management around the world.

“Globally, we set ambitious 2025 goals to achieve 100% certified paper and 70% FSC-certified face paper, which we use for our pressure sensitive label products, for our products portfolio. At the end of 2020,  we achieved 92% certified paper and 83% certified face paper use, putting us well on the way to meet our goals and support FSC in its mission,” says Nicoletta Baratta, senior global product line manager, Core Solution at Avery Dennison Retail Branding & Information Solutions (RBIS). 

She notes that the company has also advanced new 2030 sustainability commitments, which include a focus on deforestation-free sourcing of paper.

Baratta says Avery Dennison’s broader ambition is to engage more robustly with decision-makers and other influencers driving forestry protection policies, sharing the company’s insights and market knowledge to help prevent forest degradation and promote biodiversity of forest landscapes.

“As a member-led organization, we welcome Avery Dennison to the Forest Stewardship Council’s membership,” states Corey Brinkema, president of the Forest Stewardship Council’s US national office. “Our diverse membership – organized into economic, social and environmental chambers with equal authority – is one of the reasons FSC is considered the world’s most trusted certification for forests and forest products.”

Earlier this year, Avery Dennison was awarded an A- score on forests by the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP).