April 12, 2012
Stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the boreal forest is a vital part of Canada’s landscape, economy and cultural heritage. The ecosystem is unique in its capacity for carbon storage, is the world’s biggest freshwater reservoir, and contains the world’s largest remaining tract of intact forest. More than half of all Canadian logging occurs in the boreal forest, making it a major sourcing area for newsprint.
The Globe and Mail is committed, through its Mandate for Sustainable Paper Choices, to work with suppliers to protect high conservation-value forests and maintain natural ecosystems across forest regions, including the boreal forest.
We are proud to be one of the forest-product customers who have taken the lead on protecting the boreal forest, and were behind the successful push to sign the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement in May, 2010. The agreement among 18 forest companies and nine environmental organizations is intended to preserve large tracts of the boreal to protect habitat for endangered species and to reward forest companies with increased access to a growing international market for eco-friendly forest products.
As a first step, forest companies agreed to set aside 29 million hectares from logging while lasting solutions are developed. The agreement also calls for improved forest practices, which we hope will lead to a significant increase in the availability of Forest Stewardship Council-certified newsprint.
The Globe and Mail is a founding member of the Boreal Business Forum, a roundtable that monitors and encourages implementation of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. Current membership in the forum reflects a variety of sectors and regional marketplaces sourcing from the boreal. In addition to The Globe and Mail, current members include Axel Springer Verlag AG, Batirente, Hearst Corp., Indigo Books & Music Inc., Kimberly-Clark, Limited Brands Inc., Lowe’s Cos. Inc., Office Depot, Rona Inc., ShareholderAssociation for Research & Education, Staples Inc., Time Inc. and VDZ.
The Globe and Mail continues to work closely with Canopy, a not-for-profit environmental organization and The Globe’s partner in the development of our Mandate for Sustainable Paper Choices, to secure lasting protection for Canada’s forests.
Source: Globe and Mail