“With this announcement we are achieving one of the milestones of the agreement under goal six. This means the marketplace is watching and wants to see the agreement succeed,” said Melissa Filion, Greenpeace Boreal Forest Campaigner.
The Boreal Business Forum is a joint panel comprised of 14 leading corporations, members of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and signatories to the CBFA. These companies are invested in conservation of the Boreal Forest and the development of sustainable forest products and green markets.
Its members represent over $140 billion in revenues and reflects a variety of sectors representing marketplace regions sourcing from the Boreal, including Canada, the US and Europe. Members include Axel Springer, Batirente, the Globe and Mail, Hearst Corporation, Indigo Books & Music, Kimberly-Clark, Limited Brands, Lowes, Office Depot, RONA, SHARE, Staples, Time Inc. and VDZ.
These forest products companies are taking leadership by monitoring progress towards implementing the CBFA, providing market recognition and guidance to the process, and acting as active advocates for joint solutions proposed under the landmark forest agreement.
The Boreal Business Forum will meet every six months. Its next meeting is planned for May 2011 with the objective of acquiring in-depth knowledge of the first independent audit report and to provide guidance on next steps.
Statements from the participants of this Forum:
“ Customer and investor concern over environmental threats to the Boreal Forest is the prime motivator for industry and environmental groups reaching the initial agreement. Participants of the Boreal Business Forum will provide invaluable guidance and keep us all accountable to our conservation commitments.”
Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director, Canopy.
“The participants in the Boreal Business Forum represent a marketplace that is increasingly demanding products of the highest environmental quality and we are pleased to have their support as we make this vision a reality.”
Richard Garneau, President and CEO, AbitibiBowater.
“We at Rona are honoured to join the Boreal Forest Business Forum. The Forum will allow us to work with other stakeholders,including respected NGOs that share a common goal: the conservation of the boreal forest.”
Eric Paradis, VP of merchandising, RONA
“Kimberly-Clark supports the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement and will continue to engage with the signatories to advocate for the Agreement’s conservation outcomes. Many of the goals within the agreement align well with our fiber procurement policy and standards. We’ll continue to help ensure that Canadian wood and paper products are made with the highest ecological standards. “
Suhas Apte, VP of global sustainability, Kimberly-Clark
"The signing of Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement represented a historic milestone in the environment-‐forestry debate but like many agreements, signing is not the end point -‐ it's the start. As a business that uses forest products from Canada, we would like all signatories to remain positively engaged, and we look forward to working with them to achieve the desired outcomes of the Agreement."
Yalmaz Siddiqui, Director of Environmental Strategy, Office Depot,
" The Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ) has escorted the process of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement since it’s very beginnings, and our interest is as high as ever. The preservation of the great forests and the habitat of rare species like the Caribou is an affair of our heart. We expect the project to be very succesful and have started to see some visible change. A short time ago, this was beyond my hope and it makes me very happy. We like to cooperate with the paper industries and know them as reliable partners, provided they deal with resources in a responsible and sustainable manner.”
Wolfgang Fuerstner, CEO, VDZ
A few words about the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement
The CBFA is an historic agreement between nine environmental organizations including Greenpeace, Canopy and ForestEthics, and 21 member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). These signatories to the agreement seek to conserve significant areas of Canada’s vast Boreal Forest, protect threatened woodland caribou and sustain a healthy forestry industry for the communities that rely on it.
FPAC companies have committed to suspending logging on nearly 29 million hectares of Boreal Forest to develop conservation plans for endangered Woodland caribou, while maintaining essential fiber supplies for uninterrupted mill operations. However, the real promise of the CFBA will lie in the development of large protected areas and world-leading forest management practices across a much larger landscape. Towards this end, the CBFA will develop conservation solution recommendations to the final decision makers of First Nations and Provincial governments.
About the signatories’ commitment to respect First Nations rights
We recognize that the Boreal Forest is home to hundreds of First Nations. We also recognize that First Nations have constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights and title as well as legitimate interests and aspirations. We have made numerous and repeated commitments to respect the cultural values, inherent rights, titles and aspirations of Aboriginal peoples and their governments. As expressed under the Agreement, our intention is to develop solutions through proposals towards our conservation goals. We will ultimately provide recommendations to governments, including, First Nations governments, on how to achieve those goals. The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement was announced in May 2010 and implementation will take place over the next three years.
To learn more about the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement
Link to http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/boreal/Resources/