Feature story - November 20, 2008
Greenpeace congratulated the leadership of RONA (TSX:RON) in instituting a new progressive policy that will help conserve Canada's forests. The home improvement chain has announced adoption of their first procurement policy for wood products and Greenpeace believes that the RONA policy will change the game. It positions RONA as the leader within the lumber and home renovation sector on forest sustainability.
Research shows that intact areas of the Boreal Forest—those areas that remain in their natural states—will be better able to resist and recover from global warming impacts than those areas fragmented by roads, logging, mining, or other human activity.
On the heels of Greenpeace's high profile campaign to protect
the Boreal Forest, a number of companies who purchase from the
Boreal are developing procurement policies to indicate to their
suppliers their intention of moving away from products originating
from high conservation value forests and giving preference to
products certified to the FSC.
The RONA policy is the strongest procurement policy for wood
products in North America and it confirms their commitment to
sustainable development and outlines the tools they will be using
to demand that their suppliers embrace sustainable forest
management. Their policy demonstrates the need to protect high
conservation value and endangered forests which is crucial in
helping to protect nationally threatened species such as woodland
caribou.
Greenpeace believes that RONA's policy will lead to positive
change on the ground in the forests of Canada and will hold their
suppliers to a high standard. The policy gives purchasing
preference to suppliers who work for the conservation of ecological
and cultural values of forests.
Other major strengths of the policy are a clear preference for
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of wood products and
the adoption of targets accompanied by a realistic timetable for
increasing its purchases of FSC certified lumber. Greenpeace sees
that this approach supports responsible forestry and will result in
restrictions on suppliers who have a negative impact on forest
health.
The protection of intact forests must go hand in hand with
adopting FSC certification and the RONA policy is strong because it
deals with both pieces. More than two thirds of Canada's commercial
Boreal Forest has alreadybeen fragmented and degraded by
development. Intact forest areas store more carbon than fragmented
areas and are best suited to mitigate the impacts of climate
change.
Greenpeace is publicly applauding RONA for setting the bar high
and developing a policy that will lead to change on the ground and
better protection for the most ecologically important areas of
Canada's forests. Consumers want their retailers to be green and
this is a major step in the right direction