GreenBlue’s Forest Products Working Group seeks members

Sustainability non-profit GreenBlue has opened membership for its newly formed Forest Products Working Group, which brings together companies that rely on paper, wood, and other forest products to share their knowledge and develop new and sustainable business solutions.

The group was first publicly announced in October 2011 with eight founding members: Avery Dennison Corporation, Avon Products, Bank of America, Catalyst Paper, Domtar, HAVI Global Solutions, Sappi Fine Paper North America, and Staples.

GreenBlue is now seeking other leading companies to join the group.

Following the successful blueprint of GreenBlue’s industry-leading Sustainable Packaging Coalition, the Forest Products Working Group will work on projects each year to develop resources and conduct research on best practices and technological innovations.

For its inaugural project, the group is designing a set of clear, science-based guidelines to inform decision-making for paper design, procurement, use and recovery.

“Intelligent business models are needed to incorporate sustainability into standard business practice,” says founding member Jake Swenson, Director, Sustainable Products & Services at Staples.

“The Forest Products Working Group has the opportunity to do this through its cross-industry representation with a focus on measurable results and innovative thinking.”

The Group seeks companies that rely on forest products to meet business objectives —including paper suppliers, consumer product goods companies, retailers, publishing companies, and building product manufacturers — to join the group.