MELVILLE, N.Y., April 30 /PRNewswire/ — As a part of a broad commitment
to corporate social responsibility, Pendaflex, one of the world’s premier
manufacturers of organizational solutions, announced today that it has
achieved Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R) (SFI Inc.) fiber sourcing
certification across the United States.
“At Pendaflex, we have a strong commitment to the environment, and so do
our customers,” said Candie Harris, Vice President of Marketing. “SFI(R)
fiber sourcing certification plays a critical role in our environmental
policy, and empowers our customers to make an educated environmental choice
about the office organization products they buy.”
Pendaflex has a long standing commitment to the environment. In the early
1990s Pendaflex developed a line of products made from 100% recycled papers
called Earthwise(R). Earthwise was the first line of filing supplies to meet
or exceed the EPA’s revised guidelines of 30% for post consumer and recycled
content. Earthwise products are made from papers that contain 50% post
consumer materials. In addition, all Pendaflex paper filing supplies contain
at least 10% post consumer materials. For more than 15 years Pendaflex has
stood strong on delivering products with superior performance while helping
our customers make a world of difference in protecting the planet.
“With SFI fiber sourcing certification Pendaflex is strengthening our
environmental commitment and helping our customers demonstrate their own
environmental commitment,” said Gary Brooks, President and CEO of Esselte
Corporation. “Certification to the SFI Standard means we can meet the
increasing market demand for environmentally-friendly products which is good
for our business and good for our forests.”
With 152 million acres certified across North America, SFI’s certification
program is one of the largest in the world, with a standard based on
principles and measures that promote responsible environmental behavior and
sound forest management including measures to protect water quality,
biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests of exceptional
conservation value. Fiber sourcing certification means a company has verified
that at least 66% of their supply comes from a SFI certified procurement
operation.
SFI’s program stands apart from other certification programs by addressing
the fact that 90 per cent of the world’s forests are not certified. SFI
participants must track uncertified content and promote responsible forestry
by encouraging landowners to reforest areas that have been harvested, use best
management practices for protecting water quality and identify and protect
important habitat elements for wildlife, including imperiled and critically
imperiled species and communities. For areas outside of North America, SFI
participants must take measures to procure fiber from known and legal sources,
complete a risk assessment to avoid illegal sources and promote conservation
of biodiversity hotspots and major tropical wilderness areas as defined by
Conservation International.
“Demand for products from responsibly-managed forests is increasing
worldwide and with today’s announcement, Pendaflex joins a number of companies
that are demonstrating environmental commitment through certification,” said
SFI Inc. President and CEO Kathy Abusow. “With just 10 per cent of the world’s
forests certified, Pendaflex has taken a leadership role by supporting global
efforts to improve forest practices.”
About Pendaflex
Pendaflex is one of the world’s premier manufacturers of organizational
solutions, bringing innovation, efficiency and style to workplace and home
settings. Committed to simplifying consumers’ lives, Pendaflex produces a
broad range of filing and organizational products, as well as provides
solutions and resources through our website http://www.pendaflex.com and
http://www.PendaflexLearningCenter.com. Located in Melville, NY, Pendaflex is
the principal U.S. brand of Esselte Corporation, a $1.2 billion office
products company with subsidiaries in 27 countries and distribution in more
than 120 countries. Information about Pendaflex can be found at
http://www.Pendaflex.com.
About SFI Inc.
SFI Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit organization and is solely responsible
for maintaining, overseeing and improving the Sustainable Forestry Initiative
program. SFI Inc. directs all elements of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative
program including the SFI Standard, fiber sourcing requirements,
chain-of-custody certification, labeling and marketing. SFI Inc. is overseen
by a three-chamber Board of Directors representing social, environmental and
economic sectors.
For more information about the SFI program, visit
http://www.sfiprogram.org.
SOURCE Pendaflex