The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program was launched in 1994 dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management. It was developed with multi-stakeholder input, including environmental non-government organizations, industry, scientists, academics, government agencies and professional organizations.
The SFI program at large is made up of the following components:
- SFI forest certification promotes responsible forestry practices.
- SFI chain-of-custody certification extends into the marketplace by tracking fiber content from certified lands and responsible fiber sourcing through production and manufacturing to the end product.
The forest certification standard is based on principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. The standard is used widely across North America, and has strong acceptance in the global marketplace so SFI can deliver a steady supply of wood and paper products from legal and responsible sources. This is especially important at a time when there is growing demand for green building and responsible paper purchasing, and less than 10 percent of the world’s forests are certified.
| Sub-Category |
Private Sector
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| Standard for |
Forestry/ecosystem management and forest products
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| Focus |
Encouraging forestry and wood-products companies to adopt environmentally responsible methods through a system of principles, guidelines, and performance measures aimed at achieving a much broader practice of sustainable forestry.
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| Structure |
The SFI forest certification standard Standard (SFI 2010-2014) promotes sustainable forest management in North America through 14 core principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. There are also 20 objectives, 39 performance measures and 114 indicators, developed by professional foresters, conservationists, scientists and others.
SFI chain-of-custody certification extends into the marketplace by tracking fiber content from certified lands and responsible fiber sourcing through production and manufacturing to the end product. These claims can be made based on either the physical separation or percentage-based methods.
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| Conformity Requirements |
Core principles of the SFI 2010-2014 standard (sustainable forest management) include:
- Sustainable Forestry
- Forest Productivity and Health
- Protection of Water Resources
- Protection of Biological Diversity
- Aesthetics and Recreation
- Protection of Special Sites
- Responsible Fiber Sourcing Practices in North America
- Avoidance of Controversial Sources including Illegal Logging in Offshore Fiber Sourcing
- Legal Compliance
- Research
- Training and Education
- Public Involvement
- Transparency
- Continual Improvement
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| Auditing System |
Qualified accredited independent third-party certification
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| Geographic Focus |
North America
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| Website |
http://www.sfiprogram.org/
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