GFTN-UK forest product reporting summary for 2011

Sainsbury’s has been a member of WWF’s Global Forest and Trade Network in the UK since the original WWF 95+ Group was formed in 1991. All GFTN members are committed to progressively sourcing forest products from well managed sources.

To monitor progress, Sainsbury's collects as much information on supply chain sources as possible, and categorises this to enable  identification of where any risks of poor sourcing may lie, and to eliminate them systematically from our supply chain into the UK market.

The new EU Regulation to limit the trade in illegal timber, which comes into full effect on 3 March 2013 provides a baseline of legality as a minimum for forest goods entering the European market and reaching consumers. GFTN members want to make sure they are playing their part in reducing theUK footprint on global forest resources, and to source sustainably.

To highlight the change achieved so far, to draw attention to the challenges that remain in order to meet the EU regulation, and to exceed the requirements of the regulation by sourcing sustainably and identify priorities in doing so, GFTN members are publishing the status of their supply chain for forest goods as established so far, according to the WWF Global Forest and Trade Network categorisation of forest goods.

We hope the UK GFTN members' decision to be transparent about performance on forest sourcing will prompt others in the sector to do the same, and initiate discussion about how business can overcome the remaining challenges in partnership with other stakeholders, including government.

We encourage all forest certification systems to continuously improve their performance in delivering responsible forest management. At present, WWF and GFTN participants believe FSC represents the gold standard and a credible benchmark for other forest certification schemes to match, and it remains our preference to increasingly source from credibly certified forests or verified recycled sources.

Sainsbury's status for the forest products reported for the 2011 calendar year is as follows

• 73% - Credibly Certified (e.g. FSC purchased with Chain of Custody)
• 14% - Post-consumer Recycled
• 6% - Pre-consumer Recycled
• 4% - Legal origin confirmed (including e.g. PEFC purchased with Chain of Custody)
• 2% - Known origin but no legality verification possible
• 1% - No information on origin
• 0% - In the process of becoming credibly certified

Scope of reporting

• All own or store brand forest products for resale

Challenges

1. Preparation for compliance with EU Timber Regulation 995/2010
2. Availability of certified material in certain sourcing regions, particularly FSC volumes and species
3. Ability of information on legal origin from suppliers and mills, especially for paper and composite products

Priorities

1. Ensuring systems and processes are compliant with the EUTR
2. Identifying new categories for conversion to certified sustainable sources
3. Removal of unknown material and material with no legal verification from supply chains

Notes to editors

Image credit © Edward Parker / WWF-Canon