05/12/2005 - Melbourne, Australia - WWF-Australia, the conservation organisation, and Integrated Tree Cropping (ITC), an ASX-listed company, have launched a new partnership to encourage Australian business to support responsible forest and plantation management through the choice of timber and paper they buy.

Speaking at a launch event in Melbourne, Greg Bourne, Chief Executive Officer, WWF-Australia, said an alliance between the Australian arm of the world's largest independent conservation organisation and one of Australia's largest hardwood plantation forestry managers might at first glance appear unusual.

But, he said, an accord between an environmental organisation and a forestry company such as ITC was a snapshot of constructive engagement for a sustainable future.

The partnership seeks to encourage Australian businesses to specify or purchase timber and paper that is sourced from forests and plantations that are certified by credible schemes such as the internationally recognised Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and where possible to increase their use of recycled fibre.

FSC certification provides consumers of timber and paper with credible assurance that the forest or plantation is well-managed. The FSC's Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship are used to develop local standards for responsible forest management through a process of consultation with stakeholders.

The partnership recognises ITC's commitment to environmental responsibility. Mr Bourne congratulated ITC Chief Executive, James Neville Smith, on achieving FSC certification for products drawn from close to 80 per cent of its 130,000 hectare plantation estate.

"WWF commends ITC for attaining FSC certification, and through the partnership will be working with ITC to have all of its sources of timber credibly certified," Mr Bourne said.

ITC's James Neville Smith said ITC and WWF-Australia would also partner in rolling out an Australian arm of the Global Forest and Trade Network, a supply chain of like-minded and committed purchasers and suppliers of products from certified forests and plantations.

"At ITC, we're determined to differentiate ourselves by offering superior products based on superior environmental management," Mr Neville Smith said.

"Certification is key to the future, in order that Australian forest products are well-received around the world and competitive on environmental terms," Mr Neville-Smith said.

Notes
• To date, over 50 million hectares of forest and plantation is FSC certified in over 60 countries. Globally, the FSC trademark is carried on thousands of timber and paper products. In Australia, approximately 466,000 hectares of plantation is FSC certified.
• In 2003-2004, Australians used over 6.6 million cubic metres of solid timber and four million tonnes of paper, according to the Australian Forest and Wood Product Statistics, ABARE, November 2005. All Australian businesses can support good forest and plantation management by specifying or buying timber and paper that has come from forests and plantations certified by credible schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council, and by using recycled fibre.
• We have prepared a Q&A document (PDF 48 KB) to accompany this press release.