Since December 1st, more than 500 Dogwood Alliance members and volunteer activists have sent letters to (IP) CEO John Faraci, calling on him to give up the company’s current destructive forestry practices and greenwashing efforts — including its involvement in the misleadingly named Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). If you’ve not yet sent the letter, you can do it now with just a click.
“In our recent five-part blog post, we explained how IP’s practices are anything but green and sustainable, and knowing the facts has spurred many people who care about Southern forests into action,” said Scot Quaranda, Communications Director.
As the Dogwood blog highlights, IP has consistently defended destructive “business as usual” forestry practices, made millions from taxpayer subsidies by exploiting a loophole in alternative fuels legislation, and has helped to create an elaborate veil of greenwashing through its involvement with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
SFI was created by the pulp and paper industry in response to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest management certification program. While FSC endorses changing practices to create more sustainable forests and forestry, SFI endorses lose certification standards for continued destructive logging and forestry practices.
Dogwood isn’t the only organization that has taken action to help spur IP to change its approach. Both the Sierra Club and ForestEthics have filed formal complaints against SFI at the Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service accusing the certification program of lax standards and deceptive marketing.
“As the largest paper producer in the South and the world, IP should be a leader and not a laggard” said Dogwood Alliance Executive Director Danna Smith. “While other companies are making progress and embracing new ways of doing business in the forest, IP continues to be the old guard – defending forest destruction and standing in the way of progress”.
Raise your voice to Southern forests! Join others who care about the future of forests and send a letter to Mr. Faraci and . Let them know you’re watching, and that you won’t stand for continued destruction.
