Industry News 4th June 2014
Launch of seventh annual Proforest report on ACE's Chain of Custody (CoC) commitment
According to the seventh annual Proforest* report on the Chain of Custody (CoC) commitment made in 2007 by Alliance for Beverage Cartons & the Environment (ACE) members - Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc - 93% of wood fibre purchased globally by these companies in 2013 was either FSC certified fibre or originated from FSC controlled wood. This is compared to 88% in 2012.
The latest figure means ACE members are well on track to meet their commitment to source 100% wood fibre that is traceable to legal and acceptable sources by 2015. 100% of the fibre already used in the EU already comes from plants which are FSC chain of custody certified. In addition, 46 (89%) of the 52 converting plants owned by ACE beverage carton producers worldwide are now FSC chain of custody certified, which is up from 81% in 2012.
This means there are only six more converting plants to be certified to meet the ACE commitment of securing CoC certification for all beverage carton manufacturing plants by 2018.
"It is great to see Proforest report that good progress has been made by our members towards achieving the stretching targets set in 2007", comments Richard Hands, Chief Executive of ACE UK. "Traceability is one of our industry's most important strategies to combat illegal logging, and is equally important in avoiding socially and environmentally unacceptable sources of wood.
"It is also good news that only six more converting plants need to be certified to meet our commitment of 100% CoC certification of all beverage carton manufacturing plants by 2018."
The main raw material for the production of cartons is wood fibre, which is a renewable resource. In Sweden and Finland, where most of the wood fibre for European beverage cartons originates, forests are expanding with growth in forest volume increasing year-on-year as annual growth actually exceeds cuttings.
"ACE members have a clear interest in ensuring that forests are responsibly managed as, on average, 75% of a beverage carton is made from this natural renewable material," concluded Hands.
The seventh annual Proforest report on ACE's Chain of Custody (CoC) commitment can be found here:
http://www.beveragecarton.eu/uploads/Modules/Publications/ace_7th_annual_report_2013_final.pdf
* Proforest is an independent verifier of natural resource management.
ENDS
For further information please visit the ACE UK website at www.ace-uk.co.uk
Or contact:
Floyd Jebson at Instinctif Partners
Tel: +44 (0)1869 353 813
Email: floyd.jebson@instinctif.com
Notes to Editors
About the commitment
The commitment of ACE members is two-fold and global. First, the three beverage carton manufacturers, Tetra Pak, Elopak, SIG Combibloc undertake by 2015 to reach 100% wood fibre that is traceable to legal and acceptable sources, using processes that have been independently verified. The scope includes all wood fibres used in mills producing paperboard for the three companies. Second they commit to secure by 2018 chain of custody certification for all their carton manufacturing plants. Within the European Union, 100% of the wood used for the production of beverage cartons already comes from paper mills that have an FSC-certified Chain of Custody in place.
About ACE UK
The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK provides a platform for the industry to profile and benchmark cartons as a renewable, recyclable and low-carbon packaging choice, and to drive its environmental initiatives. This includes running the industry's carton recycling programme.
ACE UK represents Tetra Pak, Elopak, SIG Combibloc, the leading manufacturers of beverage cartons for the UK market. It is also supported by BillerudKorsnäs and Stora Enso, which produce about 98% of the paperboard used by ACE UK members to manufacture beverage cartons in Europe.
