SFI’s standards, when leveraged with our three other pillars of work – conservation, community and education – provide practical, scalable solutions for markets and communities committed to a sustainable planet. Through the SFI Standards, more forests are well managed, which means more effort is put into conserving healthy wildlife, providing clean water and making more sustainable wood, paper and packaging products available for consumers and companies.

SFI appreciates the 2,300 individuals and organizations that registered for our nine standards revision webinars and submitted comments on the first draft of the SFI 2022 Standards. Working together is critical to ensuring the sustainability of our planet and this is exemplified by the diversity of people that contributed in the second-comment period. Participants including landowners, forest product manufacturers, Indigenous Peoples, conservation organizations, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, educators, local communities, and government agencies provided constructive input for SFI review.

TRANSPARENT STANDARDS REVISION PROCESS

A regular, transparent process for revision of the SFI Standards is a critical part of SFI’s commitment to continual improvement. By leveraging expertise across our network through focused engagement, and by including open comment periods, SFI creates standards that are grounded in science, include diverse perspectives, and benefit consumers, communities and ultimately forests across the U.S. and Canada. This commitment to collaboration strengthens the positive impact of our standards in addressing sustainability challenges.

SECOND COMMENT PERIOD AND STANDARDS REVISION WEBINARS

Concurrent with the second comment period, SFI conducted a series of nine webinars each focused on a specific topic of importance. These included themes focused on forest conservation, recognizing and respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights, logger training requirements, avoidance of controversial sources, and investigating a new urban forestry standard. The webinars were also designed to gather additional feedback from all interested parties. Webinar recordings can be accessed via the SFI Standards Revision webpage.

SFI concluded a second, 60-day, public comment period seeking feedback on the first draft of the SFI 2022 Standards on June 30th . This draft was based on input from the first comment period last year and reflects a thorough review of all comments by the SFI Standards Revision Task Groups, the SFI Resources Committee, and the External Review Panel, as well as the SFI Board of Directors. SFI Standards Revision Task Groups are open to anyone, and rosters for each Task Group are posted on SFI’s website. The Major Enhancements document summarizes these key topics and highlights the decisions made by the Task Groups, SFI Resources Committee, and the SFI Board of Directors.

TASK GROUP MEETINGS

With the conclusion of the second comment period, SFI will compile all comments for review by the Task Groups who will resume their work in September and October. This process will develop the next draft of the SFI 2022 Standards. SFI will update SFI-certified organizations and other interested individuals via a webinar in late October.

SFI  – ADVANCING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH FOREST-FOCUSED COLLABORATIONS

Sustainable forests, and products sourced from those forests, are a great tool in moving towards shared sustainability goals. Choosing SFI is a practical choice that helps combat climate change, conserve nature, and increase the number of products in the marketplace that have a positive impact on the planet. Please stay tuned for more information about the SFI 2022 Standards.

SFI IN BRIEF

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