P&G purchases wood pulp for tissue, towel, and absorbent hygiene products. Though we do not own or manage forests, we have a responsibility through our procurement practices to ensure the sustainability of the world's forest resources. As such, we are committed to understanding our pulp fiber sources, transparency in sourcing, and ensuring that sustainable forest management practices are used. To deliver on this commitment, please see P&G’s Forest Commodities Policy which covers wood pulp along with other commodities.
P&G requires 100% of the wood pulp we source to be certified by a globally recognized certification system (Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) which include criteria related to protecting both environmental and social values of forests. By producing all of our products with 100% certified pulp, we are helping to promote forestry practices that leave a smaller environmental footprint, protect vulnerable species, and make a positive impact on communities that depend on them. These three forest certification systems used by 100% of our wood pulp suppliers include criteria related to the following:
For every tree we use, at least one is regrown.
FSC is one of the world's most trusted forest certifications, and P&G maintains a preference for FSC certified fibers. P&G has been working directly with our supply chain partners and NGOs to grow the supply of FSC certified materials and pulp. P&G Family Care brands (tissue and towel products) have an ambition to source 100% with FSC certification by 2030. P&G has partnered with FSC US and FSC Canada on several project to advance forestry certification. Our commitments include:
Though we do not own or manage forests, we have a responsibility through our procurement practices to ensure the sustainability of the world's forest resources. We are committed to ensuring that sustainable forest management practices are used throughout our supply chain. To deliver on this commitment, P&G has:
1. Included expectations for no deforestation, ensuring the protection of Indigenous Peoples Rights, and stricter forest certification requirements in our Forest Commodities Policy.
2. Recognizes our responsibility to source wood pulp from suppliers equally committed to protecting forests and the people and habitat within them. We work closely with our pulp suppliers to ensure their conditions and practices adhere to our Wood Pulp Sourcing Policy.
3. Maintained an avenue for employees to report concerns regarding violations against the law or P&G policies as part of our commitment to a speak-up culture, since 1995. By 2004, P&G expanded the system to allow those inside and outside the Company to raise concerns. You can learn more by reviewing our formal grievance process.
4. Shared the actions taken against suppliers who have been in violation of our Wood Pulp Sourcing Policy. P&G has a long history of taking actions against those who violate our Wood Pulp Sourcing Policy and do not progress on our FSC ambitions. You may review these actions in our Grievance Tracker.
P&G and our Family Care brands go beyond responsible sourcing and support efforts to keep forests as forest for generations to come. Some of our reforestation actions that have been established or expanded in the past year include:
For more than two decades, P&G has been committed to harnessing the scientific rigor of the Life Cycle Assessment of its products to understand better the emissions from its supply chain and consumer use of its products. Up to 85% of P&G's Scope 3 emissions are from consumer use of its products. As part of Scope 3 emissions efforts, we are working towards an updated Life Cycle Assessments for our products to help identify progress against and future areas for emission reductions.
As for forest carbon emissions, P&G is partnering with FSC US and FSC Canada to measure the forest carbon impacts of FSC forest certification. Initial research by Preferred By Nature and others indicates FSC certification positively impacts forest carbon. Notably, the IPCC, 2019: Special Report on Climate Change and Land [P.R.Shukla et al.] addresses sustainable forest management and GHG emissions. The report states on page 55, 'Sustainable forest management can prevent deforestation, maintain and enhance carbon sinks and can contribute towards GHG emissions-reduction goals. Sustainable forest management generates socio-economic benefits and provides fiber, timber, and biomass to meet society's growing needs.'
P&G requires that 100% of the wood pulp we source is certified by a globally recognized 3rd party certification system (Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)) which include criteria related to protecting both environmental and social values of forests. P&G gives preference to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme and accepts fiber from some national standards endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) schemes of which SFI is included. These certification systems include criteria related to many critical areas:
All animals and plants play vital roles in the balance of their local ecosystems. If any were to go extinct, ecosystems could have significant negative impacts. It's important to protect those species that are threated or endangered. P&G's requirements for all pulp fiber to be third party certified helps protect and restore threatened and endangered species. FSC's standard directly states that companies "shall protect rare species and threaten species and their habitats" to maintain certification (C6.4). Canada's FSC standard goes even further to specifically develop requirements for caribou (C6.4.5a). SFI’s standard says companies “shall protect threatened and endangered species, critically imperiled and imperiled species, and natural communities, and old-growth forests” (PM4.2). PEFC’s standard says companies should take actions for endangered species "protection and, where relevant, to increase their population." (C8.4.3)
Respecting the traditional rights of communities that reside and rely on forests is very important especially for Indigenous Groups. P&G uses certification standards as important tools to evaluate suppliers’ compliance with our policy commitment that Indigenous Peoples rights are respected through the completion of the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent process. All national FSC standards are required to "recognize and uphold the rights, custom and culture of Indigenous Peoples as defined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" (C3.4). This requires companies to "identify and uphold Indigenous Peoples legal and customary rights of ownership." SFI says companies “shall develop and implement a written policy acknowledging a commitment to recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples”(PM 8.1). PEFC says that national certification standards it endorses should use a framework to ensure Indigenous rights are respected suggesting the use of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and stating that rights which shall not be infringed upon without the free, prior, and informed consent of the holders of the rights, including the provision of compensation where applicable (C6.3.2.2).
High conservation values are any characteristics that make an area unique or special. They could be sites of archeological, cultural, and environmental significance. Examples are habitats to protect the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, cemeteries, a watershed that is the source for water for entire communities, or traditional hunting grounds of Indigenous Peoples. P&G's belief in third-party certification standard helps us evaluate our suppliers’ compliance with our policy commitment to ensure HCVs are properly identified and protected. PEFC's standard does not use the HCV definitions, but says certified companies shall "identify, protect, conserve or set aside ecologically important forest areas" (I8.4.2) and "maintain or enhance the economic, ecological, cultural and social values of forest resources" (I8.1.1). SFI says certificate holders “shall manage to protect ecologically important sites in a manner that takes into account their unique qualities” (PM 4.3). FSC's global standard requires certified companies to "maintain or enhance High Conservation Values" (Principle 9).
The forestry certification systems require prompt action taken to regenerate forest cover to pre-harvest conditions, ensuring the same quality and quantity of the forest resources. FSC directly address regeneration and planting by requiring companies "by natural or artificial regeneration methods, regenerate vegetation cover in a timely fashion to pre-harvesting or more natural conditions" (C10.1). Further, FSC certified companies "shall use species for regeneration that are ecologically well adapted to the site and management objectives" (C10.2). The PEFC standard "requires that successful regeneration shall be ensured through natural regeneration or planting that is adequate to ensure the quantity and quality of the forest resources" (C8.4.4). The SFI standard requires companies to “promptly reforest after final harvest” (PM2.1).
Altering forests to non-forest uses, such as housing developments or agricultural fields, should be avoided. The loss of habitat for wildlife is devastating, and the new land type cannot sequester as much carbon as a forest. These conversions also increase forest fragmentation that further breaks up larger forests that some wildlife depend on for their survival. Certification systems used by P&G suppliers heavily regulate forest conversion. FSC does not permit conversion except in extremely limited circumstances (C6.9). The conversion must produce clear and substantial long-term conservation benefits, not take place in HCV areas, and be less than 0.5% of the forest. Lands converted to non-forest land use are not eligible for SFI certification at all (PM1.3). There are exceptions for wildlife food plots or forest infrastructures such as forest roads, trails, and log processing areas. Conversion to housing developments, office or industrial parks, commercial crop fields, or pastures is not permitted under any certification P&G uses.
Preserving the biodiversity of forests is vital for healthy ecosystems. Forest management activities must maintain or enhance biodiversity. All certification systems consider biodiversity within their standards. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative includes biodiversity in their first indicator saying, “Forest management planning at a level appropriate to the size and scale of the operation, including biodiversity at landscape scales” (PM 1.1.1.d). The Programme for the Endorsement of Certification address biodiversity by “requiring that management planning shall aim to maintain, conserve or enhance biodiversity on landscape, ecosystem, species and genetic levels” (C 8.4.1). Areas of significant concentration of biodiversity are included in FSC’s definition of High Conservation Value areas and need to be conserved or protected (Page 89).
The FSC International Generic Indicators give instructions to standards developers in countries around the world that certificate holders should “improve degraded areas, once harvested, to more natural conditions” (C10.1). The Canadian FSC standard says to prevent degradation to waterways and “best efforts are made to maintain habitat features and increase the quality and quantity of habitat features…that have suffered long-term degradation due to forest management activities” (C6.7.3 & 6.6.4). The PEFC standard states that “management plans specify ways and means to minimize the risk of degradation and damage to forest ecosystems” (C6.2.5). Further, “degraded forest ecosystems shall be rehabilitated wherever and as far as economically feasible, by making best use of natural structures and process and using preventive biological measures” (C8.2.1). The SFI system has several objectives and performance measures that cover forest health and biodiversity that support degradation prevention and remediation. For example, SFI standard says “Certified Organizations shall manage to protect forests from damage agents, such as environmental or economically undesirable levels or wildfire, pests, diseases, and invasive species, to maintain and improve long-term forest health, productivity, and economic viability” (PM2.4). SFI certified companies are also to “conserve biological diversity at the stand and landscape level across a diversity of forest and vegetation cover types and successional stages including the conservation of forest plants and animals, aquatic species, threatened and endangered species, Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value, old-growth forests, and ecologically important sites” (O4). Other topics detailed above in this section could also support in limiting degradation such as replanting, biodiversity, and endangered species.