Celebrating 20 years of certified sustainable forest management
Forests are one of world’s most important ecosystems and at the same time a source of food, shelter, medicine and employment. We want to take care of biodiversity in forests and manage our valuable resource with respect. Therefore, 20 years ago Smurfit Kappa Colombia Forest Operations decided to look for voluntary sustainable forest management certification through the FSC® standard for its forest plantations.
The FSC® forest management standard stands for environmentally, socially and economically sustainable forest management. This means that the Forest Operations team has an annually updated long-term plan for its forest management. The plan considers aspects such as biodiversity, ecosystem and species conservation, environmentally and socially sound work practices, and includes the active participation of our local stakeholders in the decision making. Each year an independent third-party auditor evaluates the forest management practices against the FSC® standard and where needed, the Forest Operations team are provided with actions to be implemented to maintain the certification.
Everybody at the Forest Operations undergoes training to understand the FSC® standard requirements and how to implement them in day-to-day work. The training also includes an understanding of what a FSC® certification means for their organisation. Smurfit Kappa employees are proud of the extra steps we take to comply with the certification. “Certified forests mean that we apply specific procedures to protect the natural tropical forest and manage the forest plantations as well as maintain the safety of our workers in the forest. While this is important to our customers, it is also important to us, as certified plantations are an important source of employment for our surrounding communities,” explains Jose Nehil Zuluaga Trujillo, Harvest Technician.
“Engaging with our stakeholders in our processes is equally important,” adds Claudia Marcela Zapata, Head of Forest Research. “It starts with having our forest management plans made publicly available, so anyone has access to them and can come back to us with questions and comments. Another important aspect is to respect the rights of indigenous people. At Smurfit Kappa Colombia we engage with local indigenous groups through dialogue and collaborative projects.”
Adriana Marin works as Planning Process Engineer for the Colombian Forest Operations and is in charge of the implementation of the FSC® certified forest management. For her taking the extra step to implement a voluntary sustainability standard is personal. “Every morning when I see my little son leaving for school, I think how important it is to work for something that preserves nature for the next generations.”
Protecting nature for future generations is the reason why at Smurfit Kappa Colombia Forestry Operations, we are pleased to celebrate 20 years of FSC® forest certification.