Posted on February, 11 2016

Gland, Switzerland - WWF, the conservation organisation, has developed a free and non-public management tool to assist companies along the whole pulp and paper supply chain in their efforts towards greater sustainability and credibility. The online environmental Self-Check is a valuable support tool both within companies and for communication between buyers and sellers.

Mills, merchants, agents, publishers as well as paper and print buyers can immediately benefit from the online Self-Check of the forest, water and climate performance of paper and fibre based packaging products - for entirely private or internal use. The online Self-Check on checkyourpaper.panda.org is easy to use and reduces complexity in evaluating a paper’s footprint by using relatively few, but carefully selected, environmental indicators. There are no fees or cumbersome registration procedures.

Concretely, the Self-Check tool can support a company’s internal decision making between sales, marketing, production/technical and procurement divisions. It can help to communicate the environmental performance of products to merchants and direct customers without the need for results to be made public, unless both parties want this. Printers and publishers can also request that their suppliers provide a Self-Check summary on products they intend to buy. Mills and their customers can use the tool to reduce reputational risks - for both mill brands and customer brands - and to work together towards improvements with the help of concrete indicators.

“Self-Check is invaluable as a means of independent verification for the end user and will further the promotion of sustainable paper products”, said Danny Doogan, Group Sustainability Manager, Denmaur Independent Papers Ltd. 

"Pulp, paper and packaging can be very green", said Rod Taylor, Director of WWF’s Global Forest Programme, “The Self-Check is a powerful and free tool to help companies improve the environmental credentials of their products”.

 “We were getting a lot of positive feedback from producers and buyers about the original Check Your Paper but not all companies wanted to publish their brand results online. The new environmental Self-Check supports continual improvement efforts, however outside of the public arena”, said Emmanuelle Neyroumande, Manager of WWFs global paper work.

The environmental Self-Check is based on a simple but scientifically robust method that was developed by WWF in cooperation with scientists, paper buyers, producers and NGOs.

For further information:
Helma Brandlmaier, Senior Advisor Strategic Communications and Knowledge Management, WWF International Tel: +43676842728219 hbrandlmaier@wwf.panda.org