NORCROSS, Ga., Sept. 17 -- Unisource Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading distributors of paper, packaging and facility supplies in North America, has earned nationwide Chain-of-Custody certification. Unisource was certified by SGS -- the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company -- at all Unisource distribution centers and PaperPlus locations. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity.
Chain-of-Custody tracks paper products throughout their life cycle beginning with proper forestry management all the way to consumption by the end-user. Companies, such as Unisource, play a vital role in maintaining integrity throughout the entire distribution chain.
Unisource's warehouse facilities are now certified by three independent forest management agencies. Unisource is the first national distributor to earn three certifications, including Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the prestigious Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The three certifications extend to March 2012.
The FSC has developed a set of principles and criteria for responsible forest management that is consistently applied to all FSC-certified forests worldwide. The program certifies wood products recognized as coming from "well-managed" forests adhering to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. SFI is a program based on nine principles that address economic, environmental, cultural and legal issues, in addition to a commitment to continuously improve sustainable forest management. PEFC is a global organization for the assessment of national forest certification schemes developed in a multi-stakeholder process. These national schemes build upon the inter-governmental processes for the promotion of sustainable forest management, a series of ongoing mechanisms supported by 149 governments in the world and covering 85 percent of the world's forest area.
"Our Chain-of-Custody certification is a prestigious seal of approval, and it provides assurances to our customers that we are following best practices and fulfilling our responsibilities in forest management," said Ed Farley, Unisource Vice President, Marketing - Paper. "The market demand for Chain-of- Custody is continuing to increase, particularly in the paper industry, and our certification strengthens our commitment to environmental stewardship."