WASHINGTON - The independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program - one of the world's leading third-party forest certification programs - continues to grow exponentially, recently achieving 2,000 chain-of-custody certified locations.
 
"The SFI program is experiencing astounding growth - companies and buyers alike clearly appreciate our ability to strengthen forest management across North America and avoid unwanted offshore sources," SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow said today. "At the start of 2007, we had 48 certified locations. Two years later, this had climbed to more than 1,000, and now there are more than 2,000. We have gone from approving five label use requests a year to more than five a day."
 
The wide range of services, goods and locations means buyers can find SFI-labeled products to meet any need - whether it is furniture, lumber for their home, or paper for their office. A wide selection of popular products - from cosmetics to food to shoes - come in SFI-labeled packaging. There are even compostable paper cups made with fiber from forests certified to the SFI Standard.
 
By using the SFI label, companies can demonstrate they are doing their part to reward responsible forestry. The SFI forest standard is based on 14 core principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value.
 
Organizations certified to the SFI program range from small printers and lumberyards to international entities with more than 100 locations. They include 579 printers, as well as publishers, distributors, home building centers, mills, paper merchants, packaging companies, wholesale lumber companies, and more. They are found in every corner of the United States and Canada, as well as in Italy, Mexico, France, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Colombia, El Salvador and Switzerland.
 
The non-profit SFI is a comprehensive, independent certification program that works with environmental, social and industry partners to promote responsible forest management in North America and responsible fiber sourcing worldwide. Close to 196 million acres/80 million hectares are certified to the SFI forest management standard in North America - making it the largest single standard in the world.
 
Through SFI chain-of-custody certification, companies must have a tracking system in place so they can tell buyers how much certified, responsibly sourced and/or recycled content is in a product. The SFI program also has unique fiber sourcing requirements that promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands in North America.
 
The SFI label is recognized by respected organizations across North America and globally, including the American Consumer Council and TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, which says in its 2009 Seven Sins of Greenwashing report that SFI is a credible eco-label because the SFI program meets three key criteria - third-party certified, publicly available standard, and transparent standard development process.
 
The SFI website has a list of forests certified to the SFI Standard and suppliers who offer SFI-labeled products at www.sfiprogram.org/find-sfi-forest-products/index.php. For information on how to achieve SFI certification, visit www.sfiprogram.org/join-SFI/forestry-certification.php.