The March 21st celebration seeks to raise public awareness of the importance of forests, their conservation and their sustainable development

Forests cover a third of the earth’s surface and play a key role in the lives of many of its inhabitants. Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their very survival. 

Trees are the foundation of many natural systems, playing a fundamental role in the daily life of many rural communities. Furthermore, they help to mitigate climate change, as they influence the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere: as trees grow, they absorb carbon, which remains sequestered in the wood and in forest products.

With the International Day of Forests, the United Nations has created a new platform to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forest ecosystems in sustainable development. 

In Europe, land area covered by forests has grown by more than 30% since 1950. The European paper industry contributes to this increase, given that the trees from which it obtains the wood to manufacture paper are planted and cultivated on plantations that are continuously regenerated and replanted and that otherwise would not exist. Plantations for producing paper are large consumers of CO₂, increase the land area covered by forests and help to conserve forests.      

Lecta guarantees that the wood used to manufacture our products has been sustainably sourced and is able to document that this wood comes solely from legal, non-controversial sources, all of which are certified or controlled. Proof of this is the PEFC and FSC chain-of-custody certification we hold for all of our production. Both certification programs require an independent third party to accredit the traceability of forest products from their extraction through the supply chain to end-user, thus constituting the instrument that demonstrates to the consumer that the wood, or any other forest product, comes from forests managed in a responsible and sustainable manner.  

Forest restoration is a pillar of Lecta’s social and environmental commitment. Since 2004 we have promoted, in collaboration with the Spanish NGO AccióNatura, reforestation plans and volunteer days in which customers, employees and their families have all participated, resulting in the planting of more than 20,500 trees on the Iberian Peninsula and in Brazil.    

Supporting the International Day of Forests is part of Lecta’s commitment to social responsibility and environmental sustainability, in keeping with our mission and corporate values. To learn more about our activities as a socially responsible company, please visit www.lectasustainability.com.