With $200,000 Foundation Grant, Launches New Program to Improve Livelihoods of More than 10 Communities and Conserve Nearly 80,000 Hectares of At-Risk Land

GLENDALE, Calif. - Avery Dennison Foundation today announced a$200,000 grant to the Rainforest Alliance to foster best practices in forestry management, create jobs and increase access to sustainably-managed forest products.

“As a leader in labeling and packaging, we’re in a unique position to move our industry toward sustainably sourced materials, and that includes investing in the communities that manage natural resources,” said Dean Scarborough, chairman, president and CEO of Avery Dennison. “By working with theRainforest Alliance, we can improve the livelihoods of farmers and their families while creating economic dividends for the entire value chain.”

Avery Dennison—whose materials are used for labeling and packaging products by a variety of industries, including apparel, food and beverage and personal care—has been using responsibly sourced paper since 2008 and, with guidance from the Rainforest Alliance, announced an industry-leading paper sourcing policy in 2013. The company is actively working to eliminate controversial fiber sources, increase certified and recycled sources, and improve environmental performance in the supply chain.

The grant will address one of the greatest deforestation fronts in all of Latin America by:

• Promoting best practices in forestry management in line with Forest Stewardship Council certification to approximately 80,000 hectares (or 188,000 acres) of land in Brus Laguna, Honduras.
• Diversifying the timber value chain and increasing access to new markets for farmers.
• Creating new jobs and strengthening organizational and business capacities of community forest enterprises.

“The best way to keep forests standing is to use them wisely,” said Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance. “That’s why we’re so pleased to work with Avery Dennison in Honduras to improve business skills of local community managers, increase efficiencies and open access to new markets. Avery Dennison has made a significant commitment to FSC certification and sustainable sourcing and we are excited to collaborate with them on this next phase of their sustainability journey.”

The Rainforest Alliance works to curb deforestation in Honduras and throughout the world by providing farmers and forest managers with sustainable alternatives to forest destruction. The Rainforest Alliance’s efforts in Honduras are especially crucial, where unsustainable land use practices have resulted in extensive destruction of the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras’s largest natural forest reserve covering over two million acres. The Rainforest Alliance is teaching producers how to manage their land in a way that is profitable while conserving biodiversity and promoting the health of forest ecosystems.