North Charleston, South Carolina, USA, 12 July 2010 -- /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their continuing commitment to balancing environmental responsibility and corporate growth, KapStone Charleston Kraft LLC, an unbleached kraft paper and lumber producer, announced today it has upgraded its SFI fiber sourcing certification to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative SFI 2010-2014 Standard across its five chip mills, Summerville lumber mill and Charleston kraft paper mill. KapStone was previously certified to the SFI(R) 2005-2009 fiber sourcing standard and continues its SFI certification in chain-of-custody (CoC). KapStone Charleston Kraft LLC is wholly owned by KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation (NYSE: KS).
An SFI fiber sourcing label tells consumers the fiber in a product is from a legal and responsible source, regardless of whether the forest is certified. In the United States and Canada, there must be an auditable procurement process in place showing that, among other things, participants are supporting landowners in promoting reforestation, protecting threatened and endangered species, and strengthening best management practices to protect water quality. When sourcing fiber from outside of North America, program participants must perform risk assessments to avoid controversial sources such as illegal harvesting operations or areas of civil unrest, and must promote the conservation of biological diversity.
As part of its certification, KapStone Charleston Kraft is required to undergo annual surveillance audits as well as full certification to the SFI Standard every five years, conducted by an independent, accredited certification body. All audit reports are published on the SFI program website at www.sfiprogram.org.
"At a time when just 10% of the world's forests are independently certified, KapStone Charleston Kraft is part of a growing number of companies who have demonstrated their environmental commitment and leadership by certifying their operations to the SFI Standard," said Kathy Abusow, SFI Inc. president and CEO.
Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation is a leading North American producer of unbleached Kraft paper products and linerboard. The company is the parent company of KapStone Kraft Paper Corporation, which includes paper mills in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and North Charleston, South Carolina, a lumber mill in Summerville, South Carolina, and five chip mills in South Carolina. The business employs approximately 1550 people. |
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