Wood & Fiber Sourcing Policy

At New-Indy Catawba, LLC (NICA) we recognize and value wood as a renewable and environmentally friendly raw material for the paper and market pulp that we make. To make these products, we utilize wood that is primarily in the form of pulpwood and wood chips. Our process stakeholders are deep and diverse.

We care about all forest values, including environmental, social and economic values. As such, we are committed to being good stewards of the forest resources we utilize, and we adopt this policy to ensure that our wood sourcing operations are conducted in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Our Commitments:

Third-party certification is maintained for our mill operations which adhere to globally recognized chain of custody and/or fiber sourcing standards. An integral part of these certifications is the use of rigorous wood tracking systems. This allows us to identify the source of the wood we acquire and to provide our customers and other stakeholders with the assurance that the wood we use originates from responsible sources. Implementation of these certifications is a key component of our due diligence process to avoid sourcing fiber from controversial sources, and to meet the requirements of trade regulations such as the Lacey Act.

WE:

• Promote responsible forest management principles and practices among all of our supplier chain participants.
• Require conformance to forestry best management practices and government forest regulations by all of our suppliers.
• Require appropriate training for the employees and suppliers who work in our wood sourcing operations.
• Strive for continual improvement in our operations and encourage our wood and fiber suppliers to demonstrate continual improvement in their own wood sourcing operations.
• Recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
• Comply with all laws and regulations in all of our operations, including social laws such as those concerning civil rights, equal opportunity employment, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, workers’ right to organize and associate freely, collective bargaining, occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, child labor, and forced labor.
• Implement a due diligence system to avoid wood from the following unacceptable sources:

Sources that involve illegal harvesting or trade in illegal forest products.

Sources where human rights are violated within the forest products sector.

Sources that involve significant damage to exceptional conservation values where such values are threatened by forest management activities.

Sources where wood is harvested in forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use.

Certification Standards

We are committed to globally responsible and sustainable forest management practices, and as such, we advocate for an inclusive approach to forest management, fiber sourcing, and chain of custody certification through the acknowledgement of a variety of globally recognized standards:

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), which applies to the United States and Canada, has a set of standards for forest management for large forestland of private or public ownership, for fiber sourcing for wood procurement operations, and for chain of custody. In conjunction with our SFI certifications, we are committed to implementing and achieving the SFI Principles.

The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) (FSC-C145546), which is a global organization, has its own set of individual national standards for forest management. FSC also has a chain of custody standard and associated Controlled Wood standard, as well as a standard for sourcing reclaimed material. In conjunction with our FSC certifications, we are committed to upholding FSC’s Principles and Criteria.

The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), which is a global umbrella organization, endorses national forest management standards and has its own chain of custody standard. The SFI and ATFS forest management standards are all formally recognized by PEFC.

Additionally we promote the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) is a forest management standard that applies to small family-owned forestlands. ATFS certification is promoted and encouraged among such forestland owners.

We are certified to all of these standards and committed to contributing to and meeting their principles and requirements.

 Revised:  JSH 12.5.2022

Contact Information

To ask questions or comment about this privacy policy and our privacy practices, contact us at:

info@new-indycb.com