Sustainable Business

Trends Natural capital 4/4 able materials, such as wood fibre from responsibly managed forests, offer a sustainable way of benefiting from natural assets while also maintaining them – and they can even contribute to biodiversity protection. A recent study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), commissioned by ACE UK, showed that certified, well-managed forestry can help support a range of biodiversity, which wouldn't be present if forests were planted as large monocultures and not managed appropriately. For example, the study found that clearfell and replant as a forest cycle increases biodiversity in forests through the provision of temporary open space, with either an increase in the number of species, or abundance after clearfelling. Meanwhile, the presence of small open spaces within forests has a positive effect on all groups of biodiversity except mosses and woodland plants. The main factor influencing the size of this effect is the amount of light reaching the ground within these small open spaces, therefore wider roads and rides, as well as larger glades are recommended to maximise biodiversity gains. In Nordic countries, where the vast majority of wood fibre for ACE UK members' (Tetra Pak, SIG Combibloc and Elopak) beverage cartons originates, foresters take a number of measures to maintain biodiversity: – Planning logging routes and preparing the ground with dead and harvested branches to avoid unnecessary damage to the soil from machinery – Leaving buffer zones around water courses to ensure soil and debris from the banks do not fall into streams – Leaving dead wood, a number of high tree stumps (approximately three 3m stumps per hectare are required for FSC certification) and retention trees to benefit wildlife – Leaving forest set-asides (5% is required for FSC certification) – Maintaining and enhancing the mixture of tree species – Using GPS to help manage planning and 'site-adapted forestry' techniques with far greater precision Plus, many beverage carton manufacturers and their paperboard suppliers have put rigorous traceability systems in place so that they can trace fibre back to the forest area it came from. These systems are independently verified and certified annually according to 'Chain of Custody' (CoC) standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/ or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). replant as Clearfell and increases e a forest cycl in forests biodiversity provision of through the en space temporary op se in the ea with an incr ecies number of sp By scrutinising its own business practices, the beverage carton industry helps retailers and manufacturers to assure consumers that paper-based packaging using sustainably-sourced fibre is a responsible choice, which means that forests, and the species that depend on them, will thrive. As the concept of natural capital takes hold, the grocery sector has the opportunity to get ahead by prioritising certified wood fibre and other natural renewable materials within its supply chains.

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