Georgia-Pacific Wood Products Demonstrates Commitment to Sustainability with Achievement of SFI Certifications

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia-Pacific Wood Products, a leader in the building and construction industry, announced today it has achieved certifications to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) chain-of-custody standard across its engineered lumber facilities and the SFI fiber sourcing certification for its engineered lumber, structural panels and softwood lumber products.

"Obtaining these SFI certifications is an important part of our ongoing commitment to the responsible use of natural resources," said Caryn King, director of marketing, Georgia-Pacific Wood Products. "We are confident that the certifications will help us service the increasing market demand for forest products from responsible sources and will provide our customers with additional support as they make sustainable choices about the building products they use," stated King. "That's a win for our business, our customers, and our forests," concluded King.

With more than 170 million acres certified across North America, the non-profit SFI sustainable forestry certification program is one of the largest in the world, with a standard based on principles and measures that promote sound forest management including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests with exceptional conservation value.

Through SFI chain-of-custody certification, the Georgia-Pacific engineered lumber facilities all have a tracking system in place to identify the amount of wood fiber originating from forests certified to SFI. Additionally, Georgia-Pacific engineered lumber, structural panels and softwood lumber product mills are all SFI fiber sourcing certified, which means that the raw material in the supply chain comes from legal and responsible sources.

"At a time when just 10 percent of the world's forests are independently certified, Georgia-Pacific Wood Products joins a growing community of companies, landowners, and social and environmental organizations who have demonstrated their environmental commitment and leadership by achieving SFI certification," said SFI Inc. President and CEO Kathy Abusow.  

About Georgia-Pacific

Headquartered at Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs more than 40,000 people at more than 300 locations in North America, South America and Europe. Georgia-Pacific creates long-term value by using resources efficiently to provide innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of customers and society, while operating in a manner that is environmentally and socially responsible and economically sound.  The company has long been among the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers, with brands such as Plytanium® plywood, DryPly® water repellent plywood, Ply-Bead® panels and Wood I Beam™ and XJ 85® joists offered by Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC.  DensArmor Plus® interior panels, DensGlass® Sheathing and ToughRock® drywall are offered by Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC. The familiar consumer tissue brands of Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Sparkle®, Soft 'n Gentle®, Mardi Gras®, So-Dri® and Vanity Fair®.  Dixie Consumer Products LLC, a Georgia-Pacific company, manufactures the Dixie® brand of tabletop products.   For more information, visit www.gp.com

About SFI Inc.

SFI Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program (www.sfiprogram.org), which is internationally recognized and among the largest in the world. It is one of the fastest-growing forest certification programs with over 160 million acres (65 million hectares) of SFI-certified forests across North America. The SFI Standard also includes unique fiber sourcing requirements that promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands and a chain-of-custody certification, which can communicate to buyers how much certified fiber is in a specific product. The SFI forest standard is endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, a global umbrella organization that has strict requirements for endorsement. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally.

SOURCE Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC