23 / 76
SFI Impact
By Veronica Salazar, Atlas Packaging & Displays
As manufacturers of
corrugated packaging, sustainability
has long been part of our industry’s
practice. Atlas Packaging & Displays
was founded with the vision of
manufacturing innovative, value-
added products from recycled
and renewable materials. We are
committed to making a positive
impact on our community by
conducting business in a safe and
environmentally sound manner. We
are constantly working to minimize
waste, increase productivity, and
design packaging that not only
performs, but also utilizes the
least amount of fiber possible.
Atlas Packaging & Displays
strives to deliver products that
exceed customer expectations
while ensuring the safety of
our employees and promoting
responsible stewardship.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative
(SFI) is a fully independent,
nonprofit organization that manages
the largest single forest certification
standard in the world. The SFI
program directly addresses the
fact that just 10 percent of the
world’s forests are certified. SFI
certification tells buyers a product
comes from responsible and legal
sources; Harvested areas are
reforested promptly, biological
diversity maintained, laws obeyed,
and wildlife habitat maintained.
SFI certified sourcing means Atlas
Packaging & Displays works with
suppliers to meet the increasing
market demand for forest products
from legal and responsible sources
and helping the local community.
The SFI certified sourcing label tells
consumers that at least two-thirds
of Atlas Packaging & Displays’ fiber
comes from companies certified to
the procurement requirements of
the SFI 2010-2014 Standard.
The SFI program sheds light on
the grave issues of illegal logging.
Illegal logging is the harvesting,
transporting, processing, buying
or selling of timber in violation
of national laws. Illegal logging
degrades forests and wildlife, costs
governments billions of dollars,
damages communities, and impedes
sustainable development. The World
Bank states that the annual global
market loses $10 billion annually
from illegal logging.
As part of Atlas Packaging
& Displays’ commitment to
responsible stewardship, we support
the vision and goals of the SFI
program. SFI certified sourcing
addresses the 90 percent of the
world’s forests that are not certified.
Program participants must show
that at least 75 percent of the raw
material in their supply chain
comes from legal and responsible
sources. At Atlas Packaging &
Displays, more than 95 percent of
our raw materials come from SFI
certified sources.
How has it impacted your
business and customers?
Our SFI certification has been
highly welcomed in our community.
Many of our customers share the
same responsible stewardship
vision as us and are thrilled
that, together, we are taking a
stance and promoting sustainable
forestry. We even have some
customers that specifically
require that we show proof of
our sustainability initiatives.
“We
know our customers care about
how forests are managed. SFI
certified sourcing tells them our
products are made with fiber
from responsible sources – and
our procurement practices are
third-party audited,”
said Atlas
Packaging & Displays President
Chip Meissner. By taking an
environmental leadership position,
we have shown our customers that
we care about our community and
want to raise awareness on the
prevalent issues that affect us all.
Being SFI certified tells end-users
that they are buying products
continued on page 25
SFI-01444
Atlas Packaging & Displays warehouse.
23
BOX
SCORE