BOOK CHAIN PROJECT

We care about the origin of our paper

Our company participates in the Book Chain Project, which verifies how paper is sourced and takes care of its quality. The project is based on Forest Sourcing tools that collect and analyse the origin of wood fibres used in paper and board, helping publishers to identify responsible forest sources for their books. The project holds data on over 3,000 paper and board brands from 300 paper mills around the world.

To hold manufacturers environmentally responsible and make them improve quality and completeness, we only accept data from papermakers who provide a full list of forest sources for a specific paper brand.

– Using our Forest Risk Assessment, we identify countries that pose a high risk of illegal or destructive forest clearance (high-risk countries) and countries that may act as conduits for fibre from high-risk countries (trans-shipment risk countries). Tree species are also checked on the IUCN Red List and CITES Annexes for their conservation status.

– Each forest source is awarded a grade on a three-tier star system, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. Having assessed the origin of the paper, we assign it a quality grade, usually the lowest – at least one of the sources of origin is unknown.

– Papers manufactured in high risk or trans-shipment risk countries are further checked using microscope fibre analysis. A sample from the papermaker is sent to a third-party testing house which provides a detailed report on the pulp types and tree species in the sample. Cross-checking results with the data provided verify that it is accurate. In addition, we detect check papers throughout the year using samples sourced from printers and finished books.

– Forest sources change over time so the steps above are repeated every 12 months to maintain the information, grades, and spot checks. Publishers are automatically notified when grades are updated