December 22, 2009 | GBI Insight Home

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

As green building has become more prevalent, there has been an increasing recognition of the impact that material choices have on the environment. This is evidenced by the increasing use of life cycle assessment (LCA) to scientifically compare the environmental impacts of materials, assemblies and even whole structures, the emergence of user-friendly LCA tools such as the ATHENA® EcoCalculator for Assemblies, and the increasing demand for wood products that are certified as having come from well-managed forests.

Voluntary third-party forest certification began in the 1990s in response to market concerns about forest management and illegal logging. Today, SFI Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving a sustainable forestry certification program that is internationally recognized and among the largest in the world.

The SFI 2005-2009 Standard is based on principles and measures that promote sustainable forest management and consider all forest values. It includes unique fiber sourcing requirements promoting responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands.

SFI-certified products are recognized by many leading green building rating programs in the United States, Canada and overseas. These include residential programs such as the National Green Building Standard and National Association of Home Builders, and commercial programs such as Green Globes®.

The SFI program is made up of the following components:

• SFI forest certification promotes responsible forestry practices. To be certified, forest operations across the United States and Canada must be audited against the SFI forest standard.
• SFI chain-of-custody certification extends into the marketplace by tracking fiber content from certified lands through production and manufacturing to the end product. Consumers who buy products with the SFI “percent-content” label know they are buying products from responsible sources.
• SFI fiber sourcing requirements address the reality of global fiber markets and the fact that only 10 percent of the world’s forests are certified. Program participants must show that the raw material in their supply chain comes from legal and responsible sources, whether the forests are certified or not.
• SFI labels are recognized globally and provide a visual cue to help customers source certified forest products.

SFI program requirements are audited by independent, third-party certification bodies to ensure they conform to the standard. For more information or to source SFI-certified products, visit the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.