START

CASE STUDY

OFFICEWORKS

Officeworks + FSC Australia

RESTORING AUSTRALIA THROUGH SUSTAINABLE PAPER

RESTORING AUSTRALIA THROUGH SUSTAINABLE PAPER

Officeworks is helping its customers make more sustainable purchasing decisions through its Restoring Australia initiative. Under the initiative, Officeworks will plant two trees for every one used, based on the weight of paper products sold at Officeworks.

Entering it’s third year, more than 570,000 trees have already been planted at 10 sites across Australia, restoring degraded landscapes and in turn providing habitat for native wildlife, including many threatened or endangered species. Officeworks commitment to the responsible and sustainable sourcing of paper and wood products has created the foundation for the company to launch a large-scale tree planting and restoration project.

With a commitment that by December 2020 all paper products will be FSC certified or made from 100% recycled content, consumers can contribute positively when they purchase paper products from Officeworks.

1.
INTRODUCTION

RESTORING
AUSTRALIA

PROJECT
OVERVIEW

Consumers choose from over 10,000 products, the majority of which are FSC certified, in alignment with the company’s sustainable wood-fibre sourcing policy

Each year Officeworks calculates the volume of paper products sold, and equates this to how many trees are used

Officeworks works with their partner, Greening Australia, and commits to 2 trees for every 1 sold to be planted

Greening Australia plants at least 200,000 trees each year, restoring landscapes at sites across Australia

2.1
QUICK FACTS

Officeworks suppliers are required to adhere to the Ethical Sourcing & Modern Slavery Policy, to ensure that goods and services are sourced in a responsible manner.

Suppliers of paper and wood products are required to demonstrate compliance to the sustainable wood-fibre sourcing policy

During financial year 2018-19, a total of 81% of all paper products sold were FSC-certified or made from 100% recycled content, up from 68% in FY 2018

The 2020 target is for all paper products to be either FSC® certified or 100% recycled.

OFFICEWORKS

RESPONSIBLE
SOURCING

2.2
QUICK FACTS

As a leading retailer of paper products, Officeworks understands the importance of responsible and sustainable sourcing of products that contain wood-fibre. All suppliers are required to disclose detailed information, which includes timber species and harvest location in the absence of a credible third-party certification, before products can be ordered.

OFFICEWORKS &

RESPONSIBLE
PROCUREMENT

3.1
A FORMULA FOR FORESTS

Officeworks recognises the Forest Stewardship Council as the leading forestry certification scheme due to their high environmental and social standards for responsible and sustainable forest management, as well as their chain of custody processes and balanced governance structure. During the 2018-2019 financial year, Officeworks continued to communicate their commitment to the sustainable sourcing of paper and reiterated their goal that by December 2020, all paper products are to be FSC certified or made from 100% recycled content. Recognising that a long-term approach is required in order for supply chains to adapt, the targets were established in 2015 after stakeholder consultation, and first communicated in 2016, with regular discussions occurring between industry groups and environmental non-government organisations. As of the 30th June 2019, 81% of all paper products sold met this criterion, up from 68% during 2017-2018.

OFFICEWORKS &

RESPONSIBLE
PROCUREMENT

3.2
A FORMULA FOR FORESTS

Virgin fibre has to be certified legal at minimum and to credible internationally recognized independent third-party standards (preferably FSC with full Chain of Custody certification), or demonstrate a sustainable and auditable supply chain, and/or non virgin material must be 100% post-consumer recycled. To ensure Officeworks’ requirements are maintained, suppliers shall complete the forestry questionnaire upon product registration.

Products not meeting the policy requirements are unable to be registered. When the forest source changes, suppliers are to notify Officeworks in advance and continue to meet the policy requirements. Officeworks has maintained a focus on the sustainable sourcing of paper-based products.

4.2
RESPONSIBLE SOURCING POLICIES

OFFICEWORKS &

RESPONSIBLE
PROCUREMENT

Restoring Australia is Officeworks’ long-term commitment to making a positive difference to the environment, native wildlife, the landholders and communities that benefit through the tree planting and land restoration projects. In addition, it allows customers to make sustainable purchases simply by shopping at Officeworks.

5.1
IMAGINING TOMORROW'S AUSTRALIA

OFFICEWORKS &

RESPONSIBLE
PROCUREMENT

Since European Settlement, agricultural landscapes in southern Australia have lost over 80% of their natural habitat, impacting threatened species and the productivity of our farmlands. Restoring Australia integrates large-scale reforestation and carbon sinks into farming systems to help threatened plants and wildlife, and combat global climate change, creating healthy, products landscapes for people and nature.

With this Australian-first initiative, Officeworks calculates the weight of paper and wood products across its range of products and what percentage of paper or wood is in each product. That number is then multiplied by the total weight of the product and the volume of product sold, annually. Two trees are plant for every ‘one’ sold.

5.2
IMAGINING TOMORROW'S AUSTRALIA

OFFICEWORKS &

RESPONSIBLE
PROCUREMENT

In 2016, Officeworks partnered with Australian Paper to produce the Officeworks exclusive Keji and J.Burrows premium papers.

If you see the FSC logo, you know that the wildlife was protected, local communities and indigenous groups were consulted and workers had safe working conditions. This way, we can ensure forests to maintain and protected for future generations. When you choose paper or wood products at Officeworks, look for the FSC Logo and think ‘Forests For all Forever’.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management worldwide. FSC enables consumers to make informed choices about the products they buy, thus improving standards for companies regarding forest management.

FSC AUSTRALIA