Leading by example - Nature Conservation Day (28 July)

Sustainable forest management protects our planet’s valuable ecosystems. Faber-Castell shows how ecology and economy can go together.

Wood-cased pencils have been Faber Castell’s most important products since the company was founded in 1761. More than two billion pencils are produced every year. Faber-Castell is now able to cover up to 80 per cent of its wood requirements through its own forest management; all other wood purchased for pencil production comes from certified sustainable sources.

Transparency and trust

The best way to ensure a sustainable timber supply is to look at the supply chains: What kind of wood is it? Which country does it come from? And does it come from sustainable forestry? The globalisation of supply chains and the diversity of wood products (including pulp and paper) pose major challenges. It’s very difficult for customers to understand whether and what contribution they are making to sustainable forestry.

Internationally recognised certification systems such as FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) provide a remedy. These organisations aim to identify material flows and exclude non-compliant wood origins from the product chain (chain of custody). In this way, they have become globally recognised product standards for the use of sustainable wood resources, to which everyone in the value chain (forestry, wood processing industry, trade, consumers) can refer.

Certified sustainable wood procurement has long been at the heart of Faber-Castell's sustainability strategy, and the company gained extensive experience with FSC and PEFC. Faber Castell’s own forests and forest management in Brazil have been FSC-FM certified since 1999, ensuring environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically sustainable forest management. The product chain was first certified by FSC in 2007 and by PEFC in 2010. This results in a number of different obligations: For example, annual internal audits must be carried out at all Group sites, among other things, to check the material balance, as well as the procurement and production processes. In addition, all the relevant legal requirements of the countries involved have to be continuously monitored and documented. In addition to the internal audit, the entire management system of the group is externally audited every year.

Despite the effort required to maintain this kind of system, it provides a valuable basis for compliance with legal requirements such as the European Timber Trade Regulation (EUTR), the US Lacey Act, or the Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition Act. The EUTR came into force in 2013 and requires all European importers of timber products to implement an operational due diligence process. For this purpose, the strict documentation requirements of FSC and PEFC provide reliable and valuable information.

Faber Castell’s own forests as an example of a sustainable supply chain

In order to secure its own wood supply, Faber-Castell started its own programme in Prata in the state of Minas Gerais in south-eastern Brazil in the 1980s. On an area of around 10,000 hectares, around 300,000 Pinus Caribea seedlings are planted and grown every year. After about 20 years, the trees can be processed for pencil production.

Around one third of the company's own forest area is not used for timber production, but serves to protect biodiversity, which means a wealth of different species and genetic diversity. Numerous animal and plant species, some of which are threatened with extinction, have found new habitats on these natural areas. Since 2001, regular censuses document the positive development of biodiversity and around 660 animal species are now at home in these areas.

In addition to supplying raw materials, the company's own forests also serve as a certified source of CO2 offset certificates. The company's own forests are a reforestation project that, according to a study by TÜV Rheinland, has stored over 900,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in its biomass. These emission reduction certificates are used to compensate for the annual carbon dioxide emissions of all production sites worldwide, thus enabling CO2-neutral production.

Sustainable raw materials and climate protection

A sustainable supply chain has been established in Brazil by integrating local raw material cultivation with certified forestry and short transportation routes for further processing. As this is a reforestation project, it also binds CO2, which makes a positive contribution to climate protection for the entire Faber-Castell Group. This example shows that certified forestry and timber management can meet both economic and ecological requirements. Certifications from recognised organisations are essential in this respect and enable smaller and medium-sized companies to purchase and process wood with a clear conscience.

Learn more about our Sustainability Activities on our website: Sustainability (faber-castell.com)