ANCIENT AND ENDANGERED FOREST CONSERVATION POLICY FOR PAPER AND PAPER-BASED PACKAGING
VANITY GROUP is committed to sustainability in our uses of all forest-based products. For this reason, VANITY GROUP is committed to protecting the world’s forests through our approach to procurement of pulp, paper and packaging.
It is recognized that the expected increase in demand for forest-based products as a substitute for plastics cannot be met sustainably by the current system. Significant changes must occur in paper and packaging production, recycling and reuse in order to support the necessary shift away from single use plastics concurrent with conservation of Ancient and Endangered Forests.
Conservation of Ancient and Endangered Forests and Ecosystems
VANITY GROUP will support approaches and systems to build a future that does not use Ancient and Endangered Forestsi in the paper and packaging we source. We will influence our paper and packaging supply chain in order to protect the world’s remaining Ancient and Endangered Forests and endangered speciesii habitat.
To do this, we will:
1. Work with Canopy and our suppliers to support collaborative and visionary solutions that protect remaining Ancient and Endangered Forests including those in the Coastal Temperate Rainforests on Vancouver Islandiii and the Great Bear Rainforestiv, Canada’s Boreal Forestsv, and Indonesia’s Rainforests.vi
2. By the end of 2025, assess our existing use of packaging and paper and set targets to eliminate sourcing from endangered species habitat and Ancient and Endangered Forests such as the Canadian and Russian Boreal Forests; Coastal Temperate Rainforests; tropical forests and peatlands of Indonesia, the Amazon and West Africa.
3. Work to eliminate sourcing from companies that are logging forests illegallyvii; areas that have been deforested, and natural forests that have been converted after 1994viii and areas being logged in contravention of First Nations/tribal/indigenous peoples’ and community rights or from other controversial suppliers.
4. At any time, if we find that any of our products are sourced from Ancient and Endangered Forests, endangered species habitat or illegal logging, we will act immediately and engage our suppliers to eliminate these sources and/or re-evaluate our relationship with them.
5. While VANITY GROUP and Canopy recognize that forest plantations play an important role in supplying fibre for products, it is also recognized that clearing of primary forests for plantations that produce wood fibre has contributed significantly to the destruction of forests in many parts of the world. VANITY GROUP recognizes that credible regional conservation plans that identify areas to be restored to natural forest from plantations along with areas that are dedicated for fibre supply (plantations) are the best way to ensure that sourcing from plantations is done sustainably. We will use the FSC plantation requirements as a baseline. Additionally, we will advocate for our suppliers and national and regional governments to engage in, and develop, conservation plans for the regions from which we source as a means to distinguish those plantations that are contributing to solutions and those that are exacerbating the problem.
6. Where the above conditions are met, VANITY GROUP will require that the paper and packaging we source with virgin fibre content from forests comes from responsibly managed forests, certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system.
Design and Prioritization of Reduction and Reuse
The reduction and reuse of paper and packaging is of paramount priority for the protection of the world’s limited forest resources and has a clear and beneficial impact on reduced costs. Most often sustainability initiatives pay off on longer time horizons, in the case of reduction and reuse the economic and environmental benefits can be seen immediately.
Therefore, over the next year, VANITY GROUP with the support of Canopy will prioritize the development of a reduction and reuse strategy with targets and timelines. Within this strategy, for the paper and packaging products we continue to need, we will also explore the use of the lowest foot print materials, such as post-consumer recycled and agricultural residue content.
Over the next 3 years VANITY GROUP will:
- Source or design re-usable/refillable shipping boxes to reduce corrugated paper and paperboard.
- Design and implement e-commerce, shipping, display and wrapping systems that minimize the use of paper.
- Utilize re-useable packaging systems for intra business applications.
- Increase the use of digital communication, marketing and accounting systems.
- Adopt best practices including researching and applying emerging and circular economy innovations.
Improve Environmental Quality of Paper/Packaging
VANITY GROUP will collaborate with Canopy, innovative companies and suppliers to encourage the development of next generation solutions and paper and packaging sourcesix that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on agricultural fibres (particularly residues)x and recycled content. We will use Canopy’s Ecopaper database and The Paper Steps as a guide for paper and packaging sourcing.
To help reduce pressure on forests and freshwater systems, as well as to reduce the carbon footprint of the paper and packaging we usexi, VANITY GROUP will:
- Give preference to paper/packaging with high-recycled content, specifically post-consumer waste content;
- Encourage our suppliers to continuously improve and expand the availability of recycled content in papers/packaging;
- Maximize the overall recycled fibre content of our papers/packaging to a minimum average of 50% within 3 years;
- Source papers/packaging from alternative fibres such as wheat straw or other agricultural residues, when possible;
- Support research and development of commercial scale production of pulp, paper and packaging from alternative fibre sources such as wheat straw, and other alternative fibres;
- Participate in alternative fibre paper and packaging trials as appropriate.
Recognizing, Respecting and Upholding Human Rights and the Rights of Communities
To respect the right of Indigenous People and Local Communities (IP/LC)xii , which are codified under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, VANITY GROUP will request that our upstream suppliers confirm that they carry out operations consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which includes allowing impacted IP/LC to grant or withhold their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).xiii
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Footprint
VANITY GROUP recognizes the importance of forests as carbon storehouses and their role in maintaining climate stability. As part of our ongoing leadership on climate we will support initiatives that advance forest conservation to reduce the loss of high carbon stock forests, by encouraging suppliers to avoid harvest in these areas, and by giving preference to those that use effective strategies to actively reduce their greenhouse gas footprint.
Safeguarding Water and Critical Systems
VANITY GROUP recognizes that Ancient and Endangered Forests are vitally important systems for the protection and regulation of water from the local to global level. Large areas of contiguous forest act as a biotic pump helping to move moisture from coastal areas to the interior of continents. We give preference to those suppliers that use effective strategies to actively maintain and restore forest intactness to maintain forests’ function of regulating the flow and purity of water at a micro and macro scale.
Support Best Processing Practices and Procurement
Paper manufacturing is a resource-intensive process that can lead to air and water emissions that impact overall environmental quality. Therefore we will give purchasing preference to paper and packaging that is chlorine free and has been processed utilizing responsible bleaching technologies such as chlorine free bleachingxiv as per The Paper Steps. VANITY GROUP commits to do an annual review of all of our paper and packaging use in order to identify areas where we can increase paper use efficiencies, reduce paper and packaging basis weights, and save money and resources. We will also give preference in our North American operations to using printers ranked in the top of the Blueline Ranking.
Promote Industry Leadership
VANITY GROUP looks to create a positive impact together with our suppliers, partners and customers. As implementation progresses, VANITY GROUP will work with suppliers, non-governmental organizations, other stakeholders and brands that are part of Canopy’s initiatives to support the protection of Ancient and Endangered Forests and forward solutions to reduce the demands upon forests. We will also seek opportunities to educate and inform the public on these issues and solutions through our marketing and communications.
Jie Ma - Managing Director
VANITY GROUP
14th March 2025