Submitted: The Two Sides Team October 1, 2012

Time Inc., the National Geographic Society, Macmillan, and Pearson will become Founding Partners of the SFI Forest Partners Program. The alliance was announced at the SFI annual conference in Milwaukee, attended by foresters, land owners, conservation groups, First Nations, industry and government agencies.

September 12 2012

Milwaukee, WI

Four leaders of the North American publishing industry announced today
they will partner with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) to
help spur the growth of certification to preserve and protect forests.

Time Inc., the National Geographic Society, Macmillan, and Pearson will become Founding Partners of the SFI Forest
Partners Program. The alliance was announced at the SFI annual
conference in Milwaukee, attended by foresters, land owners,
conservation groups, First Nations, industry and government agencies.

SFI
Forest Partners allows market leaders to support certification, as well
as landowners and manufacturers facilitate forest certification and the
certified sourcing of forest products. Partners will work collectively
with the SFI community to make certification more efficient and
accessible by providing resources for activities such as shared
consulting expertise, group certification or audit coordination.

“A
decade ago, Time Inc. was one of the first companies to make a public
commitment to use 80% certified fiber. Progress beyond that goal has
been hampered by the limited availability of adequate supply,” said Guy
Gleysteen, Senior Vice President of Production at Time Inc. “SFI Forest
Partners lets us have a direct impact on the growth of forest
certification and the responsible sourcing of forest products.”

By
the end of 2014, SFI Forest Partners aims to certify five million acres
(two million hectares) of forests to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard. By the
end of 2017, the Forest Partners Program hopes to certify 10 million
acres (four million hectares) of forest across the United States and
Canada. It will also seek to certify more small and medium-sized mills
to SFI certified sourcing or chain-of-custody certification.

“We
believe strongly that we, as publishers, have a role to play in
encouraging responsible forestry practices,” said Hans Wegner, Chief
Sustainability Officer for the National Geographic Society. “We know
that humans are deforesting the globe, particularly in the tropical
regions of the world, at a clip of approximately 2 percent a year, a
trend that is completely unsustainable. We may well be the last
generation with the opportunity to reverse that trend.”

“Sustainability
is a core mission for Macmillan,” said CEO John Sargent. “By committing
to the use of certified fiber sourced from well-managed North American
forests we are ensuring responsible, environmentally-friendly forestry
while also supporting the most efficient global use of recycled fiber.
Third-party certification instills confidence that we are making
informed choices that keep domestic forests healthy, rural communities
strong, and preserves fragile forests in other areas of our world.”

“Forest
Certification is an increasingly important tool in the ongoing struggle
to create a sustainable world. Trees absorb carbon. Well-managed
forests help address deforestation, protect and enhance biodiversity,
and underpin sustainable livelihoods,” said Rich Glicini, Senior Vice
President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Pearson. “Five years ago we
made a commitment to climate neutrality for our directly-controlled
operations. Helping to promote responsible forest management practices
complements that commitment and continues to be a priority for Pearson
companies.”

“The
SFI Forest Partners Program builds on an innovative pilot project in
Maine that resulted in an additional 1.4 million acres/570,000 hectares
certified to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard,” said SFI President and CEO
Kathy Abusow. “The Maine project also resulted in 100,000 acres of
forest lands certified to the American Tree Farm Standard. We look
forward to building on that initiative with these four founding members
of the Forest Partners Program.”

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