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Avery Dennison Teams Up with the Rainforest Alliance to Promote Sustainable Forestry in Honduras

“As a leader in labeling and packaging, we’re in a unique position to move our industry toward sustainably sourced materials, and that includes investing in the communities that manage natural resources,” said Dean Scarborough, chairman, president and CEO of Avery Dennison. “By working with the Rainforest Alliance, we can improve the livelihoods of farmers and their families while creating economic dividends for the entire value chain.”

Published 10 years ago | About a 3 minute read

Avery Dennison Foundation today announced a $200,000 grant to the Rainforest Alliance to foster best practices in forestry management, create jobs and increase access to sustainably-managed forest products. “As a leader in labeling and packaging, we’re in a unique position to move our industry toward sustainably sourced materials, and that includes investing in the communities that manage natural resources,” said Dean Scarborough, chairman, president and CEO of Avery Dennison. “By working with the Rainforest Alliance, we can improve the livelihoods of farmers and their families while creating economic dividends for the entire value chain.” Avery Dennison—whose materials are used for labeling and packaging products by a variety of industries, including apparel, food and beverage and personal care—has been using responsibly sourced paper since 2008 and, with guidance from the Rainforest Alliance, announced an industry-leading paper sourcing policy in 2013. The company is actively working to eliminate controversial fiber sources, increase certified and recycled sources, and improve environmental performance in the supply chain. The grant will address one of the greatest deforestation fronts in all of Latin America by: --Promoting best practices in forestry management in line with Forest Stewardship Council certification to approximately 80,000 hectares (or 188,000 acres) of land in Brus Laguna, Honduras. --Diversifying the timber value chain and increasing access to new markets for farmers. --Creating new jobs and strengthening organizational and business capacities of community forest enterprises. “The best way to keep forests standing is to use them wisely,” said Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance. “That’s why we’re so pleased to work with Avery Dennison in Honduras to improve business skills of local community managers, increase efficiencies and open access to new markets. Avery Dennison has made a significant commitment to FSC certification and sustainable sourcing and we are excited to collaborate with them on this next phase of their sustainability journey.” The Rainforest Alliance works to curb deforestation in Honduras and throughout the world by providing farmers and forest managers with sustainable alternatives to forest destruction. The Rainforest Alliance’s efforts in Honduras are especially crucial, where unsustainable land use practices have resulted in extensive destruction of the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras’s largest natural forest reserve covering over two million acres. The Rainforest Alliance is teaching producers how to manage their land in a way that is profitable while conserving biodiversity and promoting the health of forest ecosystems. About Avery Dennison Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY) is a global leader in labeling and packaging materials and solutions. The company serves customers with insights and innovations that help make brands more inspiring, products more sustainable and the world more intelligent. With operations in more than 50 countries and 26,000 employees, its applications and technologies are used in every major market and industry. Headquartered in Glendale, California, the company reported sales from continuing operations of $6.1 billion in 2013. Learn more at www.averydennison.com. About The Avery Dennison Foundation The mission of The Avery Dennison Foundation is to advance the causes of education and sustainability in the communities where Avery Dennison employees live and work. In cooperation with organizations that receive grants, the Foundation also encourages corporate employees to seek opportunities to become involved with the local community and, through volunteer work, to bring the same spirit of invention and innovation found at the heart of Avery Dennison’s success. Learn more at www.averydennison.com/foundation. About Rainforest Alliance The Rainforest Alliance is a global nonprofit that works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers. From large multinational corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and consumers worldwide are involved in the Rainforest Alliance’s efforts to bring responsibly produced goods and services to a global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing steadily. For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.