Forest Solutions Group members report 2022 Key Performance Indicators results

Geneva, 31 August 2022 – Members of WBCSD’s Forest Solutions Group (FSG) are reporting their 2022 Key Performance Indicators (KPI) results. The positive trends on all long-term indicators reveal continued progress towards a net-zero, nature-positive and equitable future through action in eight impact areas.

FSG’s vision of a growing circular bioeconomy that is rooted in thriving working forests, based on the Forest Sector SDG Roadmap, was translated into meaningful actions within eight impact areas: Working Forests, Bioeconomy, Circularity, Climate, Water, People, Communities and Procurement. These actions are tied to KPIs, allowing business to take stock of the status of implementation measured against baselines set in 2014 and 2020.

In 2020, FSG reviewed and improved the KPIs to align with WBCSD’s new membership criteria and FSG’s ongoing work on net-zero and nature-positive.

Some highlights from the KPI results include:

Working forests: In 2021, 98% of the 20 million hectares of forests that FSG members directly manage were certified by an independent third party, marking a steady progression since 2015. In addition to the conservation measures in their productive forests, FSG members have set aside 24% of their land primarily for nature conservation or restoration purposes, representing an area of 4.8 million hectares.

Working closely with WBCSD’s Nature Action Imperative, FSG will further improve the measurement and disclosures of nature-related impacts to accelerate the transition towards a nature-positive forest sector. The report from Phase I of its Forest Sector Nature Positive Roadmap will be released at COP27 this year.

Climate: To drive emissions reductions and improve resource efficiency in their operations, 93% of FSG members have set time-bound and verified CO2 reduction targets aligned with climate science, and 67% of their total energy consumption came from renewable sources, mostly through the use of woody biomass. To strengthen the role of forests in climate change mitigation, in one year alone, FSG members planted 407 million trees, assisting natural regeneration, regrowing forests harvested for their wood supply and restoring ecosystems. Read the Forest Sector Net-Zero Roadmap Phase I report (2021) to learn more about the role of sustainable working forests and their products in enabling the transition to a net-zero economy.

Circularity: 75% of FSG members systematically applied circular design principles or guidance to maximize products recovery potential, resulting in average reuse of 76% of FSG member’s process residuals and waste generated as raw material input in their value chain or as a feedstock for other industries. Read the Circular bioeconomy report (2020) to learn more about the opportunities of circular bio-based products to complement or substitute non-renewable and fossil-based materials.

Water: On average, 93% of the water withdrawn was returned to the water sources, suppliers or third parties for reuse. New KPIs were adopted to cover the location-specific aspect of water, revealing that, on average, 6.5% of total water consumption occurred in high water stress regions. 96.4% of FSG members’ manufacturing operations in these regions had water consumption reduction plans.

Fourteen members of the FSG have reported this year:

Core members (core business in forest products): CMPC, Enviva, International Paper Company, Mondi Group, New Forests, Smurfit Kappa Group, Stora Enso, Sumitomo Forestry, The Navigator Company, Weyerhaeuser.

Associate members (with a business interest in products from sustainably managed forests): Drax Group, Manulife Investment Management, Timberland and Agriculture, New Forests, Philip Morris International, The BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group.