Year of publication 2011

The purpose of this guide and resource kit is to assist sustainability officers and business procurement managers, especially major purchasers of wood and paper-based products1 that do not have “in house” forest and forestry expertise. It identifies and reviews central issues, and highlights tools that can be used to assist sustainable procurement. It should be noted that not all aspects of potential concern and risk apply to all forested regions of the world. The guide will help purchasers to define requirements for their procurement policies, engage in dialogue with stakeholders, seek resources to meet procurement policy requirements, and assess suppliers. The past few years have seen a proliferation of tools – projects, initiatives, publications and labels – to aid sustainable procurement of wood and paperbased products. To help those who are new to the subject, a selected number of these tools are highlighted and characterized for the first time. This guide is a companion to the report: Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products: An introduction. To obtain a copy of the introductory guide please visit www.sustainableforestprods.org.