Georgia-Pacific Packaging Operations Earn SFI Certification

ATLANTA — Forty market-selected corrugated box manufacturing operations in Georgia-Pacific’s packaging business have earned Sustainable Forestry Initiative certification and are authorized to use the SFI Certified Sourcing product label.

“The SFI label illustrates our continued commitment to sustainable packaging practices,” said Brian Reilly, senior director of marketing and business development, in a release. “With this label, customers, retailers and consumers can easily identify SFI certified packaging.”

To earn the use of the SFI-certified product label, two-thirds of a company’s packaging raw material must originate from mills with third-party-certified wood and fiber sourcing systems or recycled paper sources.

In addition to the SFI Sourcing label, Georgia-Pacific packaging also helps customers reduce total packaging costs and meet sustainability goals through the company’s Packaging Systems Optimization (PSO) Program. The program has already identified more than $180 million in cost savings for customers, the company said.

The PSO process includes a PSO Calculator which quantifies supply chain savings and sustainability advantages, including fiber and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Designed to deliver results quickly, the program provides customers with a comprehensive plan that may include recommendations for innovative packaging designs, significant fiber reduction, energy savings and productivity improvements, the company said.

“Source reduction, without compromising packaging performance, not only reduces costs but also the amount of fiber in the packaging stream,” Reilly said. “Reductions in fiber, when combined with streamlined processing and distribution, decrease energy consumption and emissions.”