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3M Adopts Game-changing Sourcing Policy

3M, the world’s largest adhesives developer, with $32 billion in annual sales and 90,000 employees, announced a significant new pulp-and-paper sourcing policy. The company states the policy is designed to ensure all the virgin wood fibre going into 3M’s paper-based products and packaging comes from sources that protect forests and respect human rights.

3M’s new policy does not allow any wood fibre to be linked to deforestation or illegal operations. All paper-based products and packaging suppliers working with the company are required to provide information on the original forest sources of the virgin pulp in 3M’s products, and allow those sources to be assessed against 3M’s policy.

Implementation of the policy throughout 3M’s global operations involves more than 70 countries and 5,000 pulp-and-paper suppliers, each with their own manufacturing facilities and supply chains.

The policy also requires protection of high carbon stock forests and high conservation values, like intact forest landscapes, peatlands and the habitat of endangered species. 3M’s newly revised policy comes on the heels of a multi-year campaign by ForestEthics challenging the company to strengthen its commitment to protect forests and endangered wildlife, and to support rights of forest-impacted communities. Greenpeace joined the campaign in 2014.

“3M had the vision and the commitment back in the 1970s to endeavor to address its climate impact, and they did so with great effect. We knew they had the capacity and the smarts to take the same approach with forests,” said Todd Paglia, Executive Director, ForestEthics. “[The policy] today is industry leading and represents exactly the type of innovation that 3M is known for.”

To update its preexisting policy, 3M worked with The Forest Trust (TFT) and Dovetail Partners to learn more about the threats facing forests in its supply chain. 3M and TFT together will map 3M’s supply chains back to source and assess them against the 3M policy.

“We are excited to be working with 3M on this important effort to transform the global pulp-and-paper market to be drivers of forest protection, and to clearly send a message that deforestation is unacceptable,” said Scott Poynton, Founder and Executive Director, The Forest Trust.

The new 3M policy also sets company standards relating to social concerns, including what 3M describes as respect for workers’ rights and indigenous peoples’ rights to free, prior and informed consent to operations on their traditional lands.

“We are taking responsibility for making sure our pulp-and-paper suppliers meet the requirements of the policy, and help them to raise their performance if necessary,” said Jean Sweeney, VP, 3M Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability Operations.