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  • Overall approach
    1/16
    • Overarching commitment on deforestation
      0/6
      Deforestation commitment
      Commodity-specific commitment
      0/6
      Commodities (if applicable): Pulp & Paper
      "WestRock is committed to sustainable forestry practices and the responsible procurement of wood fiber which promote healthy and productive forests for future generations. WestRock is committed to maintain certifications to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Requirements for the (2015-2019) Program, the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) FSCC104002, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™), Brazilian Forest Certification Program (CERFLOR) standards and the American Tree Farm System® Group Certification process"
      Open source document
    • Signatory to an initiative tackling deforestation
      0/1
      Signatory
      No
      0/1
      Which initiatives?: 0

      If Other Initiative, specify:: Sustainable Packaging Coalition
      Open source document
    • Awareness of the value of forests
      1/1
      Awareness
      Yes
      1/1
      "WestRock supports and promotes sustainable land stewardship practices thatintegrate the growing and harvesting of trees with the protection and conservation of: soil, air and water quality; biologicaldiversity; wildlife and aquatic habitats; recreational and aesthetic properties; and forests with high conservation value."
      Open source document
    • Deforestation as a business risk
      0/1
    • High-level management of deforestion
      0/1
    • Executive compensation linked to deforestation
    • Target to reduce emissions from land-use change
      0/3
    • Reporting on emissions from land-use change
      0/3
    • Disclosure of conservation activity
    • Disclosure of reforestation activity
  • Commodity score
    31/84
    • Pulp & Paper
      31/84
      • Commitment Strength
        9/28
        • Commitment to protect priority forests
          5/12
          • Commitment details
            Protects priority forests
            4/8
            Commitment to protect priority forests
            Protects priority forests
            4/8
            If Other, specify here: Sustainable Forestry Initiative(SFI), Brazilian Forest Certification Program (CERFLOR), American Tree Farm System Group Certification process

            Which certification schemes are used?: FSC; PEFC; Other certification
            "WestRock will continually work to: Procure Responsibly: Obtain virgin wood fiber for WestRock paper manufacturing operations from responsible and well-managed sources. Maintain certified fiber sourcing, controlled wood and chain-of-custody certifications using third-party auditors. Avoid purchasing raw wood fiber from sources: Engaging in Illegal logging, or the trade in illegal wood or forest products; In violation of traditional and human rights in forestry operations; That have an adverse impact to regions of high conservation value; Causing conversion of forests to plantations or non-forest use when the conversion is not consideredlimited and legal or threatens high conservation values; or; That introduce genetically modified organisms in forestry operations." "WestRock is committed to maintain certifications to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Requirements for the (2015-2019) Program, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) FSCC104002, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Brazilian Forest Certification Program (CERFLOR) standards and the American Tree Farm System Group Certification process." "Increase purchases of virgin fiber from lands certified to internationally recognized forest management standards by 25% by 2025"
            Open source document
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            "WestRock will continually work to: Procure Responsibly: Obtain virgin wood fiber for WestRock paper manufacturing operations from responsible and well-managed sources. Maintain certified fiber sourcing, controlled wood and chain-of-custody certifications using third-party auditors. Avoid purchasing raw wood fiber from sources: Engaging in Illegal logging, or the trade in illegal wood or forest products; In violation of traditional and human rights in forestry operations;That have an adverse impact to regions of high conservation value; Causing conversion of forests to plantations or non-forest use when the conversion is not consideredlimited and legal or threatens high conservation values; or; That introduce genetically modified organisms in forestry operations." "WestRock is committed to maintain certifications to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Requirements for the (2015-2019) Program, the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) FSCC104002, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™), Brazilian Forest Certification Program (CERFLOR) standards and the American Tree Farm System® Group Certification process." "Increase purchases of virgin fiber from lands certified to internationally recognized forest management standards by 25% by 2025"
            Open source document
            Open source document
          • Target date
            2025
            0.5/1.3
            Target date
            2025
            0.5/1.3
            "Increase purchases of virgin fiber from lands certified to internationally recognized forest management standards by 25% by 2025"
            Open source document
          • Interim target date
            No
            0/0.7
        • Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
          5/8
          • Commitment details
            Yes
            4/4
            Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            Yes
            4/4
            Type of commitment: Recycled content; Reduction of material inputs
            "Our paperboard innovation group is focused on reducing the amount of fiber needed to deliver equivalent strength and packaging performance. [...] We believe the most sustainable approach to fiber sourcing is a balanced one. WestRock is one of the largest consumers of recycled fiber in North America, and many of our mills use a combination of virgin and recycled fiber. We also have mills that make 100% recycled paperboard [...] We believe we can accelerate the development of, and transition to, the circular economy by combining our innovation, research and recycling capabilities to explore the use of alternative packaging fibers and coatings."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            If no, what is excluded?: Product line; Location

            What is the rationale for any exclusion?: Only references paperboard, and doesn't specify mill location

            What percentage of commodity production/sourcing is excluded?: 0 Not specified
            "Our paperboard innovation group is focused on reducing the amount of fiber needed to deliver equivalent strength and packaging performance. [...] We believe the most sustainable approach to fiber sourcing is a balanced one. WestRock is one of the largest consumers of recycled fiber in North America, and many of our mills use a combination of virgin and recycled fiber. We also have mills that make 100% recycled paperboard [...] We believe we can accelerate the development of, and transition to, the circular economy by combining our innovation, research and recycling capabilities to explore the use of alternative packaging fibers and coatings."
            Open source document
          • Target date
            No target date
            0/1.3
          • Interim target date
            Yes
            0.7/0.7
            Interim target date
            Yes
            0.7/0.7
            "Our paperboard innovation group is focused on reducing the amount of fiber needed to deliver equivalent strength and packaging performance. [...] We believe the most sustainable approach to fiber sourcing is a balanced one. WestRock is one of the largest consumers of recycled fiber in North America, and many of our mills use a combination of virgin and recycled fiber. We also have mills that make 100% recycled paperboard [...] We believe we can accelerate the development of, and transition to, the circular economy by combining our innovation, research and recycling capabilities to explore the use of alternative packaging fibers and coatings."
            Open source document
        • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
          0/8
          • Commitment details
            No traceability commitment
            0/4
          • Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
          • Target date
            No target date
            0/1.3
          • Interim target date
            No
            0/0.7
            Interim target date
            No
            0/0.7
            "The primary purchased raw materials used by our mill operations are virgin fiber and recycled fiber. All of the virgin fiber used in our manufacturing operations is purchased through our responsible procurement process and is traced from the forest to the final product through our Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™) chain of custody system"
            Open source document
      • Social Considerations
        5/18
        • Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          4/4
          Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          4/4
          Details of commitment: Discrimination; Forced Labour; Child Labour; Freedom of association
          "As a condition of doing business, requires its Suppliers to follow these Principles of Conduct (“Principles”). Suppliers must take reasonable measures to ensure that any suppliers from which they source act in accordance with these Principles. [...] Child Labor is not Permitted [...] Forced, Prison or Involuntary Labor is not Permitted [...] Discrimination is not Permitted [...] Freedom of Association"
          Open source document
        • Inclusion of small-scale farmers
          No
          0/4
        • Gender equality in the supply chain
          Discrimination/Gender Rights/Harassment
          1/4
          Gender equality in the supply chain
          Discrimination/Gender Rights/Harassment
          1/4
          "Discrimination is not Permitted: WestRock will not tolerate discrimination by Suppliers of their workers on the basis of race, color, religion, gender"
          Open source document
        • Commitment to remediation
          No
          0/2
        • Commitment to ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent
          No commitment
          0/4
      • Reporting and Implementation
        17/38
        • Reporting against commitments
          4/6
          • Commitment to protect priority forests
            Yes
            2/2
            Commitment to protect priority forests
            Yes
            2/2
            "Goal: Increase purchases of certified virgin fiber by25 percent.Progress: 3.6 percent increase in certified fiberpurchases since 2015." "All 12 of our North American virgin fiber sourcing regions are certified to the SFI® 2015-2019 standard, and our forestland in Brazil is certified to the Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR®), PEFC™ and FSC® standards. More than 85 percent of our wholly owned manufacturing facilities are chain-of-custody certified to the SFI®, PEFC™ and FSC® standards."
            Open source document
          • Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            Yes
            2/2
            Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            Yes
            2/2
            64.4% of the fibre managed at Westrock mills was recycled.
            Open source document
          • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
            No
            0/2
        • Reporting is independently verified
          1/4
          • Commitment to protect priority forests
            Yes: third-party
            1.3/1.3
            Commitment to protect priority forests
            Yes: third-party
            1.3/1.3
            Which processes or groups does the company use for third party verification?: FSC, PEFC, SFI

            Which tools, approaches, third-party verification, including certification, schemes are used?: FSC, PEFC, SFI
            "Our forestland in Brazil is certified to the Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR®), PEFC™ and FSC®standards. More than 85 percent of our wholly owned manufacturing facilities are chain-of-custody certified to the SFI®, PEFC™ and FSC® standards."
            Open source document
          • Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            No
            0/1.3
          • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
            No
            0/1.3
        • Deforestation cut off date
          No
          0/2
        • Collaborative actions
          Yes
          2/2
          Collaborative actions
          Yes
          2/2
          What is the nature of that participation?: Attending & contributing to meetings

          What initiatives does the company participate in?: Sustainable Packaging Coalition
          "WestRock participates in several voluntary programs aimed at advancing social, environmental and economic initiatives [...] Sustainable Packaging Coalition(SPC) is an industry working group that endeavors to build packaging systems thatencourage economic prosperity and a sustainable flow of materials"
          Open source document
        • Risk assessments for forest risk
          No
          0/2
        • Operations assessed to comply with law
          Yes
          2/2
          Operations assessed to comply with law
          Yes
          2/2
          " WestRock Suppliers must operate their businesses in full compliance with all applicable laws, codes, rules and regulations of the countries, provinces, states, regions and municipalities in which they operate [...] WestRock routinely utilizes independent thirdparties to assess Suppliers’ compliance with these Principles. These assessments generally include confidential interviews with on-site workers. If a Supplier fails to uphold any aspect of the Principles, the Supplier is expected to implement corrective actions. WestRock reserves the right to terminate an agreement with any Supplier that cannot demonstrate that it is upholding the Principles."
          Open source document
        • Accessible grievance mechanism
          Yes
          4/4
          Accessible grievance mechanism
          Yes
          4/4
          What is the nature of the grievance mechanism used by the company (own mechanism, that of external company, internationally recognised mechanism, focused on social issues, focused on environmental issues, etc.)?: Supplier compliance violation form

          Details of the mechanism: Social; Environmental
          Supplier Principles of Conduct include both social and environmental requirements - "Notice of Violations: Any worker with any knowledge of violation of these Principles should contact WestRock at: https://www.westrock.com/en/supplier-resources/supplier-compliance-violation-form"
          Open source document
        • Report volumes of commodity
          Reporting non-certified/non-compliant volume
          2/4
          Report volumes of commodity
          Reporting non-certified/non-compliant volume
          2/4
          What is the non-certified/non-compliant volume?: 32,505,613 tons

          Which certification schemes are used?: FSC
          2019 GRI report indicates that in 2018, WestRock purchased 28,805,432 tons of virgin fiber from the USA, 1,844,067 tons from Canada, and 1,856,114 tons from Brazil - for a total of 32,505,613 tons. In 2018 they also used 4,900,000 tons of recycled fiber.
          Open source document
        • Upstream: Impact assessments for land development/acquisition
          No
          0/4
        • Upstream: Reporting production/processing locations
          No disclosure
          0/4
        • Downstream: Publishing supplier lists
          Yes report direct suppliers
          2/4
          Downstream: Publishing supplier lists
          Yes report direct suppliers
          2/4
          From what country(ies) does the company source material?: North America, Europe, Brazil, India, Asia

          For what percent are boundaries disclosed?: 0%

          For what percent of smallholder suppliers is location disclosed?: 0%

          For what percent of suppliers' production areas are point locations disclosed?: 0 not specified
          Suppliers are listed if they have FSC or similar certification. Information is grouped by territory and displayed on a mp. Clicking into each individually displays the location/address of each supplier/company - "Forest Management, Fiber Sourcing and Chain of Custody CertificationsWestRock's multiple certifications demonstrate our commitment to responsible, sustainable and transparent fiber sourcing."
          Open source document
        • Upstream: Monitor compliance of production/processing
          Yes using a third-party monitoring system
          4/4
          Upstream: Monitor compliance of production/processing
          Yes using a third-party monitoring system
          4/4
          How frequently is compliance assessed?: Not specified

          For what percentage of production or primary processing operations that it owns, manages, or otherwise controls does the company use external processes or actors, such as certification, to monitor compliance?: 39%

          Does the company use a jurisdictional monitoring mechanism?: No

          Does the company use a certification system?: Yes

          What tools, processes, bodies carry out monitoring of the company's production or processing operations?: Third-party audits
          "Through the Sedex global online platform and customer-initiated third-party audits, 116 WestRock sites have undergone self-assessments on labor standards,health and safety, environment and business practices. These sites represent approximately 39 percent of our operating facilities around the world.Our Brazilian forestry operations are certified to both the FSC® and PEFC™ (CERFLOR®) forest certification standards. These standards include compliance withsocial requirements and labor practices, in areas such as employee transportation, meals and living areas. In 2018, we conducted three external audits to verifycompliance with FSC® and PEFC™ (CERFLOR®) standards for forest management and chain of custody."
          Open source document
        • Downstream: Monitor compliance in supply chain
          Yes for its suppliers only
          3/4
          Downstream: Monitor compliance in supply chain
          Yes for its suppliers only
          3/4
          "Through the Sedex global online platform and customer-initiated third-party audits, 116 WestRock sites have undergone self-assessments on labor standards,health and safety, environment and business practices. These sites represent approximately 39 percent of our operating facilities around the world.Our Brazilian forestry operations are certified to both the FSC® and PEFC™ (CERFLOR®) forest certification standards. These standards include compliance withsocial requirements and labor practices, in areas such as employee transportation, meals and living areas. In 2018, we conducted three external audits to verifycompliance with FSC® and PEFC™ (CERFLOR®) standards for forest management and chain of custody."
          Open source document
        • Downstream: Engagement with non-compliant suppliers
          Engage with suppliers but with no time-bound threat of exclusion
          1/2
          Downstream: Engagement with non-compliant suppliers
          Engage with suppliers but with no time-bound threat of exclusion
          1/2
          What type of support does the company offer to its suppliers to help them achieve compliance with commitments?: All kinds of support - see summary

          What criteria does the policy specify for blacklisting or exclusion?: No blacklist policy

          Does the company engage non-compliant indirect suppliers in order to address and remedy non-compliance?: Yes
          "WestRock will continually work to: [...]Engage in education programs and training efforts to encourage landowners to:Use scientific, credible sustainable forestry practices; Regenerate forests after harvest and establish new forests on non-forest lands; Maintain and improve long-term forest growth and soil productivity; Protect water bodies and the land that borders them; Protect special sites and biological diversity; Incorporate aesthetic consideration into activities where visual impacts are a concern; Control invasive exotic plants, animals and insects; Manage lands of special significance in a manner appropriate to their unique qualities; Manage harvest residue which considers economic, social and environmental factors and other utilization needs; Reduce wildfire risk; Use qualified logging professionals; and; Implement guidance for forests with exceptional conservation value"
          Open source document
        • Downstream: Disclosure of non-compliant suppliers
          No disclosure
          0/2
  • Commitment strength
    9/28
    Avg. score
  • Reporting and Implementation
    17/38
    Avg. score
  • Social considerations
    5/18
    Avg. score

Profile

WestRock manufactures and sells paper and packaging solutions on a global scale. Westrock is selected as a powerbroker for pulp & paper.

Sector
Industry sector 
Paper & packaging, Forestry
Segments
Producer, Trader, Processor, Manufacturer
HQ
HQ 
United States
Collective Commitments
Consumer Goods Forum member
New York Declaration on Forests signatory

How we assess the Forest 500

To ensure deforestation free supply chains, companies need to adopt and implement timebound and measurable policies for forest risk commodities.

All assessments use policies published on company websites, some links may have changed or been removed since the time of assessment.

Full corporate sector performance data Forest 500 assessment methodology

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Disclaimer

This assessment has been carried out following the methodology developed for the Forest 500 project, available here. Please see our disclaimer applicable to all information contained within this site and our terms and conditions for use of data presented on this site.

All assessments use policies published on company and financial institution websites, and while we endeavor to keep them updated some links may have changed or been removed since the time of assessment.

Please contact us with any concerns or feedback about this or other assessments included in the Forest 500.