Using Sustainable Paper
Using Sustainable Paper
Nowadays, a variety of raw materials are used to make paper, but the most widely available material is wood pulp. Because wood used for wood pulp is often grown in distant forests, the global environment can be negatively impacted before the users of the paper realize it is happening. Although some of the world’s production sites for raw materials practice eco-friendly sustainable forest management, in other cases high conservation value forests home to precious wildlife are being destroyed, and the rights of Indigenous peoples are being violated.
Considering indirect impacts on biodiversity within the supply chain, Casio established a Paper Procurement Policy in June 2015. Based on this policy, Casio confirms on an ad hoc basis that suppliers do not use paper products that come from paper manufacturers that are suspected of destruction of any forest with high conservation value or of involvement in raw material procurement that ignores the rights of Indigenous peoples. Moreover, in order to preferentially use reliable paper from certified forests to help increase the use of socially sustainable paper, Casio has set internal targets for the paper used in product catalogs and other materials in Japan and is monitoring the rate of usage of paper from certified forests.
Paper Procurement
Casio carries out ad hoc checks (most recently in 2019) to confirm that its suppliers do not use paper products from paper manufacturers that have been identified as problematic based on an independent investigation conducted by an international NGO. If it turns out, based on the confirmation results, that a product comes from one of the paper manufacturers in question, Casio switches to products from a different paper manufacturer. By continuing such confirmation and switching of paper products, Casio exercises its indirect influence on the supply chain in an effort to minimize its indirect negative effects on biodiversity and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Promoting Use of Certified Paper
Since fiscal 2017, Casio has set a target for the percentage of FSC®-certified paper used for product catalogs and monitors the situation. This was done for product catalogs for the Japanese market that were ordered by the advertising department, to ensure that the actual situation could be monitored. Since then, however, orders have been diversifying. Accordingly, in fiscal 2023, Casio expanded the scope to include product catalogs for the Japanese market ordered by sales departments for all items sold in Japan from general printing companies. The percentage of FSC®-certified paper used was recalculated in line with this expansion of the scope, which resulted in a temporary decrease in the current percentage used. However, more detailed monitoring of each item is now possible.
One of the challenges in continuing to implement these measures related to the procurement of paper is how to assess their priority and effectiveness in terms of the biodiversity measures Casio should take, given the large amount of resources required to compile the results. The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD/COP15) included various important targets seeking to build a nature-positive world, but no statements linked to increased use of paper from certified forests as a way of restoring biodiversity have yet been found among these targets. However, Casio will continue with its internal target management and monitoring with discussions on biodiversity indicators, which the international community has indicated are required, yet to be concluded.