• Tree free fibres
• Recycled fibres
• Reclaimed/reused fibres
• Remanufactured fibres/materials
• Chlorine free
• Tree fibre originating from second/third growth forests that are independantly certified according to strict ecological criteria and/or
• Source reduction products.

Such products must be reasonably priced, meet reasonable performance standards and be available in a timely manner.

*We support indigenous and long settled forest dependent community operations in ancient forest areas who control and manage their resources in an ecologically responsible manner. We will consider forest products derived from such sources, which are independently certified according to stringent environmental criteria.

 
Glossary
Ancient Forest Fibre Free means that the product does not contain any material from trees of ancient forests.

Ancient/Old-Growth Forests refer to forest areas that are relatively undisturbed by human activity. Ancient forests vary significantly in age and structure from forest type to forest type and one biogeoclimatic zone to another. The following features generally characterize ancient forests:

• they have not undergone any significant industrial activity,
• they are naturally regenerated and dominated by a range of indigenous tree species,
• tree size, age and spacing vary widely,
• accumulations of dead standing trees (snags) and fallen trees are much more frequent than in younger forests,
• ancient forests contain trees that are large for the species and site combination,
• the canopy of an ancient forest has many openings and the forest floor is lush with ferns, berry bushes, mosses etc.
• ancient forests have multiple canopy layers,

Chlorine Free Product is a product which has been produced without the use of chlorine compounds, including elemental chlorine gas, chlorine compounds and chlorine derivatives.

Tree Free Products are products that are made from agricultural residue or agricultural fibres. A variety of these fibers are used in the production of high quality papers and construction materials.

• Agricultural waste/residue refers to usable materials recovered primarily from annual crops as byproducts of food and fibre production (e.g. flax/wheat/rye straw).
• Agricultural fibres refer to non-wood plants that are grown intentionally for paper and other products (e.g. hemp, kenaf).
• Agricultural fibres from organic sources are harvested from annual crops for which no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, defoliants or herbicides are used. It may be grown intentionally for tree-free paper or other fibre products.

Recycled Products are products that have been reconstituted to new fibre. Post consumer recycled paper differs from paper that is labeled as recycled/pre-consumer recycled paper (described below). Often paper labeled as recycled also contains virgin fiber. Recycled paper is often a mix of pre-consumer, post-consumer and virgin fibers.

• Post-Consumer Recycled Content - a finished material that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would normally be disposed of as a solid waste, is reconstituted into post-consumer recycled fibre in a recycling mill. Aim for as high post-consumer recycled content as possible.
• Pre-consumer Recycled Content – means material or by-products generated after a product is completed but before it reaches the end-consumer.

Reused Product is any product, which can be used repeatedly for the same or other purposes without additional processing, except for painting, cleaning or minor repairs.

Source Reduction Products are products, which result in the net reduction of the generation of waste compared to the previous or alternate versions. It includes:

• durable, reusable and remanufactured products
• products with no or reduced toxic constituents
  products with no or reduced packaging.