Safeway Greens Up its Paper Products

Safeway Inc.’s Softly bath and facial tissue and Ultra Thirsty paper towels are now produced to the environmental and social responsibility standards of the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance.

Shoppers can identify FSC- and Rainforest Alliance-certified products by their markings on every package. “With forest resources under stress, it is important we lead by walking the talk in our environmental specifications for paper and help drive meaningful sustainability improvements in the supply chain,” said Don Davidson, Safeway’s VP of strategic sourcing.

Safeway strives to source raw materials that are responsibly produced and that have a certified chain of custody. The Forest Stewardship Council uses third-party experts to verify forest management practices and track materials as they are selectively harvested from the forest and become products downstream. FSC-certified paper products are produced with fiber sourced from suppliers who have been independently certified to follow the strictest standards in sustainable, ethical forestry management and production chain controls.

These improved chain-of-custody certified paper products expand upon existing sustainable product offerings, such as the company’s certified Bright Green line of paper towels, bathroom tissue, napkins and facial tissue that are made from 100 percent recycled paper and processed chlorine-free materials.

Safeway’s commitment to forest ecosystems was praised by The Sierra Club. “We welcome this initiative,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. “We need companies like Safeway to see the forest through the trees and help drive demand for FSC certified paper products.”

Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc. operates 1,678 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $43.6 billion in 2011.