In October 2007, religious publisher Thomas Nelson, Inc. released the first eco-friendly Bible printed on a paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and produced by Domtar, a paper manufacturer with a strong environmental commitment.

Domtar worked closely with the publisher and environmental nonprofit Green Press Initiative to provide an environmentally responsible, lightweight paper ideally suited for the requirements of Bible printing. 

The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible was printed on paper that includes recycled content and comes from forestlands certified by Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program, a third party and leading certifier of forestlands to FSC standards.  The production flow for FSC certification continues from the forest to the paper manufacturer and printer that have FSC chain-of-custody certification.

Choosing FSC-certified paper supports responsible forest management. Certified forests must meet a range of environmental, economic and social criteria related to monitoring forest conditions, protecting high conservation value forests, conserving biodiversity and supporting local communities.

"Kudos to Thomas Nelson, Domtar and Green Press Initiative for working together to achieve this important first in the publishing industry," said Tensie Whelan, executive director of the Rainforest Alliance. "This is further evidence of the growing trend among publishers to improve their sourcing strategies and lessen their environmental impact by seeking out environmentally preferable papers."

"Our team is excited to be taking some important steps forward in protecting the resources God has given us," said Michael S. Hyatt, president and CEO of Thomas Nelson, Inc. "Beyond offering eco-friendly products, we are striving to use environmentally friendly practices in our daily activities and have created an internal environmental task force to see this through."

Tyson Miller, director of Green Press Initiative, which works with publishers on reducing their carbon footprint, said that "a ripple effect" has been created, as several other publishers of religious texts have also made commitments to use environmentally preferable papers.

In addition, more than 50 U.S. religious scholars, churches and religious advocacy organizations have signed a statement supporting the use of such papers in religious publications, Miller said.

The area of FSC-certified forestlands has nearly doubled in the past three years to a total of more than 224 million acres (more than 90 million hectares) and has opened up an increasing supply of certified wood products. Several hundred pulp providers, mills, merchants and printers have earned FSC Chain-of-Custody certification.

Lewis Fix, senior director of Domtar EarthChoice Business Development added, "Thomas Nelson's commitment demonstrates that sourcing responsible paper is becoming easier every day."

Domtar remains committed to ensuring that all of the forests it manages, either directly or indirectly, meet the standards of globally recognized, independent, third party forest certification programs. 

Please visit www.domtar.com for more information about Domtar papers. 

Source:  Rainforest Alliance

12/19/07