RICHMOND, Va. - MeadWestvaco Corporation (NYSE: MWV), a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions announced its preference for purchasing certified wood – specifically wood that is certified under the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS).

MWV has a long standing commitment to sustainable forest management. The company certifies its forestlands under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) and also purchases wood fiber from responsible third-party suppliers. Forest certification and promoting markets for certified fiber is one way MWV demonstrates its commitment to sustainable forest management.

MWV’s commitment is also visible in its corporate sustainability goals, which include a specific goal of increasing the amount of certified fiber used across MWV’s global manufacturing operations. Within the United States, the source of fiber for these facilities is primarily non-industrial, privately-owned forestland and fiber from well-managed family forests; a vitally important component of this program. The American Tree Farm System provides the mechanism to increase certified fiber from family forests.

The American Tree Farm System represents more than 89,000 family forest owners who sustainably manage 27 million acres of forestland in the United States. It is the largest and oldest forest management system in the United States and is a program of the American Forest Foundation. Along with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program, the ATFS standard has been endorsed under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, a global program that recognizes excellence in sustainable forest management.

“MWV has a long history of working with the American Tree Farm System. We were the first company to group certify our landowner assistance program to the ATFS standard and our announcement today reaffirms our commitment to the program and to the value for our business and our customers, of securing certified fiber from family forest owners,” said Jim Buzzard, president, MWV and American Forest Foundation Board member.

MWV supplies packaging and packaging solutions to the world’s most admired brands. For wood fiber based packaging, MWV and its customers demand assurance that the fiber used in manufacturing is sourced responsibly. Forest certification programs are an important aspect of providing the sustainability assurance required.

“MWV supports multiple forest certification systems worldwide and we implement the system that can provide an economic, sustainable supply of paperboard for our customers. In the United States, our forestlands are certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative but the great majority of wood used to manufacture MWV products comes from privately owned, family forests. Sustainability is deeply embedded in our culture, and we routinely search for ways to improve our own performance. Our relationship with both the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the American Tree Farm System are very important to our overall sustainability objectives,” said Bob Feeser, senior vice president, MWV Packaging.

MWV’s preference for certified wood, including American Tree Farm System, will be implemented through a number of measures, including:

• Priority Markets – the company will maintain a priority market for certified wood over non-certified wood.

• Supporting expansion of the American Tree Farm System – the company will expand its current landowner assistance system by promoting ATFS certification, including group certification.

• Chain of custody – the company tracks certified wood and uses this information to develop programs to increase certified furnish.

Source: MeadWestvaco Corporation