3M is a science-based company committed to improving lives. One of 3M’s sustainability goals is to assure that the virgin wood fibre used in its pulp and paper-based products and packaging comes from sources that protect forests and respect the rights of workers and people who live in or may depend on forests for their livelihood.
Earthworm Foundation has helped 3M to build a robust pulp and paper sourcing policy and associated implementation program that goes beyond legal harvesting legislation to incorporate crucial social and environmental expectations for its suppliers.
We partner to understand how 3M suppliers manage their own supply chain risks, further supplier engagement and conduct field assessments to verify that practices on the ground comply with 3M’s policy. 3M’s engagement with their upstream supply chain is leading to greater accountability and transparency, enabling more informed sourcing decisions. This strategy allows 3M to address systemic issues at scale through on-the-ground transformation, by taking targeted action where we see it’s most needed.
3M publishes a revised Pulp and Paper Sourcing Policy.
3M meets with caribou scientists and First Nations in the Canadian Boreal. Lessons from the trip were immediately applied to sourcing decisions and supplier engagements.
3M co-hosts a responsible paper summit to engage major pulp and paper suppliers with other Earthworm Foundation members in Shanghai, China.
3M publishes an updated Pulp and Paper Sourcing Policy, demonstrating commitment to continuous improvement.
3M co-hosts and several of its Brazilian suppliers participate in a Centre for Social Excellence (CSE) training series on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) implementation, a right enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Earthworm facilitates a High Conservation Value (HCV) assessor training with the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation and Chu Cho Environmental to strengthen indigenous forest management capacity, supported by 3M.
3M alongside EF Members Nestlé and Mars host a webinar for suppliers sourcing from British Colombia to build knowledge on relevant issues including First Nations’ right to FPIC; and protection of High Conservation Values (HCVs) such as caribou and Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs).
Forests are under increasing pressure from human activity that results in forest loss and degradation. The pulp and paper industry is one of these pressures, but it can also be what keeps forests standing and contribute to the restoration of forest values.
Earthworm experts work directly with 3M staff in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America to assess regional supply chain risks related to pulp and paper sourcing. Together, 3M and Earthworm Foundation engage with suppliers on responsible sourcing improvement and implement transformation projects to address the most urgent risks on the ground.