Objective
This guideline provides direction to reduce the negative environmental impacts of paper consumption through the promotion of environmentally responsible sourcing, use and disposal practices.
Scope
This Sourcing Business Process Guideline (BPG) applies to all Verizon personnel, domestic or international, including Verizon consumer billing, direct mail marketing, retail collateral and office paper consumption. Verizon promotes sustainable lifecycle practices with regard to paper consumption in the course of our business operations. Verizon will continue to source, use and dispose of paper resources in a responsible manner consistent with the supporting guidelines outlined within this document.
Public goal
At least 50% of the eligible paper that we source annually will include at least 10% recovered fiber content and/or at least 10% post-consumer waste (PCW), as defined by the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency).
Guidelines
- 3rd Party Certified Sourcing: To ensure the wood fiber used to make the paper originates from controlled sources from well managed forests and provide sufficiently credible environmental assurances that are balanced, transparent and independently verified, Verizon will give purchasing preference whenever possible to paper products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) or PEFC (Progamme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).
- Recovered fiber content: When considering purchasing paper with recovered fiber content, Verizon will give purchasing preference whenever possible to paper that contains a blend of recycled fiber content and post-consumer waste content.
- Chlorine-free processes: Verizon will give purchasing preference to paper products that are processed either chlorine-free or by using the best available technologies, such as extended oxygen delignification or total-chlorine-free (TCF) closed loop systems.
- Ancient/endangered forests: Verizon will give purchasing preference to paper suppliers that identify the source of their products and can verify that the products do not contain fiber from ancient or endangered forests or from countries that are known to be problematic.
- Supplier screening: Verizon will engage in pre-screening and ongoing monitoring of the environmental practices of our print service and paper suppliers.
- Resource use optimization: Verizon will endeavor to minimize the amount of paper we purchase by adopting practices that reduce consumption. Such efforts can include (but may not be limited to) reducing the weight of paper being used in a particular process or promoting the use of electronic communication (such as electronic billings and notifications).
- Recycling: Verizon promotes and will continue to promote the recycling of waste paper and paper products.
- Transparency and reporting: Verizon will review our policy and goals on a regular basis to ensure they remain relevant and are advancing the objective of reducing the environmental impact of paper consumption. Verizon will share our public goals with our suppliers and request their support in meeting these goals.
- Alternative fibers: When possible, Verizon will consider opportunities to use paper products containing alternative fibers or alternatives to wood-based products to reduce pressure on natural forests and develop markets for such products.
- Responsibility: Responsibility for monitoring compliance with this policy and goal achievement will lie with the Sourcing Organization. Responsibility for reporting on goal achievement will lie with the Sustainability Group in partnership with the Sourcing Organization. It is the responsibility of all Verizon employees ordinarily approved to make purchases on behalf of Verizon and who purchase paper products covered by the scope of this BPG to make such purchases in accordance with Verizon’s purchasing policies.
Last updated: 2024