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 its 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
Post-Consumer Waste (PCW) Content: Verizon will source at least 50% of our eligible paper annually that includes at least 10% PCW content.
Guidelines
Certified sourcing: Verizon will give purchasing preference to paper products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wherever possible. Verizon may also consider other paper certification systems that provide sufficiently credible environmental assurances that are balanced, transparent and independent.
Post-Consumer Waste (PCW) content: Verizon will give purchasing preference to paper that contains a measurable amount of post-consumer waste content wherever possible.
Chlorine-free processes: Verizon will give purchasing preference to paper products that are either processed chlorine-free or processes that employ 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/endangered forests or forest types of countries that are known to be problematic.
Supplier screening: Verizon will engage in pre-screening and ongoing monitoring of the environmental practices of its print service and paper suppliers.
Resource use optimization: Verizon will endeavor to minimize the amount of paper it purchases 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 working to promote 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 its 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. Verizon will publicly report annually on its progress towards the above public goals.
Alternative fibers: Verizon will consider opportunities to use paper products where applicable 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 and goal achievement will lie with the Sourcing Department. Responsibility for reporting on goal achievement will lie with the Sustainability Group in partnership with the Sourcing Department. 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.
2017
