Xerox and the Nature Conservancy Partner for Forest Conservation

Forest stewardship seems to have captured the attention of corporate executives, with numerous companies examining the sources of forest products they buy and sell. Yesterday, Xerox Corporation and the Nature Conservancy announced a partnership designed to "...strengthen and advance practices used to conserve the world's forests." Xerox is investing $1 million in the effort to "...develop science-based tools, practices and systems that the paper industry can draw upon to better understand and manage ecologically important forest land." The partnership will focus its efforts on forests in Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Southeastern United States, and will work not only to increase the store of information on ecologically and culturally sensitive areas in these lands, but also to improve certification standards for sustainable forest management. When complete, the company and non-profit plan to provide these information tools and standards to paper suppliers. We have to wonder if the Rainforest Action Network's action against Xerox, a major purchaser of paper from Weyerhaeuser, played into this decision; we don't know if Xerox still purchases paper from the forest products giant. It will be interesting to see if and how RAN responds to this news. ::Xerox and The Nature Conservancy