Björn Stigson speaks at Annual PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Forest & Paper Industry Conference Geneva, 26 August 2010 - The forest products industry will play an increasingly important role globally as many of the solutions to a sustainable future lie in renewables. In a recent interview, WBCSD president Björn Stigson explains where he sees the opportunities for the sector. Watch the video here.

WBCSD at Oslo Climate and Forest Conference Geneva, 28 May 2010 – Private sector engagement is crucial to mobilize the capital needed for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries ( REDD+). This was the WBCSD's key message at the Climate and Forest Conference in Oslo on 27 May.

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The WBCSD on the Sustainable Forest Products Industry

Forests cover 30% of the world’s land area (just under 4 billion hectares) and are powerful symbols of nature and biodiversity, providing a wide range of goods and services that meet essential and everyday needs.

The driving force behind the Sustainable Forest Products Industry (SFPI) project is to find ways to sustainably manage forests to meet the needs of six billion people now – nine billion by 2050 – for wood and paper products, renewable and greenhouse neutral energy, ecosystem services and healthy livelihoods.

Deforestation and permanent loss of forest cover are significant global and personal concerns. Yet forest governance processes and policies are fragmented and not focused on the underlying causes: conversion to agriculture, population growth, poverty and urbanization.

Stakeholder relations historically have been fragile, and fierce competition from non-wood substitute products and from other land uses such as agriculture often exploits the industry’s perceived weak sustainability performance.

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