SIG and WWF establish “vital” project for ecosystem services in Mexico

19 Oct 2022 --- SIG and WWF Switzerland are building resilient forest ecosystems globally by expanding environmentally sustainable forest management, protection and landscape restoration. 

The first joint project for SIG and WWF will help to secure a landscape in Mexico that serves as a critical jaguar habitat. The project includes improved forest management of 100,000 hectares and restoration of a further 750 hectares of forest. 

“Protecting the jaguar indirectly benefits people in the local community. Due to its large habitat demands, conserving the jaguars will help to secure vast territories in the Central Pacific landscape that are at risk of being lost,” Marcelle Reichert, head of external affairs Europe at SIG, tells PackagingInsights. 

First flagship project
Reichert continues by highlighting that the territories in the Central Pacific landscape are vital for the provision of ecosystem services to local people, including maintaining productive food supplies and habitable weather conditions.

Protecting the jaguar indirectly benefits people in the local community, says SIG’s head of external affairs Reichert. “Through the project, communities also benefit from access to scarce resources such as solar energy, which enables management of their cattle and provides opportunities for energy and light for cooking and learning. On top of that, a healthy forest and more jaguars can increase tourism in the region and, through that, generate income opportunities.”

The first flagship project covers the Central Pacific Jaguar Landscape located in the Western coastal region of Mexico. Due to their large habitat demands, conserving the jaguars will help to secure vast territories in the Central Pacific Landscape that are at risk of being lost. 

Setting standards
Projects like this one will support SIG’s Forest+ ambition to support the creation, restoration and improved management of 650,000 additional hectares of thriving forests, an area equivalent to what’s required to make SIG’s beverage cartons, says the company.

SIG says it is the first carton producer to purchase only FSC-certified paperboard since 2021, setting high standards for environmentally sustainable forest management practices that support biodiversity and communities. 

“We source the FSC-certified paperboard from our Liquid Packaging Board (LPB) suppliers. The materials to make the LPB comes from FSC-certified forests or FSC-controlled wood. The vast majority comes from Scandinavian FSC-certified forests,” explains Reichert.

SIG says it is the first carton producer to purchase only FSC-certified paperboard since 2021.Rising fiber demand 
Reichert says that if anything beneficial comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic – on a global and long-term scale – it could be the noticeable shift in the way society consumes everything. 

“It is fair to say that consumers began shifting towards a more responsible and health-conscious mindset prior to the events of 2020. What the emergence of COVID-19 did do, however, was further highlight the need for such change – and accelerate it.”

“From greater adoption of shared economy models to the promotion of local businesses to the growing shift toward products that meet consumers’ health and well-being demands, including a desire to be more sustainable in terms of packaging,” she adds. 

However, experts have also warned that the paper packaging industry is inadvertently contributing to one of the most serious impacts of climate change, water loss. 

Forest management
Forests have a critical role to play in tackling climate change because trees remove carbon dioxide from the air as they grow, storing it in their wood.

“Establishing sustainable forest management will guarantee that forests will remain in place, providing vital ecosystem services and avoiding negative global warming impacts,” asserts Reichert. 

“Sustainably managed forests are also a source of resources and materials that can be continually renewed – offering more sustainable alternatives to materials made from fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.”

Nine of the world’s 24 deforestation fronts are found in Latin America.Locals are key
One of the most impacted regions in the world is Latin America and the Caribbean, where 94% of mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian populations have decreased in the past 50 years, and 40% of the forests have been lost already due to land use changes for agriculture and livestock. 

“Unfortunately, nine of the world’s 24 deforestation fronts are found on this continent. To turn things around, we must act now and address systemic issues,” stresses Reichert.

“That is why SIG and WWF Switzerland, together with local and national partners, are joining forces to protect and restore key forests in Mexico for people, climate and biodiversity while creating enabling conditions to scale efforts nationwide.”

“We know local communities hold the key to unlocking a new and successful way of development where nature is at the center of their decisions,” she adds. 

The project region not only provides food and water for people while protecting them from hurricanes and tropical storms, but it is also home to different cultures and languages within Mexican culture. 

Relatedly, the Alliance for Beverage Cartons, which SIG is a member of, welcomed last year the proposition of the European Commission for new rules to curb EU-driven deforestation.

By Natalie Schwertheim