FSC België holds seminar in Swalmen
On Thursday, 19 November, we opened our company to a seminar by FSC Belgium. The participants were impressed with the way in which we have developed hygienic paper in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle principle. Therefore, neither the paper nor the production process leaves behind harmful traces in the environment.
The seminar was organized in the context of the Silvanus II Project which has two goals. On the one hand, the project aims to support businesses in the Flemish wood and paper industry in earning their FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certificates. And on the other hand, the project aims to assist companies in making their certificates a successful investment once they have become FSC certified. Customized support is provided through the project, and exchanges with other companies are brought about through 'Godparenthood'. During the first Silvanus project in 2008, more than 70 participating companies were supported successfully.
Bart Holvoet, Director of FSC Belgium, has been enthusiastic about our sustainable activities and products for some time. When the programme for the thematic info sessions was being drawn up, he contacted Frans Jacobs, Account Manager for Belgium and Luxembourg. “The road to FSC certification isn't always smooth,” says Bart Holvoet. “Certification has various practical implications for a company in terms of costs, paperwork and organization. Once FSC-certified, many companies fail to take full advantage of the benefits of the certificate. The approach taken by Van Houtum Papier, which has carried the FSC-recycled logo for some time, can serve as an inspiring example, in the area of marketing and product promotion for example.”
Looking back on the seminar, Frans Jacobs considers the afternoon a success. “The emphasis was on the question: how can we ensure that our Satino Nature hygienic paper can be added to the biological closed loop without any harmful effect on the environment? Even the auxiliary materials used leave behind no harmful traces in the environment - a world first! Our presentation – with a tour of the factory to provide the whole picture – made a deep impression on the visitors. People were amazed that we could make such a soft and environmentally-friendly product from recycled paper.”