In 2007, Verso’s four paper mills were independently audited and certified to the FSC chain of custody standard. The Forest Stewardship Council is one of several entities that have developed such standards, and they believe that the FSC standard is the global benchmark for responsible forest management. The audits were conducted by the Rainforest Alliance SmartWood Program, the world’s largest FSC forest certifier. Verso’s certificate SW-COC-002775 verifies that chain of custody procedures exist to document FSC-certified fiber as is passes through Verso’s supply chain from the forest through the manufacturing process to our customers.

Verso is also now certified to the FSC Controlled Wood Standard, Certificate SW-CW-002775. Under this standard, we’ve demonstrated that we have developed and implemented responsible procurement practices that enable us to identify and avoid purchasing controversial wood as identified by the standard.

Verifying the amount of FSC-certified fiber in our products is one of the many ways Verso helps our customers meet their sustainability objectives. We now have the capability to offer FSC-certified products across all paper grades and began offering a limited supply of FSC-certified products to customers in late 2007. We will continue to increase our certified offerings.