Sustainable Forestry Initiative teams with Habitat for Humanity to expand use of SFI-certified wood products; parties sign MOU pledging to source building materials for Habitat construction sites from responsibly managed forests

Wendy Lisney

WASHINGTON , February 6, 2014 (press release) – In an agreement of support between the two organizations, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Inc., and Habitat for Humanity International have signed an MOU and pledged to expand the cooperation between the two groups by encouraging the use of wood products certified to the SFI Standard on Habitat construction sites.

"SFI and Habitat for Humanity International share common values: an equally strong commitment to communities of North America and the sourcing of certified building materials from responsibly managed forests," said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. "I look forward to working together to build a better future for our forests and our communities for years to come."

SFI and many of its program participants have sponsored Habitat builds by supplying building materials certified to the SFI Standard to Habitat affiliates in the U.S. and Canada. SFI has also worked with the National Association of Home Builders and Built Green Canada to support green building certification of Habitat homes.

"Habitat for Humanity supports environmentally responsible construction of durable, healthy and sustainable homes," said Larry Gluth, Senior Vice President, U.S. and Canada, Habitat for Humanity International. "As part of Habitat's efforts to enhance the environmental footprint of each Habitat home, we are pleased to partner with SFI to encourage Habitat affiliates' use of wood products from organizations certified to the SFI Standard."

There are many green building rating systems that recognize the value of multiple forest certification standards and offer credits for products certified to these forest certification standards. Green building rating tools like the ANSI/ICC 700-2012: National Green Building Standard and Built Green Canada recognize wood certified to the SFI standard. SFI works with those organizations that support multiple forest certification standards including SFI.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative
SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. Across the United States and Canada, about 250 million acres are certified to the SFI forest management standard. In addition, the SFI program's unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. Learn more at http://www.sfiprogram.org/ and http://sfiprogram.org/Buy-SFI/.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International's vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 4 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and supports a variety of funding models that enable families with limited resources to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To learn more, donate or volunteer visit habitat.org.

SOURCE Sustainable Forestry Initiative

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