Faber-Castell

The famous pencil and pen company Faber-Castell will start 2012 as the world's first private company authorised by the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism to deal in carbon dioxide certificates from managed forests.

Regional Director for Australia and Asia Pacific, Count Andreas (Andy) von Faber-Castell, this month launched a new sustainable reforestation project in Colombia. It is the most ambitious environmental project yet for the company. Faber-Castell International already boasts exemplary environmental and social responsibility credentials.

Faber-Castell is carbon neutral several times over due to its existing reforestation of 10,000 hectares in Brazil, which was started in the 1980's.  The new forestry project in Columbia plans to extend more than 1,500 hectares of woodland it has now started to grow to 3,000 hectares by 2014.

Jean-Guenole Cornet, a forest and climate expert at the Office Nationale des Forêts, a French state-owned organization, says his organisation has been attempting to halt the progressive deforestation in Colombia.

"The municipalities along the Rio Magdalena were looking for a way out of the traditionally predominant cattle raising and its associated soil erosion, that regularly leads to flooding and crop failures," he said.

Almost 70 farmers are currently planting and looking after the 1561 hectares of woodland as a source of timber for Faber-Castell.  They provided part of their land that had previously been used mainly for grazing cattle and they now receive an assured monthly income in return for taking care of the trees.  The Gmelina arborea, or "Melina" species is a quick-growing deciduous tree that is particularly suitable for making pencils.  The trunks attain a girth of 20 to 25 cm after seven years and after felling the farmers receive 30% of the proceeds from the timber.

"I am very pleased that we can offer the farmers long-term prospects and create jobs in a region marked by severe unemployment," said Count Andreas.

The certificate from the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) will entitle Faber-Castell to deal in emission certificates as part of the Kyoto protocol to reduce worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide.

Count Andreas said the company's long term investment and belief in social and environmental practices was well balanced with its position as a premium, high quality manufacturer and had proved to be good business practice with global group turn-over up 19% on the previous fiscal year.