• Driver of nature change: Pollution/pollution removal

    Wastewater discharged (C2.1)

    Volume of water discharged (m3), split into:

    • Total;
    • Freshwater; and
    • Other.78

    Including:

    • Concentrations of key pollutants in the wastewater discharged, by type of pollutant, referring to sector-specific guidance for types of pollutants; and
    • Temperature of water discharged, where relevant.

    Reporting on volume of water discharged under the core global disclosure metric should additionally be broken down by destination:

    • Original water source;
    • Wider water supply; and
    • Third parties.
    Pollutants and water quality metrics to report under the core global disclosure metric include:

    • Absorbable Organic Halogens (AOX);
    • Nitrogen;
    • Phosphorus;
    • Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD); and
    • Total Suspended Solids (TSS) from fibre production, bleaching, recycling and/or other chemical processes; and forest production.

    In determining which pollutants to report, an organisation should also consider the pollutants listed under the pollutants to soil metric (C2.0).

    Ashrafi et al. (2015); IFC (2007b); WBCSD- FSG (2021); WRI and WBCSD (2015)

    78 Freshwater: (≤1,000 mg/L Total Dissolved Solids). Other: (>1,000 mg/L Total Dissolved Solids). Reference: GRI (2018) GRI 303-4 Water discharge.

    OBJECTIVE 2. ADHERENCE TO BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

    Performance Measure 2.1. Certified Organizations shall clearly define and implement policies to ensure that facility inventories and fiber sourcing activities do not compromise adherence to the principles of sustainable forestry.

    Indicator 1. Use of written agreements for the purchase of raw material sourced directly from the forest is required and must include provisions requiring the use of best management practices.

    Performance Measure 2.2. Certified Organizations shall, individually or through cooperative efforts monitor the use of best management practices relative to scale.