Enviva Announces its Responsible Sourcing Policy Goals for 2020
BETHESDA, MD – April 21, 2020 – Enviva, a leading global energy company specializing in sustainable wood bioenergy, today published its 2020 Implementation Plans, a detailed proposal of new goals and initiatives to continue to deliver on the company’s commitment to responsible and sustainable wood sourcing. Enviva sources its wood pursuant to its global Responsible Sourcing Policy (RSP) – its standing environmental pledge that ensures the company’s wood is sourced according to its strict environmental standards.
The 2020 Implementation Plans define Enviva’s set of measurable goals for this year in three sections: sustainable forestry standards, verification and transparency, and conservation leadership across the U.S. Southeast, where the company owns and operates wood pellet production plants. Enviva exports its sustainably sourced wood pellets to power and heat generators primarily in the United Kingdom, Europe and Japan, enabling them to replace coal with renewable fuel and to reduce their lifetime carbon footprint by about 85 percent.
“In today’s challenging pandemic environment, we continue to focus on our mission to improve environmental outcomes for forests and people and to mitigate climate change,” said Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Enviva. “Our 2020 goals provide a measurable and important step to hold us accountable for our commitment to improving forest ecosystems through collaborative work including conservation and restoration, as well as with our own sustainable sourcing practices.”
About the 2020 Implementation Plans
In 2020, Enviva plans to publish its first Corporate Sustainability Report describing how the company works to deliver on its mission to displace coal, grow more trees and fight climate change, its current environmental impact and sustainability practices and its goals for continuous improvement in sustainability of its business in the long-term.
In addition, over the course of 2020, Enviva plans to add 30,000 acres to the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and/or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified land base, thereby assisting private forest landowners in its sourcing region with writing sustainable land management plans to keep family forests healthy and productive for ecosystem services like wildlife, clean water and wood supply.
Enviva will also strengthen its existing partnership with The Longleaf Alliance to actively seek longleaf restoration through its wood sourcing on private and public lands in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Virginia and the Carolinas. Longleaf forests are one of the most important and biologically diverse ecosystems in the U.S. Southeast, and because many such forests need thinning, appropriate biomass removals are a critical step in the longleaf restoration process and for wildlife habitat improvement.
This year Enviva will also assist in the conservation of 3,500+ acres of bottomland hardwood (BLHW) forests to meet Enviva’s 10-year goal of conserving 35,000 acres of BLHW forests by 2030. Bottomland hardwoods are critical to supporting biodiversity, community resiliency, outdoor recreation and clean water and also act as a buffer to infrastructure during storms.
To view Enviva’s 2020 RSP Implementation Plans click here. For more details on Enviva’s Responsible Sourcing Policy click here.
About Enviva Holdings, LP
Enviva Holdings, LP is the world’s largest producer of wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source used to generate electricity and heat. Through its subsidiaries, Enviva Holdings, LP owns and operates wood pellet processing plants and deep-water export terminals in the Southeastern United States. Enviva exports its pellets primarily to power, heat, and combined heat and power (CHP) generators in the United Kingdom, Europe and Japan that previously were fueled by coal, enabling them to reduce their lifetime carbon footprint by about 85 percent. Enviva makes its pellets using sustainable practices that protect Southern forests and employs about 1,200 people while supporting many other businesses in the U.S. South. Enviva Holdings, LP conducts its activities primarily through two entities: Enviva Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership (NYSE: EVA), and Enviva Development Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned private company. To learn more about Enviva Holdings, LP, please visit our website at www.envivabiomass.com and follow us on social media @Enviva.
